Remote monitoring four SP6548 Inverters

[garetwo]

We have:

Four SunGold Power SP6548 inverters

Sixteen LifePO4 300 ah batteries 4S4P

We intend to install these on each bank of four batteries between the bank and the bus:

Four Renogy 500A Battery Monitor with Shunt

Four HA02 battery equalizers

My question, please, what is a good way to remotely monitor these four Renogy monitors and the inverters, AND maintain a data log on each one? I do ask you to bear in mind, I am an electrician, communication protocol languages, etc., may need to be dumbed down.

Thanks!

 

[SeaGal]

Can you clarify what you mean by remotely monitor? Is it like...

a) the system is in a place that has wired or wireless already, with Internet connectivity and you want to monitor them when you are up a mountain or on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic or...

b) the system is in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with no Internet and you want to monitor it when you are in a City?

c) the system is 500ft away in an outbuilding where you live and you want to monitor it from the house?

d) some combination of the above?

 

[garetwo]

Can you clarify what you mean by remotely monitor? Is it like...

a) the system is in a place that has wired or wireless already, with Internet connectivity and you want to monitor them when you are up a mountain or on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic or...

b) the system is in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with no Internet and you want to monitor it when you are in a City?

c) the system is 500ft away in an outbuilding where you live and you want to monitor it from the house?

d) some combination of the above?

Thank you, I do tend to not be very clear at the onset.
The system is in the basement of a two-story single family dwelling with internet access. Initially I thought monitoring via a PC upstairs (wired or WIFI - this part I can do!) would be nice (he has a very bad knee), but an app for a device would be awesome.

 

[Quattrohead]

Solar assistant is by far the easiest method for the inverters, possibly the batteries if they have a supported BMS.
No idea about the shunt.

 

[LakeHouse]

My question, please, what is a good way to remotely monitor these four Renogy monitors and the inverters, AND maintain a data log on each one?

Short answer: It's not possible.
Longer answer: I don't think those Renogy 500A monitors are capable of communicating with anything. But even if they were, Renogy does a great job of making sure that their equipment won't communicate with anything other than their own monitoring solution (the ONE, or M1), which can't communicate with anything that isn't Renogy.
Actual Solution: Return those four crappy Renogy battery monitors and buy a single Victron BMV or SmartShunt. Wire a Bus for the four Batteries, and separate Bus for the Inverters/load/chargers, with the single BMV or SmartShunt between (you may want to upgrade to the 1000A shunt, as the standard 500A is right on the limit of what your four inverters could use), then set up solar assistant. Solar Assistant should be able to communicate with your Sungold inverters (others on this site claim they work) and can definitely communicate with the Victron battery monitors.

 

[LakeHouse]

Sixteen LifePO4 300 ah batteries 4S4P

Also, this is a bad idea, but I see that others have been recently telling you this on another thread, so I will stop beating the dead horse... Now.

 

[garetwo]

Short answer: It's not possible.
Longer answer: I don't think those Renogy 500A monitors are capable of communicating with anything. But even if they were, Renogy does a great job of making sure that their equipment won't communicate with anything other than their own monitoring solution (the ONE, or M1), which can't communicate with anything that isn't Renogy.
Actual Solution: Return those four crappy Renogy battery monitors and buy a single Victron BMV or SmartShunt. Wire a Bus for the four Batteries, and separate Bus for the Inverters/load/chargers, with the single BMV or SmartShunt between (you may want to upgrade to the 1000A shunt, as the standard 500A is right on the limit of what your four inverters could use), then set up solar assistant. Solar Assistant should be able to communicate with your Sungold inverters (others on this site claim they work) and can definitely communicate with the Victron battery monitors.

Thank you.
So each group of batteries should have a 1000 amp shunt?
What is a BMV? - i see it is a part number for Victron, like the BMV-712?
One bus each for each set of four batteries?
Another common bus for the inverters?

I am checking out the Victron battery monitors right now.

 

[garetwo]

Solar assistant is by far the easiest method for the inverters, possibly the batteries if they have a supported BMS.
No idea about the shunt.

Since the BMS is internal to each battery - it has been explained many times why this is not good, it is what we have though :-( - we cannot do anything with them. One person suggested cutting the tops off, removing the BMSes and installing a different one - a great idea but somewhat doubtful as to implementing it right now.
This is why we are going to install shunts on each group of four batteries with monitors and equalizers. I completely see a rack mounted 48 volt system with communication would have been best...maybe even less expensive at this point. We are now merely trying to "protect" the batteries we have.

 

[Quattrohead]

I don't understand what batteries you have.

 

[garetwo]

I don't understand what batteries you have.

My lack of clarity again, sorry. 16 Jita 12,8vdc 300ah LifePO4. These are not mine; they are on a friend's system. Since joining this forum, I have definitely learned not to do this, but to buy or make 48-volt batteries that have communication.

 

[LakeHouse]

So each group of batteries should have a 1000 amp shunt?

If you're going to monitor each group separately, the standard 500A should be fine. I'm not sure if SA (solar assistant) can communicate with multiple shunts though, which is why I suggested a single shunt to monitor the total system State of Charge. That one would require the 1000A shunt.

What is a BMV? - i see it is a part number for Victron, like the BMV-712?

Yes, BMV-712, BMV-702, etc. They all do the same basic thing, just with different communication capabilities.

One bus each for each set of four batteries?
Another common bus for the inverters?

Two busses: One to combine the batteries - each group of four is connected to this common 'battery bus'. The other 'load bus' is connected to the inverters/charge controllers/loads. All current flows from the battery bus through the total system battery monitor (the 1000A one) to the 'load bus'.

 

[LakeHouse]

So each group of batteries should have a 1000 amp shunt?
What is a BMV? - i see it is a part number for Victron, like the BMV-712?
One bus each for each set of four batteries?
Another common bus for the inverters?

Alternatively, the Victron Lynx system does all of this, and is rated for 1000A. Lynx Power In ---> Lynx Shunt ---> Lynx Distributor

 

[garetwo]

If you're going to monitor each group separately, the standard 500A should be fine. I'm not sure if SA (solar assistant) can communicate with multiple shunts though, which is why I suggested a single shunt to monitor the total system State of Charge. That one would require the 1000A shunt.

Yes, BMV-712, BMV-702, etc. They all do the same basic thing, just with different communication capabilities.

Two busses: One to combine the batteries - each group of four is connected to this common 'battery bus'. The other 'load bus' is connected to the inverters/charge controllers/loads. All current flows from the battery bus through the total system battery monitor (the 1000A one) to the 'load bus'.

OK, I will draw this up to confirm. However, I have to leave. Thank you for the detailing

 

[garetwo]

If you're going to monitor each group separately, the standard 500A should be fine. I'm not sure if SA (solar assistant) can communicate with multiple shunts though

I have a query into solar assistant. Their site says it can have multiple jobs. I asked if it can individually monitor multiple inverters tied together as well as provide aggregate totals. I think of all the SCADA systems I have wired and run cable for (I was not the instrument tech, but I did run a lot of wiring and power), they not only could monitor a lot of things, but they could also control a lot, so it seems that it could be done for solar. I do imagine one may have to pay for such a package. We don't even need the control end, but that would be nice.

If there is no ability to get data remotely from each inverter and each bank of batteries ,then keeping the Renogy as local display for the batteries should be ok? Would you still get rid of them and get all Victron? I can see the 1000 amp shunt and Victron on the overall DC, which I am going to suggest. I sure see how thorough planning at the onset is a necessity, since real estate for components is becoming scarce.

 

[LakeHouse]

I asked if it can individually monitor multiple inverters tied together as well as provide aggregate totals.

I think SA can monitor multiple inverters as long as they all communicate with each other, but I don't run a system like that, so I can't say for sure.

If there is no ability to get data remotely from each inverter and each bank of batteries ,then keeping the Renogy as local display for the batteries should be ok?

Yes, the Renogy shunts should work fine as local displays.

 

[garetwo]

I think SA can monitor multiple inverters as long as they all communicate with each other, but I don't run a system like that, so I can't say for sure.

Yes, the Renogy shunts should work fine as local displays.

I will let you know what they say, just so you know down the road. Maybe you will want to swap all of your stuff out just so you can mess with it?

I think that my friend wishes things had started off differently. As an example, when he first purchased the batteries, they were 1.1k each, now they are under 800. When you add in all the extra work to tie them together and monitor stuff.... rack mount 48VDC batteries with communication would be sweet.

 

[Quattrohead]

I asked if it can individually monitor multiple inverters tied together as well as provide aggregate totals.

Yes it can.
A direct USB connection to each inverter will give you full data from each inverter. This is the best method.
You can also connect USB to the master inverter and get some data from the others, but not as much info flows across the parallel cables.

It can also read from multiple batteries, but they must be all the same type, no mixing.
I do not know if it can read from more than 1 shunt.
Your best option at this point is a single 1000A Victron shunt between the battery bank and the inverter bank.

 

[garetwo]

Yes it can.
A direct USB connection to each inverter will give you full data from each inverter. This is the best method.
You can also connect USB to the master inverter and get some data from the others, but not as much info flows across the parallel cables.

It can also read from multiple batteries, but they must be all the same type, no mixing.
I do not know if it can read from more than 1 shunt.
Your best option at this point is a single 1000A Victron shunt between the battery bank and the inverter bank.

Awesome, thank you.
I am suggesting that he consider the singular shunt because, though the batteries can be charge by the utility power through the inverter's onboard MPPT chargers, he charges with a genset through a pure sine wave inverter, so he cannot get how many amps is being used.

A direct USB connection to each inverter will give you full data from each inverter. This is the best method.

What does each singular USB cable connect to at the software end? I think I better go read more on Solar Assistant.

 

[Quattrohead]

Each USB from the inverters goes to the solar assistant pi.

 

[Skypower]

Solar Assistant ?



FOUR cables for inverter connections. These are known to work, others mostly don’t. Don’t go cheap here.


Power hub (5V) to take the load off the Pi. (Cut off the wall wort and use below power supply)


48 to 5V Power supply to power the power hub AND the Pi from the battery bank (connected inverter side of shunt). Fuse both neg and positive where small wires connect to power source, probably 5 amp (to be determined)


Victron 1000 amp shunt


Cable for shunt to hub