Nicholas

Thank you, @shanghailoz!

I believe that I have installed it correctly.

I followed the following steps:
1. Execute SSH installer script option via Putty (SSH) on my CCGX as per Wiki (How to Install) - installing Louis latest release of the driver
2. Download zip file of the revov branch containing the updated dbus_serialbattery folder and files
3. Overwrite files on CCGX using FileZilla (SFTP) to transfer the files from my desktop
4. Reboot CCGX and voila! SerialBattery appears on device list

@shanghailozwould you mind advising upon the preferred method to install?
I'd like to start testing as soon as possible. 

Hi PowerForum Users,

Looking for some assistance into a problem being experienced in a single phase parallel Axpert power system. 

3 x Axpert 5kVA/4kW inverters setup in parallel.

We have the communication cables and current sharing cables installed, and have tried to ensure that the AC input cables and AC output cables are equal length.

While the Axpert inverters are in Grid mode, their respective load power can differ quite significantly – to the extent that the system has been tripping one of the inverters recently. 
However, while the inverters are in SBU mode, the load is shared very equally across all three inverters and an overload event has not been experienced. 

Here is a screenshot of the different load being observed by each inverter while in Grid mode:

Looking for any insight into how to remedy the problem.

Thanks in advance,
Nicholas

We've tried to deploy three systems consisting of the Kodak (Axpert) 5kW 48V unit with a number of Giter 2500-48 LFP batteries.

Each one of these sites we have had issues with and to date have NOT been able to successfully commission.

Hi all,

Has anybody had experience with Segen Solar's package consisting of the Axpert King paired with Giter LFP batteries?

We've had endless trouble trying to achieve stability - inverter firmware issues, communication cable issues, random battery shut down (Error 10) etc.

23 hours ago, Kalahari Meerkat said:

You are missing my point, if there is excess solar (the batteries are charged and normal loads are satisfied) then I would think this excess should, mixed with the grid, power the non-essential loads, so when the grid fails, the essential loads can rely on a fully charged battery + some solar to keep things ticking over.

From what I read/understand from @HennieJH's post is that the non-essential loads are not using excess solar power now, only grid power.

In my case I have no non-essential loads, no HWC, since that is purely evacuated glass tubes and no heating element. So everything on my inverter is on essential load output.

You're making the assumption that the Victron ESS or general energy storage hybrid systems seek to achieve a fully charged battery as first priority before satisfying the objective of minimising consumption from Grid. This is incorrect.

Victron ESS configuration supplies solar power to AC Load (This consists of essential and non-essential loads) FIRST and then only excess solar power is used to charge the battery. The battery reserve is configured by setting a minimum/reserve state of charge (SOC) on the Victron GX device which storage energy will only be utilised in the event of a grid power failure.

2 minutes ago, Kalahari Meerkat said:

ok, so, non-essential is really the same as essential, use Solar + battery power... don't know Axpert, it would just make sense to me to not waste battery energy on non-essential loads...

If you store excess solar energy in a battery (Specifically LiFePO4) and intend to discharge that stored energy later through the evening and into the morning - then why does it matter whether your inverter power system supplied it to a geyser heating element (non-essential) as opposed to lights, TV and other essential circuits?

2 minutes ago, Shadders said:

Solar Assistant natively connects and communicates with the Revov B100 so it is reading from the battery and not the Axpert for SOC etc so this doesn't really matter.

There is a setting for V.E. direct on Solar Assistant so I think it does support the BMV700/712 ?

I just saw on the Solar Assistant website that they have a cable that allows for direct communication with the Revov Life and 2nd Life batteries. That's great.

@Kawaman is that how your system is setup? With a communication cable connected directly to the Revov B100?

1 minute ago, Kawaman said:

@Nicholas I was just thinking I have a very nice monitoring software called SolarAssistant of which I can monitor my battery performance, heat and charge rate. Would it not be an overkill using a Victron monitor as well? Here is the link to SolarAssistant  https://solar-assistant.io/

The Axpert Inverter has a very low accuracy with regards to DC voltage measurement and SOC (State-of-charge) calculation/estimation. You will want to integrate the Victron BMV 700/712 with Solar Assistant. You'll need to find out from the software developer whether they support the Victron BMV range of battery monitors. This should then replace the information that the inverter is presenting on behalf of the battery and replace it with the more accurate information calculated by the Victron BMV equipment. 

6 minutes ago, Kalahari Meerkat said:

That's not right, non-essential loads, surely would not use battery power anyway, so why would they think this to be a good option? Unless the inverter uses battery power also for non-essential loads, this configuration is wrong....

Yes it is right. That is how a Victron ESS configuration operates. This is not an Axpert (Off-Grid) Inverter. 

4 minutes ago, HennieJH said:

The supplier swapped out the old set of batteries with a new set, haven't had issues since. What i have noted however is they have removed the option where excess available solar would be pushed to the Non essential loads, thus, all the Non essential loads (Geyser and stove) are now fed directly from the Eskom supply. Has caused an increase in consumption from the grid again. I suppose they do this to better protect their batteries, since they don't want these heavy loads to work from their battery.

This is then a misunderstanding on the behalf of the supplier. 

Supplying loads in your home, whether they may be essential or non-essential, is the objective of a renewable power system. 

As long as your inverter & charge controller do not exceed the specified maximum charge and discharge current on the product datasheet, then it is expected that you may use the full capability of that battery to perform as intended. 

I would not accept the reconfiguration by the supplier as it is band-aid solution effectively throttling the battery's operating environment and consequently compromising your system's return of investment and monitoring insights. 

On 2021/02/21 at 9:20 PM, HennieJH said:

Why would battery voltage jump around so erratically? Unit has shut down completely. 

This may be a result of the battery BMS engaging protection as a result of an out of bounds condition, such as a low or high cell. You will need to read the BMS directly in order to establish the specific nature of the problem.

On 2021/02/21 at 7:27 AM, HennieJH said:

So after being up and down, and getting the installer and battery supplier out to fault find problem, and still not able to get it solved, they are bazzled as they haven't seen this type of problem before.

System Life: 16months old

Problem Persistance: 14 months

We've seen this problem in a few instances. It may be resolved with an inverter firmware update. I would try that as a first measure. 

If an inverter firmware update does not resolve the issue, then you will need to connect a set of DC cables (Not too big, about 1.5mm2 is sufficient) from the Inverters "Voltage Sense" Port/Terminals and connect this to the battery. This will allow the Victron inverter to measure the battery DC voltage.
 

On 2020/12/25 at 8:53 PM, HennieJH said:

Is anyone else having issues with ReVOV batteries? Specifically referring to "VE. Bus System  - Low battery: Alarm ".

How does one establish the reason for this error? Battery just shuts down when error pops up. 

Please assist if possible.

There are a number of different issues that could cause this, but it depends on the configuration of the inverter (particularly the low voltage disconnect setting) and the condition of the battery. A number of Revov batteries have been found to have significant cell imbalance, which will take the BMS a significant amount of time to correct. 

When this low battery: Alarm condition  occurs, does the Revov BMS produce an Error (Red) or Alarm (Orange) LED?

On 2021/04/20 at 8:04 AM, Jazzy said:

Yes you will, cos the revov batteries come with an external BMS, you will be able to add another battery. However you will be limited to 5000 as your inverter will only go that far, as long as you don't go over 5000 with your inverter, you can have lots of power with two revov batteries.

No, the Revov B100 (100Ah) does not have an external BMS but rather an internal BMS. 

Nonetheless, adding a 2nd 100Ah battery will most likely improve the system's performance, specifically with regards to storing excess solar energy when the inverter load-output is low and the solar generation is high. 

I'd recommend using a Victron BMV700 or 712 (Bluetooth) to measure and report Battery State-of-Charge accurately.

This is awesome. Really like the Blynk interface

I don’t think it is possible, with the standard packages available, because of the Raspberry Pi’s ARM architecture (Not x86 or x64).

Has anyone made any progress with regards to Tshwane and the intolerant Conlog meters?

I agree with the OP’s original statement to a certain degree, but not for the purposes of communicating charge and discharge current limits.

The biggest issue that I have experienced is the ability to control or manage your systems energy based on accurate battery SOC (%). Now the problem lies in, where do you obtain this information from?

1st prize is of course, the battery BMS. But often times either the battery does not support any form of native communication with the inverter or vice versa, the inverter does not support any type of communication available from the battery.

The fall back is to control the system through battery voltage derived SOC. This, unfortunately, is typically quite inaccurate.

A work around though is available in the form of Victron’s range of high precision battery monitors, the BMV700/702/712. These devices are battery agnostic because they measure energy throughput. This way you can calculate the true SOC of any battery, provided you setup the BMV correctly. You then simply need to make sure that you can pass the information from the BMV to the inverter or control system so that your system is now managed based on accurate SOC. 
 

In an advanced hybrid power system, you need an accurate battery monitor. This either needs to be of the form of communication to the BMS or a 3rd party external device like a Victron BMV700.
 

I recommend taking a short video of the symptom, specifically of the screen pictogram, so we can evaluate all the conditions present.

Hi All,

Just wanted to find out what others experience have been with this battery?

We have 2 units that were installed over 2-years ago, paired to a GoodWe GW5048 ES Hybrid Inverter.

The inverter was setup with the specific profile for 2 x GCL E-KwBe 5.6kWh lithium batteries.

We have had frequent problems with both batteries. The first occasion they were returned to the supplier who supposedly had to do "BMS" repair service on both units.

Both of them are now faulty again, and I was just wondering if anyone had experienced something similar?

ICC is compatible with the 10kW InfiniSolar inverter.

What mode are you running the inverters in?

Is the PV equally distributed across both inverters?

It all depends what mode you're going to be running the Infini 10 in. If you run it in grid tie with backup mode, it'll tolerate the overload (Grid relay closed) but if you run it in off grid mode then it might trip and/or try revert to AC/utility bypass. 

The manual describes warnings and errors. The two are different, please ensure you are able to differentiate between the two.

You are most likely experiencing warning 11. This is an overload warning. 

If an overload condition is maintained, specifically in inverter mode (Off-Grid), the inverter will disable the output to protect itself. 

The output is illustrated by the light-bulb in the bottom right hand corner. 

During inverter operation (No Grid input) the machine is limited to 3.3kW per phase (3 Outputs allowing up to 10kW of total output). This would be the case if the inverter is programmed for "Off-Grid" mode. 

If Grid-Tie with Backup "Mode" is used, then the inverter is able to "blend" power from it's input sources - Grid, PV & Battery and has something called the "Grid Relay" closed and is able to handle quite a lot more throughput/load than the rated 3.3kW per phase.

In off-grid mode, if the load exceeds 3.3kW on a phase, the inverter will bypass load delivery to utility supply (if present) in order to avoid an overload condition. This involves relay position change and will have an associated transfer time. 

The operating mode is very dependent on many of the programmable settings in SolarPower and requires quite a thorough understanding/experience to achieve the desired operating condition.