TimCam

Eishkom, should also offer a rebate on solar installs.🤔

Yip, with 2 batteries at 10 kW capacity, and discharging them down to 20% SOC (State Of Charge) with a load of 2 kW, your batteries should last about 4 hours. It is not healthy for Lithium batteries to be fully discharged. Some can, but the lifespan will be decreased.

The Max Amp Discharge setting limits what the inverter will draw from the batteries. If the load requirement (during load-shedding, and no Solar), is higher than this, the inverter will try for a few seconds to satisfy the load, but will then register an F56 DC_VoltLow_Fault, and shutdown. With your two batteries you can keep the inverter "happy" with loads up to 9.6 kW during load-shedding. With a third battery you can increase to +- 14.4 kW, if you set the "Discharge Amps" to 300A under the Battery Settings.

This is a problem if you are in load-shedding and running on batteries only. This will only allow +- 4.3 kW to be provided from the batteries. Rather set this to 200A, which will allow the batteries to provide +- 9.6 kW. I see the inverters are in parallel, so more batteries will always help, as you have an inverter capacity of 16 kW, and a battery capacity of only 10 kW.👍

On your battery settings on the inverter set your "Discharge Amps" to 100A, then your inverter should not try and draw more from your battery than it can give, which appears to be what happened, and the battery BMS shut the battery down to protect itself. Therefor the battery needed to be reset. I have 2x Hubble AM-2 batteries so have never had that problem on my SunSynk 8.8 kW inverter. For now, be careful of loads when in load-shedding, and enjoy your new system. You have a great setup, just a bit of teething issues. 👍

When you switched your machine off, did you switch the battery off on the battery, the solar off using the DC switch on the side, and the AC off in the DB?

Lovely to see a "Blue" team member join the forum. Welcome, and may you have many happy years of service from your power station. 👍 You said, "I find myself staring at the real time data the whole time. Obsessed to see what draws what power". This is quite normal. 😂

Like @Sc00bs says, it's possibly a problem with the way the earth / neutral bond is wired on the inverter, or the neutral is common on the input to the inverter, and the UPS (Essential) Load. The Essential Load neutral must be separate from the input neutral from Eskom. Just to clarify, when you say the 63A breaker trip's, is this the MCB or the Earth leakage? Hopefully this issue can be sorted quickly, and you can enjoy your new power setup. Also, welcome to the forum. 👍

Like all the other good people have advised, it all depends on your budget, and your loads you want to supply. I have a SunSynk 8.8 kW inverter, so I'll try and explain it's setup, and it's 5.5 kW "brother". First, your mains AC supply comes in from Eskom, through your MCB (Main Circuit Breaker) to your meter. Just after your meter is the inverter CT (Current Transformer) coil, which is connected to the inverter, and measures the amount of power coming into or out of (Export) your house. Now, between the CT coil and the inverter you can have Non-Essential loads wired like geysers, stoves, etc, which will not be powered by solar or battery if Eskom is Off. Not withstanding @WannabeSolarSparky transfer switch method. When Eskom is On, these loads can be "back-fed" by the inverter with excess solar / battery power, and save you on your Eskom bill. The Max you can "back-feed" to these Non-Essential loads is the rating of the inverter. On a SunSynk 8.8 kW this will be +- 8 kW, on a 5.5 kW it'll be +- 5 kW. If these loads require more power than the inverter can give, the power will be supplemented from Eskom through the MCB and your meter, up to the rating of your MCB. This is possible because the SunSynk is a bi-directional machine, which can take power in from Eskom, or push power back towards Eskom. Using the CT coil, the power can be stopped at the CT coil, (No Export) or even pushed back into the Eskom grid (Export), and supply your neighbors. 😂 Then the inverter has an output called UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply), this is the Essential loads you want to always have power no-matter what Eskom does. When Eskom is On, these loads will be fed by solar, battery, Eskom, depending on the "System Mode" Timer settings. Normally most people use the solar to charge the batteries, power the Essential loads, and if loads are high, draw some power from Eskom. The SunSynk 5.5 kW can power an Essential load of +- 8 kW by combining Solar / Battery and Eskom. The SunSynk 8.8 kW can power an Essential load of +- 12 kW by combining Solar / Battery and Eskom. If Eskom is Off, (load-shedding) the inverter will only be able to supply an Essential load equal to its rating, i.e. 5 kW or 8 kW. After all this waffling, I have my entire house wired through the inverter, on the Essential load, as I wish to choose which loads are required during load-shedding or power failures. Hope you soon join the power independent gang. 👍

If you are using one master device and multiple listing devices, a splitter can be used on a RS232 "bus". Normally RS232 is a point to point connection and not a multi-point connection like the RS485. Imagine the chaos with the data logger and SolarAssistant (Pi) both trying to TX, and one is pulling to -12V, while the other is pulling to +12V. 😲 With RS485, a device will only take the "bus" if its address is called.

SolarAssistant does require a Pi, but is absolutely rock solid and has never given me one second of trouble. Unlike the Solarman app, SolarAssistant gives you genuine real-time monitoring and control down to 1-2 seconds, not minutes. The data and graphs captured from the SunSynk and a host of supported lithium batteries can also be exported for further processing. You can view your "Site" using a dedicated URL on any platform (Phone, Tablet, PC, Mac) protected by e-mail and password. You can also grant others "view" access too. Unlike Solarman, if your internet goes down for a number of hours, you won't loose any data, as the Pi is directly connected to the inverter and batteries, and stores all data on its local SD card. I have a 32 Gig card which I think can store 20+ years of data. Choices, choices. 🤔

Why not use the SunSynk App that communicates with the SunSynk Logger, which also has a PC App? If you want to pay for a good app, you can buy SolarAssistant as @wolfandy suggest. It is a very capable app with real-time data display, and remote adjustments to the system.👍

I know that Telkom / Openserve won't install equipment at a customer (Business,i.e. Metro service) site unless a proper spec earth bar is installed. I must ask the power guys what their earth spec is? For an exchange installation, a large portion of earth is excavated, and an "Earth Mat" is installed. (expensive, and not really for home installations)

Correct, but I have seen a document, I think from one of the SPD manufacturers stating that SPD's must be used at the panels with own earth to protect the panels, and at the inverter to protect the inverter. To be honest, I have not done this yet, but have the "spare" SPD's when I get time. I have never heard of anyone else doing this though.

My way of thinking is the panels are sometimes 50m away from the main house earth, so running a 10mm2 earth wire is not logical when you can run a 10m cable to a local earth spike, through the shortest (straightest) and safest path. Most lightning "strikes" are not direct hits, but induced flows by close strikes. With a direct hit on the panels, and the panels earthed to the main earth, the entire house wiring will more than likely be fried. Rather earth panels (like a building lightning conductor) away from the rest of the wiring. I have seen one direct strike close up, and can assure anyone who has not seen a direct strike, no matter what you think of protection, there is Nothing that can be done to protect from a large full strike. What happened is a large 75m blue gum tree was struck a third of the way up the trunk, the trunk was splintered in half in a huge fireball, the upper two thirds lifted a few meters, then crashed to the ground. As this was happening the lightning streaked down the the "stump", and did not disappear into the "earth", but traveled hundreds of meters in all directions like crooked fingers. I like this explanation of the subtle difference, as I consider panels on the roof as lightning conductors. Lightning conductor/rod does not have a direct connection with the power network equipment. It is usually mounted on towers, substation gantries or on the highest point of the building. When the lightning surge occurs, it reaches the ground through this conductor. Whereas lightning (surge) arrester is part of the power network and carries power under normal conditions. But under the lightning condition, it directs that surge to ground and prevents further damage to the network/system. I respect and hate lightning.😡 My 2c. 🤔

Looking good, now when will you be doing the first 50 kW install. 👍

Did you manage to get more panels, and how is the daily average going?👍

Your first picture will work to select either Generator or Eskom to feed the inverter. Note what @Steve87 said about the Neutrals been separate. i.e. The Neutral from Eskom must be separate from the Neutral out the inverter to the house. You can also have another change-over to bypass / isolate the inverter if you need to work on, or remove the inverter. You are correct to "worry" about damaging your generator if the inverter Exports power back to the "grid" if the generator is selected via the change-over, as the grid. The generator coils in the alternator, or AVR will be damaged. To stop this from happening just select "Zero Export" in System Mode settings, and NO power will be fed back past the CT coil. Another option would be to wire your generator to the AUX port, and in settings set the AUX to be Generator Input. Welcome to the exciting world of solar independence.

Welcome to the solar journey. Let us know what system you are installing, and once started, we all like to see pictures. 😂

Electric stove / oven, induction cooker, electric kettle, etc. During load-shedding at night we don't slow down, but make the batteries earn there keep. The whole house is essential, and running off a SunSynk 8.8 kW inverter with 2x Hubble AM-2 batteries.

I'll take one of these big boys thank you. Showing the 50 kW high-voltage Inverter at the solar show in Johannesburg https://youtu.be/x3bmaKhu2q8 Last time I said we showed a monster with the 16 kW well this is the monsters big bro. 50,000 watt up to 10 in parallel for micro grid 1/2 Megawatt. 65,000 W MPPT ( max 800v 160 - 800 v DC Battery) Over 99% efficient

Naturally drop your battery charge Amps to 10A so you don't kill your generator. Once running on generator, and it can handle the house load and charging of the batteries, up the battery charge Amps in say 5A increments, until you are satisfied, and your generator is not laboring under the house and battery load.👍

On your Grid settings set the Grid Voltage High = 260V, Grid Voltage Low = 180V, and Grid Hz High = 53.5 Hz, and Grid Hz Low =47.0 Hz. With these settings try your generator.

CoCT are a bunch of morons who stick their noses in private peoples business, when they have no right to do so. They are control freaks who enjoy "showing their authority" in all things. Remember the cops beating up people in the park with this COVERT-19 nonsense. This is the same authoritarian rubbish. I know of an install in the Cape, valued at well over a Million where 6x 5 kW inverters were used to satisfy the CoCT regulations. This was not about safety, as the net inverter capacity is still 30 kW. Thank goodness, there are still provinces with some type of freedoms. Understand, freedom and choice has nothing to do with a professional install, that is another subject altogether, but never sacrifice your freedom's for control by a third party. My 2c. 🤔

Haven't sourced one myself, but aliexpress might have one, just the courier charges are high, as the Post Office is now dead. https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-48v-200a-dc-contactor.html