How to proactively monitor your DIY PV grid-tie, battery backup solar system? General tips?

[BlueMarblePA]

I think this could be a great video idea for @willprowse, as many of us have installed our own solar, but now what?!

With the help of this forum and youtube videos by many people, I applied for permit and self-installed Solaredge 7.6kw roof top grid-tie system. Then, I added additional PV and added a Solark 15k and 20kwh Pytes v5 batteries.

This has been running for two years (Solaredge) and one year (Solark/batteries) without problems. I have Iotawatt CTs on a lot of circuits to keep tabs on consumption, export, production, etc.

How do I check on my system? I log into the app all the time and check and monitor, but what should I be doing proactively?

1. Do I get a FLIR or other temperature monitor? Check connections. Go to the roof and open boxes and check temperature? Do I do it while under PV load?
2. I have a clamp meter Klein. Should I check amperages?
3. Check battery temps? I just assume the BMS is doing all the work in my Pytes v5 as I cycle from 30% to 100% almost daily.

I am addicted to solar, and I am just looking for more to do, although I do have some upcoming projects - installation of second EVSE, addition of more PV, etc.

 

[svetz]

There are openware and other solutions for home monitoring, the real trick is to get gear that has a local API so it can be talked to.

How do I check on my system? I log into the app all the time and check and monitor, but what should I be doing proactively?

I wrote a program to monitor my system, when it spots something out of spec it emails me so I can look at it. The downside to DIY is you have to fix it when undocumented API features change ; -)

 

[BlueMarblePA]

There are openware and other solutions for home monitoring, the real trick is to get gear that has a local API so it can be talked to.


I wrote a program to monitor my system, when it spots something out of spec it emails me so I can look at it. The downside to DIY is you have to fix it when undocumented API features change ; -)

This is kind of interesting.
This forum provides a lot of insight into building your DIY system, but there is not a lot of information on how to maintain.
I guess I want to do preventive maintenance rather than wait until something really bad happens.

 

[Ellcon123]

I don't see what real maintenance there is to do? It's all electronic and unless you have lead acid no battery maintenance to carry out. My current system is operating for 2 years and I haven't touched it. I go many weeks, if not months, without opening the shed where everything is setup.

The system is monitored via Home Assistant so I will know straight up if something is wrong. In reality the only issues I have are with the data capture into HA and not the actual hardware of the system. I am fortunate with weather as I don't have cold or snow to worry about. Only thing to worry about is trees and shadows.

 

[SolarRich]

I wrote my own programs to access Sol-Ark data via rs485. Save the data in flat files, make charts etc.
Used this as an example - saved me alot of time:

GitHub - aaronmelton/solark_monitor: A Python script to read memory register(s) from Sol-Ark Inverters and insert them into a database.

A Python script to read memory register(s) from Sol-Ark Inverters and insert them into a database. - aaronmelton/solark_monitor

github.com

 

[BlueMarblePA]

I wrote my own programs to access Sol-Ark data via rs485. Save the data in flat files, make charts etc.
Used this as an example - saved me alot of time:

GitHub - aaronmelton/solark_monitor: A Python script to read memory register(s) from Sol-Ark Inverters and insert them into a database.

A Python script to read memory register(s) from Sol-Ark Inverters and insert them into a database. - aaronmelton/solark_monitor

github.com

Now I have to learn how to program. I just started David Malan's course - CS50P for python
The last time I tried to program was with Basic. 10 print Hello 20 go to 10

 

[quantum`]

It's impressive how many have written programs to do various things... but don't share them.

Are they not good enough? Are they buggy? Open-source, or not?

 

[TM48]

Many members just use Solar Assistant.

 

[wpns]

It's impressive how many have written programs to do various things... but don't share them.

Are they not good enough? Are they buggy? Open-source, or not?

Mine is bespoke, I know the UI, I can fix stuff, and it's really only applicable to my set of hardware and network infrastructure. I've posted code fragments, but it'd take a lot of work to clean it up enough to post it on (say) GitHub, and then I'd miss a set of hardwired credentials and everything would blow up. I mean, who even wants something like my personal kludge?

IMHO, you should use SA or another COTS system unless you want to own and build and maintain your own software infrastructure. And that can range from HA to ESP, so ask for advice here, but don't expect canned solutions.

Looking back on it, most of the open source stuff I've looked at would take _more_ work to make properly functional for me than just starting from scratch and building my own code, so I look at it for ideas, but I rarely use a canned API unless it does something I'm not going to bother to do (or can do) myself.

For instance, https://robohash.org/ lets me make cute pictures from IP addresses so I can easily tell when my WAN IPs have changed, and what my current route to the internet is. No way I'm going to write that myself, and they have a downloadable python module I can include, so it's not dependent on the internet being up or the software being supported.

If you have questions about how to do a particular thing, certainly ask, maybe someone has already solved it, or can at least give you ideas where to proceed.

 

[wattmatters]

I have it all integrated with Home Assistant.

I will get phone alerts for things like grid outages or when loads are high, but automations take care of most of it. It's probably the most flexible and adaptable option for non-IT types.

Good system design will mean there is not a lot to do, it should do that stuff for you or alert you to when something requires your intervention.

self-installed Solaredge 7.6kw roof top grid-tie system. Then, I added additional PV and added a Solark 15k and 20kwh Pytes v5 batteries.

Home Assistant has a Solaredge integration, while Solar Assistant can capture all the Solark + battery data and controls and integrate with Home Assistant via MQTT.

I have Iotawatt

Iotawatt also has a Home Assistant integration.

I have something analogous:
- Fronius grid tied inverter/PV system
- Off-grid inverter / PV with Solar Assistant
- Server rack batteries with Solar Assistant
- Iotawatt
and all are integrated with Home Assistant.

I also have the following integrated with Home Assistant:
- Daikin ducted reverse cycle aircon
- Shed aircon controller
- Smart lighting inside and out
- Smart switch control for pool pump and fans
- individual power/energy monitors for key appliances not covered by the Iotawatt (e.g. washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, fridges, pool pump, server/internet)
- Temperature/humidity/air pressure sensors throughout
- Solar PV forecasting
- Weather forecasts
- Internet service performance
- My car

It's more than just monitoring, for most of these things there is also controllability - e.g. when it is not sunny, if my car is charging and the ducted aircon is running, there is a possibility on one phase the current draw may exceed the main breaker's current limit. My system is monitoring that will automatically dial down the car's charge rate so as to remain within the system's capacity limit. It will also ramp the charge rate back up if there is sufficient spare capacity to do so.

That's just one of many such automations. We have free utility energy periods, so I have automations to maximise use of those, as well as others to dial back or dump loads to avoid importing energy from the grid when it is not free.

It controls the operating mode of my off-grid inverter, decides whether it needs supplemental charging from the grid PV system based on battery SOC and solar forecasts, ramps charge rate up/down to use excess PV capacity and avoid importing energy.

You can build your own integrated dashboards:



Use the inbuilt energy monitoring:



Capture long term data in database for charting with other systems, e.g. Grafana:



Set up specific dashboard to check on particular items (I have them for climate, car, internet performance, grid info, off-grid/battery, pool, laundry, water heating, shed, lighting).



It may look like a lot but in reality those are for just checking in, most of it looks after itself.

 

[BlueMarblePA]

Okay. This is very helpful. I bought a raspberry pi 4, but I don't have it installed or solar assistant. It seems like that is the way to go.