Solar assistant: do you use it?

timselectric · Sep 17, 2023

It only takes one word to describe it.
AWESOME

hamsolar · Sep 17, 2023

I run it 24-7 since I built my system. It tracks everything, the only downside I have is my internet connection being two floors above my inverters and SA. But I do like the data,and being able to change settings from anywhere.

Lt.Dan · Sep 17, 2023

I have used it for over 18 months now. Excellent piece of equipment, and wouldn't consider a system without it. The last time I touched mine (physically) was when I moved into the house and I moved it from the trailer to the home. It's been plugged in for a year straight and the only reboots it has had is from software updates. Other than that, it has had 24/7 uptime.

webbbn · Sep 17, 2023

Crowz said:
You can run it on windows via a virtual machine setup. I have done it to test stuff. Its just not supported that way.

The pi's are not but $60 turn key. That means you get an orange pi 3 lts board, case to put it in and a power supply.

So complete computer to run it on for $60.

It has to run 24/7 to be useful. There isn't a windows machine that will run at the low power levels of a pi setup. So its cheap to buy, cheap to run and bulletproof for the most part. You can also buy a 12 volt dc power supply for it so it can run off the dc part of your setup if you have 12volts. This means its automatically battery backed up with a power failure. This is how mine is running.

Its just the right way to do it all things considered.

Its accessible across the network from a pc too and also accessible via pc or your phone from anywhere in the world if the internet is reachable by the pi which has built in wifi too so that is easy to get on the net.

The "right way" is subjective. If I were to design such a system, I would base it off an ESP32, add a voltage regulator that supports at least 48V, and include all the interface hardware in the box, which would interfaces directly with the ESP32, not going over USB. The hardware cost for such a box would likely be under $20. You already have WIFI and Bluetooth, and you could even add ethernet with POE for not much more. It also is more tolerant to temperature extremes, more fault tolerant, uses less power, is more secure, and is smaller.

They could make a good profit on the hardware, and provide better protection for the drivers, which might make it easier to work with more hardware vendors that want to protect their protocols. The software, then, could run anywhere. Many of us already have Home Assistant (or similar) machines running that it could run on. If you want to throw it on a pi, you can do that as well.

OffGridForGood · Sep 17, 2023

Positives:
Very easy to set up - even for some non-tech-No-Savy like myself,

Easy to add more components to it at any time,

Allows me to see at a glance not only current conditions but also recent history - easily see what happened days/weeks/months ago, or zoom in on the last fifteen minutes, expand the scale to find details,
Connected easily to a cheap router - LAN - so I can see everything and make changes from my home next door without needing an internet connection connected to my solar set up (optional).
Connected in a few easy steps to a Victron 500A shunt - displays the SOC accurately with my strange combination of factory and DIY battery packs (super feature)

Can be set to automatically charge a low SOC ESS pack via grid/generator and stop charging at higher set point.
Saved me from my slow death experience with 'WatchPower'

Connects directly via DC-DC to my 48v ESS and is never without power,
honestly I can't imagine NOT having SA.

Negatives: I spend too much time looking at it and smiling.

scoharri · Sep 17, 2023

I bought one but haven't got it running yet

ChrisG · Sep 17, 2023

Solar Assistant is awesome and integrates well with HomeAssistant. Can not only get battery and inverter metrics in Home Assistant but can build automation in HA to change inverter configuration through Solar Assistant. Example: have HA integrated with Open Weather, if there is a storm coming into my area and my battery is under 30% it will config inverter to charge from grid, then back to only solar after storm event.

Jim in Florida · Sep 17, 2023

I was considering it but did not get my system up before I took the bait for the 18Kpv. Hoping it has all the functionality I need.

Shimmy · Sep 17, 2023

houseofancients said:
The guys from sa created the drivers for inverters and batteries and packaged a collection of open source software packages together to make a complete solution

And in the process grossly violate the GPL, which is why I will never buy it. I have very small server cluster at home and there is no need for another Rasberry Pi to litter my home when I can easily spin up a virtual machine.

The project would have been much better off with offering an ESP-32 based gateway that could be proprietary, and offering a second box (or virtual machine), compliant with the GPL, along with the ability to easily use a separate database and Grafana instance.

Zwy · Sep 17, 2023

I have it and use it with my LV6548's. Works great. I use it with the Victron Smart Shunt as the charge controllers I use don't have communication.

timselectric · Sep 17, 2023

I don't know what all of that means.
Which is why I purchased something that just works.

TK1979 · Sep 17, 2023

Watts Happening said:
Use it, love it, and it doesn’t void my warranty lolz

??

BuffaloTrace · Sep 17, 2023

I like the idea of home automation, but who wants to be changing settings all the time if ever....I like set it and forget it for anything major and hardwired manual switches for the redundant equipment. Isn't there equipment and software already setup and marketed for home automation? I can see the draw to Solar Assistant only if there is some financial incentive to use SA over others.

timselectric · Sep 17, 2023

BuffaloTrace said:
I like the idea of home automation, but who wants to be changing settings all the time if ever....I like set it and forget it for anything major and hardwired manual switches for the redundant equipment. Isn't there equipment and software already setup and marketed for home automation? I can see the draw to Solar Assistant only if there is some financial incentive to use SA over others.

I don't use it for anything but monitoring my system.
But I like the ability to change something, if needed. From anywhere in the world.

Watts Happening · Sep 17, 2023

BuffaloTrace said:
I like the idea of home automation, but who wants to be changing settings all the time if ever....I like set it and forget it for anything major and hardwired manual switches for the redundant equipment. Isn't there equipment and software already setup and marketed for home automation? I can see the draw to Solar Assistant only if there is some financial incentive to use SA over others.

Simply put it’s a nice app and interface to any solar system.

It’s much better than the PV Pro app that Sol-Ark uses and more along the lines with the EG4 18kpv app, as much as it pains me to say that..

ChrisG · Sep 17, 2023

BuffaloTrace said:
I like the idea of home automation, but who wants to be changing settings all the time if ever....I like set it and forget it for anything major and hardwired manual switches for the redundant equipment. Isn't there equipment and software already setup and marketed for home automation? I can see the draw to Solar Assistant only if there is some financial incentive to use SA over others.

With SA and HA, it’s set it and forget it for changing settings. Can even alert your phone when conditions change if you want. No manual intervention. SA itself is great for metrics. The data can be greatly enhanced, merged with other data, and displayed however you like with HA/Grafana.

Zwy · Sep 17, 2023

timselectric said:
I don't use it for anything but monitoring my system.
But I like the ability to change something, if needed. From anywhere in the world.

100% the same here.

If I'm on vacation, I can log in and ensure my system is running.

andrew-d · Sep 17, 2023

Use it, and love it. Combined with Home Assistant, it turns on my hot water heater when there's PV power in excess of the heating element wattage so I can consume it instead of getting less ? from net-metering.

If you're connecting it to an inverter via RS232/RS485/etc. I recommend getting an isolated converter for extra protection to make sure that both the inverter and Solar Assistant box aren't damaged by voltage surges on the other device; I have one of the ones these guys make:
https://www.commfront.com/collections/rs232-rs485-rs422-ttl-serial-opto-isolators (no affiliation)

Zwy · Sep 17, 2023

andrew-d said:
Use it, and love it. Combined with Home Assistant, it turns on my hot water heater when there's PV power in excess of the heating element wattage so I can consume it instead of getting less ? from net-metering.

If you're connecting it to an inverter via RS232/RS485/etc. I recommend getting an isolated converter for extra protection to make sure that both the inverter and Solar Assistant box aren't damaged by voltage surges on the other device; I have one of the ones these guys make:
https://www.commfront.com/collections/rs232-rs485-rs422-ttl-serial-opto-isolators (no affiliation)

I use the power supply Solar Assistant sells. https://solar-assistant.io/shop/products/dc_usb_psu_type_c

Quattrohead · Sep 17, 2023

And here is what you can do with the data from SA into HA.

Solar assistant: do you use it?

Do you use solar assistant with your solar system

Yes

I used to, not anymore

No but I plan to use it one day

No and I don't see a reason to purchase it

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