PV
Deye PV balcony power plant commissioning and HA integration
The hype about PV systems has also left its mark on me, so - in order to gain some experience - I have put together an 800 watt balcony power plant: Cost in total about 600$. Balcony power plants are often offered as a set, which usually consists of an inverter and two PV modules including cables. The power of the inverter limits the maximum generation power of the plant. In Austria, balcony power plants with a generation capacity of up to a maximum of 800 watts are currently allowed, Germany s... ... continue reading
PV - Considerations - Planning - Implementation
Anyone who has a PV system made must expect a waiting period of about a year as of 2023, at least that was the statement of several local companies. Partly for this reason, I decided to install the system on the roof myself. In the course of the project, I read up very intensively on the subject and put theory into practice. ... continue reading
The selection of PV panels: voltage vs. current
One thing I became aware of by commissioning my balcony power plant is the importance of the voltage and current ratings of the panels: the PV panels used in my balcony power plant deliver a very low voltage 24.8 (Vmp) and in return a high current of up to 16.51A (Imp). When comparing the performance data with some inverters, I found that current inverters for the most part cannot handle more than 13A and would limit the maximum peak power. The Fronius Gen24 as an example can handle 25A on one M... ... continue reading
Fronius Gen24 Commissioning: Connection >Setup >Integration
One of the first details needed for the approval of a PV system is the data of the inverter. In the years 2022/ 2023, in besides the technical data, the availability was also a decision criterion for the selection. In order to fix the inverter type and to be able to plan the rest of the plant better, I first tried to get my favorite inverter - the Fronius Gen24 - in advance. Although somewhat overpriced, but in stock, I was able to order the device via Amazon and a provider: ... continue reading
Fronius: Read / Change settings via network: Modbus
For direct API access to the Fronius inverter, Modbus can be used as an alternative to the Rest-API interface (Solar-API). Modbus TCP enables data to be read out via the network and certain settings to be changed. For example, Modbus can be used to intervene in the charging behavior of the battery, details will follow in a separate article. ... continue reading
MPP and the Shadow: Power Optimizer vs Dynamic Peak
Each PV module has a so-called Maximum Power Point (MPP), the operating point at which the voltage used achieves the maximum power. The data of the modules can be taken from their data sheet. ... continue reading
