Today I just started using My Sol-Ark 12K in Time of Use mode. At 5 PM I have it set to 9000 watts, Battery at 25%, no sell or charge checked. Limited to Load, Time of Use and Grid Sell in upper left corner of screen checked. When my furnace started I noticed that the Emporia Vue I have connected between the Sol-Ark grid input and main panel responds to the power use. Battery at 97%. Thought it should pull all from batteries. Was wondering if anyone has the ability to monitor that on your set up? Doesn't seem right. Thoughts? Thanks!
Sol-Ark questions
- Thread starter BenW
- Start date
Thanks for this! I was only using about 350 watts. First time I've seen this drawing!
Last edited:
RCinFLA
Solar Wizard
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2020
- Messages
- 3,566
It may be using AC input power for inverter overhead power. Some inverters always use battery power for overhead power. This is a little greater than no-load idle consumption.
Idle overhead power is always from battery but AC or PV charging can offset the battery overhead load current.
Carlos_Sol-Ark
New Member
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2022
- Messages
- 46
Hello, I read your post and thought I could help. You seem to have the correct setup for TIme of Use, but please understand that this makes batteries a second priority. If any solar is available, it will use PV power first to preserve your batteries for when PV is not available. This makes the power priority, PV, then battery, and finally, if you still need additional power we will pull from the grid.
Another fix may be that Limited Power to Load with grid sell will only allow your batteries to cover loads on the Critical load's panel/backup panel. If you want to offset loads in the critical loads panel and the main service panel with your battery you will need the CT sensors installed between the meter and the main service panel and you will want to be in Limited Power to Home mode with grid sell. This will also give you more accurate readings as to what is being sold to the utility. If you have any more questions feel free to post here, message me, or call our support line. (It may be faster to call in to support as I check here less frequently.)
Carlos_Sol-Ark
New Member
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2022
- Messages
- 46
I would also like to clarify that the 12K outdoor models actually do 9000W of backup power from solar or battery or from a combination, not 8kW.
The 15K model does have a difference between battery and PV power because at a certain point, the amperage needed to pull from a 48V battery to power high loads gets too high (300+ amps). This results is that the 15KW inverter can provide 15000W of backup power with just solar or a combination of solar and battery, but only 12000W of backup power with just batteries. I attached the spec sheets below for your reference.
12K inverter AC output = 9000W period from solar or battery or both
15Kw = 15000W from PV or PV and Batts ; 12000W Off of batteries alone.
Can you explain how the Sol-Ark responds when Power is set to 9000, 50% on battery and charge selected? Using Limited to load. Thanks!
Carlos_Sol-Ark
New Member
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2022
- Messages
- 46
Time of Use gets pretty complex, so it may be challenging to explain it entirely in writing. Basically, the use of the 50% will change depending on if you are on or off the grid.
Time of use settings - 9000W - 50% - charge tabs selected for all time slots
WHILE ON GRID: We will cover up to 9000W continuously until your batteries reach 50%. If you only have 2kW of loads we will only push 2kW of loads. if you have 10Kw of loads, batteries will cover 9kW and grid would cover 1kw. The charge tab on each time slot indicates if you will be able to charge your batteries from an AC power source during that time slot should your batteries reach the GRID or GEN start percentage set points in the battery settings. Normally while on grid this never happens unless your TOU discharging setpoint is lower than you Grid/Gen charging start setpoints. The charge tabs are more applicable to off-grid operation and charging.
WHILE OFF GRID: The power rating in TOU no longer matters we will always use as much battery and solar power needed to keep your loads going. ( Up to 9kW per 12K inverter). However that 50% instead of being a stopping point for discharging is now a stopping point for charging. EX: Gen charge is set to 25%, TOU is set to 50%. When off grid and no solar is available we drain the batteries and eventually the batteries reach 25%. TThen we turn on the generator and charge batteries up to 50% and then we stop. (Assuming you have the charge tab selected when this happens).
Because the TOU SOC % has different meanings you will often have to find a middle ground for how low you want to discharge your batteries while on grid and how high you will want to charge them back up from a generator when off grid. A good set point would be like the example I gave. Set Grid/Gen start % to be 25% and have the TOU set points be anything above this value (50% is good). Then you will be able to use your batteries to offset loads and still be able to charge them if there is a long-term outage with little solar power available.
Difference between Limited Power to Load and Limited Power to Home:
First, keep in mind that both of these options can run in conjunction with the grid sell option which changes some things so I will explain all scenarios.
Limited power to Load: Solar and PV power only ever go to the critical loads panel ( anything connected to the load breaker of the inverter.) We will limit PV power to exactly match your loads and will only use battery when there is not enough PV to cover the loads.
Limited power to Load me with grid sell: PV power will go to the critical loads panel and any excess will be sent out the grid breaker with no limiting. Some may be sold or be used up by the Main service panel inbetween us and the meter, however, The PV reported as "sold" in Powerview is still only whatever wattage leaves the inverter's grid terminals. With TOU battery power will still only ever go to cover your loads in the critical load panel and will never be pushed out the grid breaker like PV can in this use case.
Limited Power to Home: - CT Sensors go inbetween the meter and your main service panel. With TOU
PV and battery power will both try to first cover your critical load panel, and then any excess power will be sent out of the grid breaker until the inverters capability is reached ( 9kW) or the CT sensors read zero indicating no utility power is being used and no PV/Battery power is being sold. Priority will be to use PV power first and then only use battery if there is not enough PV to satisfy the loads by itself.
Limited Power to Home with Grid Sell: CT sensors go inbetween the meter and your main service panel. With TOU PV and battery power will both try to first cover your critical load panel. Batteries will only ever push until your CTs read zero, but PV will push out uninhibited since you have permission to sell to the grid. Keep in mind here the priority is to use PV power, then batteries, and then the grid. So you will never be selling PV and using your batteries at the same time. This is because if you are selling PV, then you have enough PV to cover loads in the critical loads panel and the main service panel, meaning we wont need to pull from the batteries to cover loads. In this work mode the inverter will only display the "Sold" power as what the CTs actually read as hitting your meter. Any loss in PV power from the Grid breaker to the CTs will be attributed to house loads and will added to the LOADS reading on the system.
In all scenarios, we will only keep the Critical loads panel up and running during an outage. I hope this helps!
6
629658
Guest
Carlos, can you recommend a setting that would allow house loads to be covered 100% from battery while selling 100% PV to the Grid?
Ex 2000w load 10,000w PV production. Draw the 2000w from ESS and sell the 10,000w PV production to grid?
Man, Carlos, you got this stuff down! And you explain it very clearly! Great job!
