Installing Battery Storage to an existing FIT Solar PV setup
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- Опубліковано 10 бер 2023
- After a few years considering adding battery storage the maths and energy uncertainty gave me the push to get my hands on some batteries.
My original setup (simple 4kw system with grid tie inverter) installed in 2015 receives a Feed In tariff payment which doesn't compare with todays offerings.
So to keep the payments coming no modifications are allowed to the existing setup.
To get that energy generated we have to use an AC coupled inverter which converts the energy back from AC made by the first inverter to DC to push into the batteries for later use.
I chose 2 x Pyltontech US5000 batteries giving me a total capacity of 10kwh of storage (useable 8kwh) , which is expandable in the future.
Alongside a solis AC coupled inverter charger.
The install is a bit rough and ready - unfortunately time is not something I have a great deal of.
If anyone has any questions then feel free to post a comment.
A couple of affiliate links if anyone is looking for similar equipment -
Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Inverter - ebay.us/H7Cfcj
Batteries - ebay.us/S0rezI
I upgraded my fit solar with better panels and added a second string to gather more juice from the roof. Only the new string with the same fit allowance feeds the fit meter but both are feeding into my 15kwh solax battery. The battery and inverter are silent. I installed a heat pump last year and combined with an electric car are minimising our use of grid electricity to off peak for 9 months of the year.
Sounds like a lot of though has gone into your setup Peter, I've used 10 units of grid power in the last month - the sun has been very kind.
Hi, smashing video, I have just fitted the exact same solis inverter,however i am strugling to the menu system and wundered if I can have a copy of your exact menu settings,thank you, I have subscribed
A very informative and useful video, I have few questions I need clarifying before getting the same setup:
1. Do you plan to fit the 2 x DC battery isolators (300A)?
2. What grid standard did you set the inverter to?
3. Do you need the Solis data logging stick as I can see the "Solis 3.0kW 5G RAI" comes with a wifi antenna anyway - what does the data logging stick do?
4. Can the Solis be set to charge the batteries from the grid overnight at set times to use cheap rate electricity?
I have Enphase microinverters and looking to get the same Solis/Pylontech setup - looks like best option for my needs.
Many thanks.
Hi Rob,
1 Yes I have fitted some now, although i bought mine as a kit it didn't come with any. The pylontechs do have built in protection for battery overloading but belt and braces never hurt.
2 I'd have to check what grid standard it's on, but it was the correct setting out the box.
3 You don't need it, but it's handy if you want to review performance from the cloud, the other wifi antenna basically broadcasts it's own wifi network that you can connect too using a smartphone, this is a direct connection between your phone and the inverter, no internet is involved at all. The app you use is called solis techview.
4 Yes you can set that up through the front end or on the app.
Overall it's performing very well for me, with no problems since it's been up and running.
Hi It's me again! I'm planning to go with a similar setup that you have just fitted. But it would have to be located in my office. My question is, is it noisy? and how long is the CT clamp lead?
Hi flashback, it's not too loud mostly a low buzz while it's working hard with lots of power going through. Batteries don't make any noise.
There's 2 CT clamps one of the PV and one for meter tails I think they're both about 5 meters long. They have rj45 plugs on so you can extend the cables with cat 5 or similar
@@Funeve That sounds fine. My cable run should be about 2 metres.
@@Funeve Another couple of questions. From your video couldn't see your installation of the Grid CT and Grid meter unit? Secondly, I'm a little confused over the UK requirement of a DRM cable and hard switch. Did you fit these?
@@flashback9966 Hi the grid sensor is housed in a separate unit next to my consumer unit. The CT clamp is just attached around the live meter tail.
The DRM cable isn't used on my setup, the inverter communicates with the batteries via canbus. I haven't read much about it but assume it would be for batteries with no BMS
The grid current sensor plugs in to a separate port and measures how much current is being imported/exported from the grid and the inverter will match the charge or discharge rates of the grid sensor.
There is an isolator on the supply feeding the inverter and there is a built in one for the batteries on the inverter.
I didn't film either of those bits as the video would have been even longer 😄.
@@Funeve Thanks for the quick reply. Did a bit of Googling on UK DRM regs. and there seems to be some confusion here. From a logical point of view, the inverter would know almost instantly if the Grid went down, since it is monitoring it continously. Hence would shut down accordingly. Trouble is, Solis don't make this clear in their manual.
Hi, does the phone APP give you the battery charge status?
Yes it does, it gives you state of charge, charging rate and discharging rate all in kWh
Thanks 😊
Hi, how is the setup working after a few months?
Hi everything is working perfectly no issues at all apart from some lack of sunshine 🙄👌
Can you provide a schematic to clarify installation. Thank you
Hi Brian,
www.thegreenwaysolar.co.uk/images/schematic-ac.png
That is pretty much my setup
Thanks for that, does this installation allow for charging the battery using cheap rate night time tariff.
@@brianwebb3699 Hi I still have a dumb meter so I haven't set that bit up but It can be done on this inverter using inputs or time of day etc the app has agile pricing displayed. When I'm upgraded i will get this set up and do another video
Did I see you fit the PV ct clamp to the 4th wire from the export meter.
@@brianwebb3699 Hi Brian,yes PV CT on mine wraps around the outgoing live wire on solar export meter (most meters the far right is almost always supply out)
Hi mate, what is the lthicker ong black cable running down along with the CT Clamp? Is that the meter wire cable or the CAN cable provided by Solis? Have you wired that into the gen meter or the AC Isolator?
Hi Dan,
It goes to the Solis supplied meter thing. I can't quite remember how it was wired without looking at it
@@MontyBurnsEsq thanks mate. I couldn’t see a meter so I wasn’t sure if it ran into your AC Isolator lol. Great video