Hello 

I wonder if somebody could help me with the settings on my recently installed Growatt SPF 5000TL HVM 5kVA/5kW Hybrid Inverter with 2 x Pylontech US3000 batteries (and 3.2 kW of array)? I read with interest the topic initiated by @SiliconKid on the firmware update for the above combination.

My intention to install SPV was not to beat loadshedding but to drop my CO2 footprint- i.e. use as little of the grid as possible. My problem stems from the way that I seem unable to harness battery and solar capacity to run household loads (washing machine etc) until the batteries are chargedto ~95%. 

I seem to have no control over the maximum current that the BMS imposes (32A, setting 11) nor do I seem to have the capacity for redundant solar charge to contribute to household load until battery charging is complete. The following might help to define:

In the above, the ~ 9H00 surge in grid relates to when I changed the inverter from only solar to charge the batteries to both solar and utility (setting 14- SOL to SNU). 10H25 is the turning on of a borehole pump.

Of course I could just buy an extra battery to allow for more capacity till the batteries are charged  or schedule all loads till the afternoon - both options unreasonable!

Is there any way that I could harness for household load the 

1. Spare solar capacity (I have seen this approaching 3kW on a sunny day) 

or

2. Charge present in the batteries?

I don't seem to be able to limit the Utility's supply to the battery which would potentially result in an early morning grid charged battery. I have DOD set at 25% and SbU for output source priority.

Many thanks

Mark

 

 

@Mark R I will try answer based on what I have configured. My idea with my setup also being as independent from Eskom as possible, although not always possible.

When you have your inverter and battery comms setup correctly, the BMS takes over all charge/discharge operations. Thus setting 02 and 11 cant be changed, these fluctuate as the BMS decides how much current it needs from the inverter during charging. 

My setting 14 is currently set to CSO. IF during the early morning, usually just before sunrise, my batteries get to 20% SOC, grid will automatically kick in. This due to SBU setting(01). I have set my "back to battery"(setting 13)  as 50% (think this is the default 95% you are seeing). So in the above case where my batteries reached 20% and grid kicked in, my load will be covered by grid and PV (when it comes online) will start charging the batteries. This due to setting 14. PV is now dedicated to only charge batteries and grid only handles the load. This will be the case until batteries reach 50%(setting 13) where after PV will take over the load (IF there is enough to handle the load!). Any dip in PV will see the batteries being used to make up the shortfall to continue covering the load. Any excess from PV, which now handles the load, will go to charging the batteries up to 100% as well. 

Hope this makes sense, but in short, your setting 13 will need to be lowered for you to release the PV from charging batteries only. 

 

 

That is very helpful. Thank you.

Interestingly, the SOC was locked at 95% when in exclusive solar charge for batteries (Sol in 14) but able to be manipulated once change to CSO. Looking good so far.

Will post a picture of 24 hours of picture tomorrow. 

Still confused about why the draw from panels limited to 32A while in exclusive solar battery charging mode (Sol in 14). Any thoughts?

4 hours ago, Mark R said:

Still confused about why the draw from panels limited to 32A while in exclusive solar battery charging mode (Sol in 14). Any thoughts?

Hmmm not sure about that one. You 100% sure this doesn't fluctuate? I know you cant change that setting when BMS is managing the batteries, so could it be that every time you have checked it is on 32A at that moment as that is what the BMS has set it to? What is the Watts reading for charging the batteries at that time? 

I am only surmising that from the steady current that the batteries seem to be drawing evidenced by the Table Mountain type shape of this on the image in my first post. During this time the household consumption is tracked almost exactly by grid supply until the batteries take over just before 12. 

This is the frustration, why can't the panels additionally supply the household needs when there is clearly capacity to do this in the middle of the day?

As for new set up using your recommended settings, Cape Town just had it's first drizzly day in a long time and a late afternoon washing machine use has blown my best laid plans.

@Mark R What does your PV setup look like? What is your capacity? 

16 hours ago, Mark R said:

As for new set up using your recommended settings, Cape Town just had it's first drizzly day in a long time and a late afternoon washing machine use has blown my best laid plans.

Hehe, yip and today doesn't look any better either  

23 hours ago, Tsa said:

@Mark R What does your PV setup look like? What is your capacity? 

 

Hello again. 

I have 9x360W Canadian Solar with 6 facing at about 16deg and the 3 facing just north of West. Live in Claremont. Then the Growatt SPF 5000 inverter with 2 x 3.5kW Pylontech batteries. 

Saw your thread about tripping. Had a trip this morning with very little else on when I put the tumble dryer. Error 07 (overload). System installed in Feb. Hope this doesn't recur.

Mark

On 2020/04/07 at 1:58 PM, Mark R said:

Hello again. 

I have 9x360W Canadian Solar with 6 facing at about 16deg and the 3 facing just north of West. Live in Claremont. Then the Growatt SPF 5000 inverter with 2 x 3.5kW Pylontech batteries. 

Saw your thread about tripping. Had a trip this morning with very little else on when I put the tumble dryer. Error 07 (overload). System installed in Feb. Hope this doesn't recur.

Mark

Could be that the startup of the tumble dryer took it over its threshold seeing that it has an element and heats up quick. This would cause the inverter to restart. Did you ever have any other resets/trips since?

On 2020/04/07 at 1:58 PM, Mark R said:

Hello again. 

I have 9x360W Canadian Solar with 6 facing at about 16deg and the 3 facing just north of West. Live in Claremont. Then the Growatt SPF 5000 inverter with 2 x 3.5kW Pylontech batteries. 

Saw your thread about tripping. Had a trip this morning with very little else on when I put the tumble dryer. Error 07 (overload). System installed in Feb. Hope this doesn't recur.

Mark

Could be that the startup of the tumble dryer took it over its threshold seeing that it has an element and heats up quick. This would cause the inverter to restart. Did you ever have any other resets/trips since?

On 2020/04/04 at 7:15 PM, Tsa said:

@Mark R I will try answer based on what I have configured. My idea with my setup also being as independent from Eskom as possible, although not always possible.

When you have your inverter and battery comms setup correctly, the BMS takes over all charge/discharge operations. Thus setting 02 and 11 cant be changed, these fluctuate as the BMS decides how much current it needs from the inverter during charging. 

My setting 14 is currently set to CSO. IF during the early morning, usually just before sunrise, my batteries get to 20% SOC, grid will automatically kick in. This due to SBU setting(01). I have set my "back to battery"(setting 13)  as 50% (think this is the default 95% you are seeing). So in the above case where my batteries reached 20% and grid kicked in, my load will be covered by grid and PV (when it comes online) will start charging the batteries. This due to setting 14. PV is now dedicated to only charge batteries and grid only handles the load. This will be the case until batteries reach 50%(setting 13) where after PV will take over the load (IF there is enough to handle the load!). Any dip in PV will see the batteries being used to make up the shortfall to continue covering the load. Any excess from PV, which now handles the load, will go to charging the batteries up to 100% as well. 

Hope this makes sense, but in short, your setting 13 will need to be lowered for you to release the PV from charging batteries only. 

 

 

Hi Tsa, 

Have you changed any settings on you setup since this post and is your system still running as it should?
I'm having some challenges with the "USE" settings that was done by the installer and want to try the "Li" settings.

Thanks Joe.

On 2021/02/28 at 9:15 AM, J0livier said:

Hi Tsa, 

Have you changed any settings on you setup since this post and is your system still running as it should?
I'm having some challenges with the "USE" settings that was done by the installer and want to try the "Li" settings.

Thanks Joe.

Hi Joe

That was still in the days of believing it can run successfully in Li mode. I can't even remember what the last straw for me was, but I just went back to USE mode and haven't touched Li mode again. I know I will regret it, but have started asking around again if there is any updated firmware out( Q4 2020+ ) for the SPF5000TL yet and if anyone is running it without any issues. 

What issues are you having in USE mode?

Edited March 5, 20214 yr by Tsa

On 2020/04/04 at 7:15 PM, Tsa said:

@Mark R I will try answer based on what I have configured. My idea with my setup also being as independent from Eskom as possible, although not always possible.

When you have your inverter and battery comms setup correctly, the BMS takes over all charge/discharge operations. Thus setting 02 and 11 cant be changed, these fluctuate as the BMS decides how much current it needs from the inverter during charging. 

My setting 14 is currently set to CSO. IF during the early morning, usually just before sunrise, my batteries get to 20% SOC, grid will automatically kick in. This due to SBU setting(01). I have set my "back to battery"(setting 13)  as 50% (think this is the default 95% you are seeing). So in the above case where my batteries reached 20% and grid kicked in, my load will be covered by grid and PV (when it comes online) will start charging the batteries. This due to setting 14. PV is now dedicated to only charge batteries and grid only handles the load. This will be the case until batteries reach 50%(setting 13) where after PV will take over the load (IF there is enough to handle the load!). Any dip in PV will see the batteries being used to make up the shortfall to continue covering the load. Any excess from PV, which now handles the load, will go to charging the batteries up to 100% as well. 

Hope this makes sense, but in short, your setting 13 will need to be lowered for you to release the PV from charging batteries only. 

 

 

@Tsa

Good setting you have there. My concern is power consumption during the peak hours between 6h00 and 09h00. Will it make sense to charge the battery also with Eskom between 04h00 and 6h00 using setting 49 to get to 60% (setting 13)? This way the battery can carry the load until solar becomes available based on setting 01 being SBU? If so do you think CSO on setting 14 will be the best to use?

It's annoying that Setting 11 also gets overridden by the BMS. I consider that a bug. There is no point to it if setting 2 is overridden. 

I have the issue that this is causing the generator to overload in an off-grid installation. Such BS sigh.

On 2022/07/20 at 6:19 PM, DrLoLCat said:

It's annoying that Setting 11 also gets overridden by the BMS. I consider that a bug. There is no point to it if setting 2 is overridden. 

I have the issue that this is causing the generator to overload in an off-grid installation. Such BS sigh.

I couldn´t share this experience with the Growatt SPF. Ín SBU mode P11 wasn´t overwirtten at my setup. I set P11 on my host inverter to  2A in my 3phase inverter constellation. This will prevent to discharge the battery when there is the grid bypass active as the SPF inverter in most cases take own energy from battery. So the 2A in P11 are enough to compensate the own energy of all three inverters taken from battery.