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Solar monitoring app

  • 31-01-2020 12:55pm
    #1
    jonny_b
    Registered Users Posts: 645 ✭✭✭


    What's the best app out there to view what the panels are generating


Comments

  • #2
    wexfordman2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,540 ✭✭✭wexfordman2


    jonny_b wrote: »
    What's the best app out there to view what the panels are generating

    Its generally supplied with your inverter.


  • #3
    jonny_b
    Registered Users Posts: 645 ✭✭✭jonny_b


    wexfordman2 wrote: »
    Its generally supplied with your inverter.

    Yeah I have one but its pretty basic. I have seen some apps such as solar Edge that give you much more in depth detail.


  • #4
    wexfordman2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,540 ✭✭✭wexfordman2


    jonny_b wrote: »
    Yeah I have one but its pretty basic. I have seen some apps such as solar Edge that give you much more in depth detail.

    What make is your inverter ?


  • #5
    wexfordman2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,540 ✭✭✭wexfordman2


    Ihor K wrote: »
    Hi,

    I recommend checking out the Enapter ENP-RS232-MPP module which connects to the solar inverter's serial port from one side and the Wi-Fi from the other and delivers data to the cloud allowing to monitor device in realtime on an unlimited amount of devices using iOS and Android application.

    More details can be found on their page: solarmonitor.enapter.com

    No list of what inverters it is suitable for ?


  • #6
    Valhallapt
    Registered Users Posts: 1,226 ✭✭✭Valhallapt


    Does the Enapter work with Solis / Ginlong inverters?, I'm looking for something more frequent than my ginlong datalogger stick, at present I only get a reading every 6-9 minutes, but I'd like to get a minute by minute reading so I can power on and off immersion when i'm exporting excess power to the grid


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  • #7
    wexfordman2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,540 ✭✭✭wexfordman2


    Valhallapt wrote: »
    Does the Enapter work with Solis / Ginlong inverters?, I'm looking for something more frequent than my ginlong datalogger stick, at present I only get a reading every 6-9 minutes, but I'd like to get a minute by minute reading so I can power on and off immersion when i'm exporting excess power to the grid


    I get your desire to power on and off the immersion to match your excess production, but is that really practical ?

    Say you are producing only 1kw of excess, then if you turn on your immersion (typically 3kw), then where will the excess 2kw needed to power your immersion come from ?

    The technical solution for what you are trying to acheived would be something like an eddi, which automatically diverts just your excess to the immersion, so if you have an excess of 800w or 1.5kw, then only that amount gets diverted to your immersion, rather than your immersion demanding a full 3kw.

    In addition, consider cloud cover where you might have an excess for 10mins, or just 1 min, how do you manage even sending that to your immersion ?

    The eddi is the technical solution for what you want to do, and executes it almost perfectly, managing and matching your excess almost perfectly to what it sends to the immersion.

    Whether it pays pack or not is the question, but I would almost gaurantee spending 70 euro on that monitoring solution to try and acheive what you want will not work and would be very hard to get pay back.


  • #8
    Valhallapt
    Registered Users Posts: 1,226 ✭✭✭Valhallapt


    wexfordman2 wrote: »
    I get your desire to power on and off the immersion to match your excess production, but is that really practical ?

    Say you are producing only 1kw of excess, then if you turn on your immersion (typically 3kw), then where will the excess 2kw needed to power your immersion come from ?

    The technical solution for what you are trying to acheived would be something like an eddi, which automatically diverts just your excess to the immersion, so if you have an excess of 800w or 1.5kw, then only that amount gets diverted to your immersion, rather than your immersion demanding a full 3kw.

    In addition, consider cloud cover where you might have an excess for 10mins, or just 1 min, how do you manage even sending that to your immersion ?

    The eddi is the technical solution for what you want to do, and executes it almost perfectly, managing and matching your excess almost perfectly to what it sends to the immersion.

    Whether it pays pack or not is the question, but I would almost gaurantee spending 70 euro on that monitoring solution to try and acheive what you want will not work and would be very hard to get pay back.


    Yes your right that an Eddi is the correct solution.

    But I have the immersion automated already and can control it remotely. I have a 6kw battery and 5.4kw panels. So my thinking was when the panels are exporting more that 2kw to the grid and the batteries are above 80% to switch on the immersion. As for cloud cover, that’s why I’d like a more frequent update from the logger so I can quickly switch off the immersion and not drain the battery.


  • #9
    KCross
    Registered Users Posts: 12,066 ✭✭✭✭KCross


    Valhallapt wrote: »
    Yes your right that an Eddi is the correct solution.

    But I have the immersion automated already and can control it remotely. I have a 6kw battery and 5.4kw panels. So my thinking was when the panels are exporting more that 2kw to the grid and the batteries are above 80% to switch on the immersion. As for cloud cover, that’s why I’d like a more frequent update from the logger so I can quickly switch off the immersion and not drain the battery.

    Are you really going to monitor those parameters every day on your phone and manually turn on/off the immersion to suit? Thats not practical at all and the savings would be small. Value your time.

    You need to set it up to be 100% automated otherwise it will take over your life. Something like the Eddi is the technical solution but unfortunately it wont add up financially.


  • #10
    Valhallapt
    Registered Users Posts: 1,226 ✭✭✭Valhallapt


    KCross wrote: »
    Are you really going to monitor those parameters every day on your phone and manually turn on/off the immersion to suit? Thats not practical at all and the savings would be small. Value your time.

    You need to set it up to be 100% automated otherwise it will take over your life. Something like the Eddi is the technical solution but unfortunately it wont add up financially.

    No I have everything automated already, I’d just create a simple script to check the solar every minute and switch on or off.


  • #11
    wexfordman2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,540 ✭✭✭wexfordman2


    Valhallapt wrote: »
    No I have everything automated already, I’d just create a simple script to check the solar every minute and switch on or off.

    What make of inververter is it ?

    You could look at something like openhab running on an rpi, and then either develop a binding to your inverter (I think Solis one already exists)


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