Reading the BMS

[Tulex]

I'm most likely going with a Sol-Ark 15K for my solar setup. It's a much larger investment than I originally planned, but I need an inverter that will let me grow my system, have generator input, feed back to the grid, and have battery backup.

Because of the cost, I'm looking at saving with batteries. I found the link for battery integration for the Sol-ark.
https://www.sol-ark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Battery-Communications-Integration-Guide-V3.1.pdf
I also looked at the Sol-Ark battery partners page for open and closed loop communication.

My questions are:
What is the difference with open and closed loop?
How much info can I get with a partnered battery vs one that is not, as in what can I see with just the Sol-Ark and no third party software?
How much communication do I actually need?
Is there any real advantage going with a partnered battery, or am I just as well off with any battery and maybe third party software to monitor?
Do I really need to monitor, as in, will the Sol-Ark just do it's thing and additional info is just "entertainment"?

I'm probably missing a lot of questions, because the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know.

Thanks

 

[Ampster]

What is the difference with open and closed loop?

Open loop means there is no communication between the battery BMS and the inverter. Closed loop means that the BMS sends information to the SolArk. I have been using battery packs with inverters and no communication for eight years.
I recently upgraded my system to a closed loop system. In my case I have an expensive Orion BMS which has more accurate SOC and voltage numbers than my SolArk provided. It is a personal choice but I like being able to have that integration, and being able to view all the numbers from one place. The degree of integration may vary between systems and it is difficult to get a clear description of what data is available before connecting the communications.
The latest battery integration guide may give you some insight into which direction to go.

 

[Ampster]

I read the latest Integration Guide and if you are using CANBUS communications it shows on page 5 of the Guide what Data from the BMS will show up on the SolArk. That matches what I see on the Li-Batt info tab in the screen on the SolArk.
Modbus had another screen