I wish Victron’s Venus OS had this. I am tempted to implement it myself, but I haven’t found the time yet.
What do you want to achieve?
It almost did… 
The issue, I think I’ve explained this before, is that it does not really fit the design language. The design is that an ESS system always tries to keep the grid usage at the configured setpoint, until the battery is too low, then it stops. So the entire system is always in one of two states: Self-consumption, or discharged. A third Idle state will have to be added, plus a way to configure a time table. While this could be included in the scheduled charge part, it doesn’t really fit in there. A larger timetable implementation would be required, and then scheduled charging would likely be absorbed into that.
In the end, the answer was that for people who need it, they can use nodered or one of the other methods. That’s why we make the system as open to integration as we do in the first place
I tried using charging schedules to achieve this, but then quickly realised that it won’t allow discharge during a scheduled charging cycle even if the current charge level is above the level set by the schedule. If there was a setting on a schedule that allowed me to specify that discharge should be allowed when the battery level is above the minimum then it would solve the problem for me.
The reason for wanting this feature is our perennial enemy: loadshedding. When the sun isn’t shining I want a buffer of about 20% in case the grid goes down, but starting at about 2 hours before sunrise until just before sunset I don’t need that buffer.
At the moment I’ve got my minimum charge level permanently set at 40%, because I don’t have the time nor inclination to constantly track the loadshedding threats in the news. This does mean I’m not using my batteries optimally, and they’ll probably die of some other cause long before they run out of cycles.
I’d use something like homeassistant to simply push the MinSOC up and down as required at that time of the day.
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Jip, I’m doing both, using HomeAssistant, NodeRed, and a Cronjob.
@Paul is helping tuning of NodeRed on HomeAssistant. Paul’s idea to use the max panel wattage all day, dropping the inverter max when battery discharge exceeds a set point to favour solar usage over battery usage, is quite a damn good approach in my view, for bugger me, this Cpt winter really messed up my previous ideas … geez!
Whilst NodeRed sorts the battery draw, HA is upping the SOC in increments throughout the day to get to 95% SOC end of the day for evening use.
So max panel usage, reduced batt strain daytime with clouds moving in/over, and spare for evening use.
To trigger the evening use a Cronjob drops the min SOC to 20% at a set time.
Can probably do without the Cronjob … maar eers Maaaaandag, nee, vooooolgende week … 
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I’ve seen a node red integration that basically pulls the loadshedding status on the eskom website and basically return the current level of loadshedding starting at no load shedding. This could be an option to create an automation around it.
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I have an idea around that, but need to get some time to do that
Dragging up an old thread, but I have a particular application that suits the Sunsynk that I don’t believe Victron is capable of. ( and I am a V fanboi).
And that application is the ability of Sunsynk to function as a PV inverter (without a battery).
My intention is to go off-grid with an eventual very large 3ph system but in the meantime, I want something to tide me over whilst still being off-grid.
I don’t want to buy a big Victron inverter only to find out in a year or two I can’t get the same hardware model I need to expand the system and I don’t want to tie up a whopping great sum of money doing nothing by buying all the components upfront.
Well with Sunsynk I can parallel 3 smaller units and use them with a battery to get me by.
And later when I am ready I can reassign the battery to the larger system and still use the same Sunsynk inverters to AC couple into the bigger Victron system with practically no rework.
Sure, they are more expensive than PV inverters, but if I ever sell the place as off-grid they can go back to being hybrid inverters and my big system can come with me.
So that’s a big plus for me that they can function as PV inverters without a battery, and Victrons can’t do this.
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Just double check that. At one stage there were issues with parallel/3 phase operation without batteries.
I am pretty sure it is solved, but I might be wrong.
I cannot think of many scenarios where a 5kVA multiplus will be better than an 8kW Sunsynk (they are the closest cost-wise comparison, with the Sunsynk still winning if you need anything more than just the inverter).
The only exceptions being a boat and perhaps when you need more MPPTs (although I’m not entirely convinced of that).
Don’t think Victron changes that much that fast. Ask them.
Also to consider, IF you asked and you are ok for 1-2 years, and you are terribly unlucky, then you sell it 2nd hand.
Unless you have a long-term plan for the Sunnsynk, when Victron is installed?
Else you are probably going to have to sell it also.
I have already been burned with Phoenix’s bought 6 months apart from the same dealer.
Going back not too many years I think there has been a Multiplus, a Multiplus 11 and one other (or is it two) version(s) of Multiplus 11. It seems to me that versions are changing willy-nilly.
There are new versions of the bigger inverters that can’t parallel, because of hardware issues, which means there will be new hardware coming out soon enough.
Victron does not discuss future products as policy.
The long-term plan is to AC-couple them as PV inverters and make them part of the bigger system. Perhaps I wasn’t clear, I am trying to avoid selling on inverters by incorporating them into the eventual system.
It doesn’t really matter. They will only be paralleled whilst on a battery. When I repurpose the battery elsewhere and they become PV inverters they can act independently just like any other PV inverter.
I’ve got a possible item to add to the list here. From my own time just reading forums, it seems that people quite easily sell on their Victron products when they want to upgrade. The secondhand prices also seem to be such that value is retained well.
Is this true (guess I’m asking installers or people with experience in selling these things, @JacoDeJongh @TheTerribleTriplet ? Is the resale value better/worse than Sunsynk?
Resale value is something we don’t often think about when comparing inverters, but we should. Our needs could evolve and we might want/need to upgrade (I’m already anticipating an upgrade in the future due to my daughter wanting to blow dry hair etc.). Similarly why most South Africans think it is a better financial decision to buy a Toyota if you want to buy new: The value doesn’t drop as much when you drive it out of the dealership.
I think that is the sole reason why people buy the Urban Cruiser. It’s a rebadged Suzuki Brezza that costs more and has a worse spec level…
I’m a big Toyota fan, but sometimes a spade is a spade.
Edit: There is a little more to this analogy if I think about it. Another reason you’d buy the rebadged Suzuki from Toyota is the dealer network and parts availability (support in other words). If you live in a smaller place, odds are there is Toyota dealer in the nearest town, but not a Suzuki dealer.
Cannot comment on SunSynk, but what I do know, 2nd hand Victron equipment is scarce. And if one is looking for 2nd hand, and find what one is looking for, better grab. Looked the other day, nothing on any of the platforms ito 2nd hand Victron.
What also puts Victron streaks ahead is that the new owner could have the warranty left on the product, further security when buying 2nd hand Victron. So ideally one should sell/upgrade when there is ±1 year left on the device, which makes for a safer bye for the buyer.
And if the warranty is expired, so what, the price drops a bit more, that’s all.
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My first Victron inverter was sold to someone who sold it to someone else. The distributor who sold it to me contacted me recently to let me know that there was a support request on the inverter. In the meantime, I have a business which has become a Victron distributor. The unit will come back to us and we will submit an RMA request to Victron and Victron will hopefully process a warranty repair or replacement on the unit.
This is the greatest strengths of the Victron offering in my opinion. When people invest in renewable equipment, they’re buying the warranty as much as the equipment. The big question is, will SunSynk be around in 9 years to honour the warranty?
I have confidence that Victron will be around in 10 years from now because I know they’ve been around for 47 years already. The chances that they will not be around in 10-years are minute.
Then, in terms of the actual warranty terms & conditions, is there a “catch”?
In the case of Victron, in my experience of several years of repair and replacement requests, there are none. The worst I have experienced is Victron declining to replace a unit that was damaged by a gecko that got electrocuted inside - but Victron did offer a replacement unit at 1/3 of the cost - which we passed directly to the customer.
In the case of SunSynk and their 10-year warranty if you use their battery, these are the “catches” I am aware of:
- The BMS warranty is only 5 years.
- If a cell needs to be replaced after 5 years, you need to pay a labour charge. It is not clear what this will be (but if you pay to return the unit to Hong Kong, they won’t charge labour).
- If the inverter needs warranty service after 5 years, labour is chargeable and the LCD is not covered by warranty (but if you pay to return the unit to Hong Kong, they won’t charge labour).
HOWEVER, that all side, the whole warranty is ONLY valid if:
- is purchased from Sunsynk or an Authorised Reseller in the Territory; and
- is installed in a battery module in the Territory; and
- is installed, operated and maintained in accordance with the Product Instructions;
So, if I buy it from an installer who bought it from a supplier that is not Herholdts, how do I know if that supplier is an Authorised Reseller? Why does it matter who it was bought from? If it came out of a SunSynk warehouse and is a SunSynk product, why does the warranty not apply?
What does “is installed in a battery module in the Territory” mean?
Where are the “Product Instructions”, how often do they change, how do I know which Product Instructions were relevant at the time I had my SunSynk installed?
Proviso: The warranty shall become inapplicable if the defect in or failure of the Product’s performance is attributable to the buyer’s misuse, abuse, accident or non-observance of the Product instructions and manuals.
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Hi @RyanG which firmware version is said to have resolved the noise problem on the 5Kw Sunsynk Inverter? Thanks
Ps. Victron replaced the client’s inverter with a new one.