Solis S5-EH1P(3-6)K-L series - zero export capable?

[SeaGal]

I believe, as said in #8 and #10, it is technically possible. But, unless you have a very unusual, specific requirement that that solution would be sub optimal - especially with not much battery.

I guess the question is what are you exact power requirements first and then look at the best solution to achieve that aim.

e.g. is it to power the house
is it to provide backup in case of power cuts etc.?

 

[onobeka]

It is both for reducing the bill and being able to operate in case of blackouts. Remember my country has a war at the borders.
The bureaucracy in my country to obtain an ongrid license is mindbending.
I will be getting another us5000 in january(out of stock until) so probably for 8 months over an one year period I can run most of my loads with a zero bill and independent. I realize summertime is wasted production and wintertime is underproduction.
Solis is not even accepted yet on the list of certified inverters to feed the grid in this 2nd hand country according to the recent Schengen voting. I do not want to talk politics but they impact our life daily. Over here only Fronius, SMA, Huawei(?!?) and a few models from Sungrow are accepted to feed the grid.

In my country, I get a price if I consume lower than 100kWh a month, a bit more expensive under 255kWh(thanks to EU saying we need to use 15% less energy in 2022 and the idiotic gouvernement implementing it this way the next day without any real need) and more expensive beyond. Winter months we are over 300kWh with two kids. We are heating with gas, no hvac.

So, first order of business is self consumption. My Easun is fed by 6s2p 395W Risens with serious shading on one string. I’ve made the setup in October without shading issues, yet I’ve miscalculated. Both strings have same angle, same orientation. I would like to run inequal strings, moving/adding panels to the unshaded one. I realize the summer aspect …

Later edit: I have not received any electricity bill since august. The government is putting a new law canceling or augmenting the yesterdays one, every single day almost. So yeah, I think I have reasons to stay decoupled as much as possible.

Later later edit: In my country if I inject in the grid I am not paid. I am allowed to “store” in the grid what I inject and use the kWh in the months that the house consumption is not covered by the PV production. In case that there is a positive balance after two years I might get some reimbursement. At the levels the monkeys are passing laws every night, I am not confident. Right now they are discussing they “might” pass a law to tax the injection in case the state owned companies are in trouble in case of overproduction. Yeah, right. The republic of Moldavia (neighbors and fellow countrymen) are having serious blackouts due to the Ukraine war. If it were that my system would help others, then I will gladly donate, yet that will never be the case. Big systems over 400kWp can sell energy every day over the trade market, yet not the small fish.

 

[Solar Guppy]

Solis will run just fine for normal grid-tie without the meter and CT, you just lose the ability for zero export as home loads are not being measured.

Running the RS485 is a single pair of wires ( just use some Cat 5 network cable ). RS485 is good for hundreds of feet, so distance isn't an issue. And you can get RS485 wireless extenders, but not sure what happens if the link goes down, likely would be doing full export of energy to the grid.

In your last edit, if your allowed to donate the energy, then meter isn't needed as the only purpose of using it is for zero export ( or multi inverter configurations ).

Your current inverter just throws the energy away ( technically not harvested from the solar ) not used by the backup load once the battery is full, the Solis can do exactly that without the meter so a direct replacement, and then you have all sorts of options for zero export or just any excess over loads goes into the grid, so now with all these posts, hopefully your question has been answered.

 

[onobeka]

Thank you! What I fail to understand is the zero export inability without the meter. If all the loads are connected on the backup port of the Solis, indeed the energy from the solar will be wasted once the battery is full and there is more than the loads need, yet the same will happen in a zero export mode.

I do not have a bidirectional meter from the utility, which means that if the inverter would try to feed the grid the meter would count it as import even if I am exporting.

 

[SeaGal]

... but not sure what happens if the link goes down, likely would be doing full export of energy to the grid.

FYI; I forget the exact wording on the settings screen, but the Solis has 2 configurable modes of operation:-
a) The default setting (and the one required for G.100 certification in UK) is that the Inverter shuts down if the RS485 link fails and stops supplying power on the AC grid connection.
b) The other setting is to 'ignore' any RS485 failure, in which case (as you guessed above) is that the inverter will send all PV generated power to the AC grid connection.

 

[SeaGal]

What I fail to understand is the zero export inability without the meter.

If there is no meter, the Solis cannot tell what house load is being used if the house loads are connected to the AC grid, as would be the normal case for a grid-tied inverter.

If all the loads are connected on the backup port of the Solis, indeed the energy from the solar will be wasted once the battery is full and there is more than the loads need, yet the same will happen in a zero export mode.

That is my understanding too.. but:-
a) if you do that you are limited to the 3000W maximum power on the backup circuit and
b) when there is no sun and the battery is exhausted, you will get no power on the backup circuit.

I'm not convinced that is exactly what you want? ?‍

 

[onobeka]

That is my understanding too.. but:-
a) if you do that you are limited to the 3000W maximum power on the backup circuit and
b) when there is no sun and the battery is exhausted, you will get no power on the backup circuit.

I'm not convinced that is exactly what you want? ?‍

OK!!! This starts to make sense now!
So, the backup output can only be fed by the sun or battery, but never from the grid, like a bypass mode??? If that is the case, indeed that's not what I want! Maybe that is obvious to you guys but certainly it was not for me.

I want the Solis to be direct replacement of the Easun, which can bypass grid power to the output in case there is no sun and the battery is depleted. That's why all the discussion related to why do I need the smart meter made no sense to me, because in my mind this is the only way I can wire the Solis unit. I did not draw panels, breakers, spds and all protection devices.

Please look careful to the below comparison. On the bottom is exactly what I have right now. On the top it is how I've imagined the Solis would work and I've also placed the Smartmeter where I can, yet there's nothing (no load) in between the Solis and the smartmeter, which made me question it's purpose all along. I know what a smartmeter does. I thought I could make a setting in the Solis that will make it bypass grid to loads and do zero export, but there is virtually nothing to measure in the smartmeter (no diference in loads) and the CT clamp and the current would flow only one way, into the Solis. @SeaGal: your reply opened my eyes. Please confirm that my understanding is correct and I cannot use the Solis as I want to ... or maybe I can yet with some special settings in it's menu and no meter.

 

[SeaGal]

The solis power meter needs to go between grid and house, so the Solis can measure house load and only supply that amount if you want to prevent export.

The backup is a 3000W power limited backup supply, not a grid bypass.

 

[onobeka]

Thank you very much, all of you!

 

[sugo]

Hello, i have a problem with export on grid:
If i put not allow the inverter put in grid about 1kw. If i put allow the inverter put in grid all PV production power (3kw). I put 0.000 kw in the limit menu too.

I don't want to put anything in grid, you think there is a problem on meter?