Search found 402 matches

by calum
Fri Dec 20, 2024 5:52 pm
Forum: Automation Ideas
Topic: Stop battery discharge (pull from grid) under heavy load.
Replies: 3
Views: 422

Re: Stop battery discharge (pull from grid) under heavy load.

With "only" two batteries, reducing the current they have to supply is going to be good for them, yes.
by calum
Thu Dec 19, 2024 9:42 am
Forum: Automation Ideas
Topic: Stop battery discharge (pull from grid) under heavy load.
Replies: 3
Views: 422

Re: Stop battery discharge (pull from grid) under heavy load.

Conceptually, this is relatively straighforward, assuming to have a HA instance and an integration that gives you direct control over your inverter.

Assuming both of these, you can install a Shelly power meter on the circuit your oven runs from, and when the power value from that goes above ...
by calum
Mon Nov 25, 2024 5:34 pm
Forum: Energy Cube (ECS/EQ)
Topic: Ideal Battery Temp
Replies: 7
Views: 5282

Re: Ideal Battery Temp

https://foxesscommunity.com/viewtopic.php?t=215 worth a read on this topic.

My rule of thumb - below 15C you'll see some loss of capacity and current delivering ability. This gets noticeably worse below 10C and below 5C you're going to see the pack shut itself down to prevent damage.

FWIW LFP ...
by calum
Fri Nov 22, 2024 10:35 am
Forum: Energy Cube (ECS/EQ)
Topic: Ideal Battery Temp
Replies: 7
Views: 5282

Re: Ideal Battery Temp

Hi Roy

I just used 9mm (ie fairly thin) OSB, which I got the guy at B&Q to cut to size. I screwed and glued battens to the corners to have something to join them together with. I actually used threaded inserts and machine screws to join the corners, as I anticipated needing to open up the box in ...
by calum
Mon Sep 09, 2024 12:16 pm
Forum: Customer/End User Help
Topic: What should the PV produce on a cloudy day?
Replies: 9
Views: 3382

Re: What should the PV produce on a cloudy day?

Thick low cloud will really hurt solar output; overcast-yet-bright days can be surprisingly good. Over time you get a feel for it, weirdly.
by calum
Thu Aug 15, 2024 9:56 am
Forum: Pre-sales Questions
Topic: Does a battery/inverter shed require air conditioning?
Replies: 10
Views: 8369

Re: Does a battery/inverter shed require air conditioning?

Even with a 8kW array, I doubt that in December or January (or February for that matter) you'll get enough solar gain to make running a 750W heater cost neutral, especially if you're heating an uninsulated metal shed, and you want to use whatever gain you do get for ordinary household purposes. I ...
by calum
Fri Aug 09, 2024 9:21 am
Forum: Pre-sales Questions
Topic: Does a battery/inverter shed require air conditioning?
Replies: 10
Views: 8369

Re: Does a battery/inverter shed require air conditioning?

I would really look at insulating before you spend a small fortune on keeping a metal walled shed up to temperature in winter. You could insulate the shed, but seeing how well it works just insulating around the battery stack itself, that would be my suggestion. If you leave enough volume around the ...
by calum
Wed Aug 07, 2024 12:43 pm
Forum: Pre-sales Questions
Topic: Does a battery/inverter shed require air conditioning?
Replies: 10
Views: 8369

Re: Does a battery/inverter shed require air conditioning?

Going on my experience, if your shed is uninsulated and it's close to 0 during the winter, your batteries will cool down to the point the BMS will probably disable them due to temperature. We had our system installed November '21, and by January the system had basically stopped. I bought materials ...
by calum
Wed Jul 31, 2024 9:50 am
Forum: Battery Hardware
Topic: Storage battery sizing...
Replies: 5
Views: 2477

Re: Storage battery sizing...

FWIW we have an air source heatpump in a family home, in the winter daily usage can be as much as 60kWh for heating alone, and is quite often above 30kWh. We have 13kWh of usable storage which was sized to comfortably handle our electricity usage excluding ASHP use. Anything outside of that is of ...
by calum
Mon Jul 22, 2024 4:34 pm
Forum: Battery Hardware
Topic: Storage battery sizing...
Replies: 5
Views: 2477

Re: Storage battery sizing...

Also, this all assumes you're using gas for heating. If you have (or might ever get) a heat pump, and you have access to a cheap rate tariff, you just want as much battery as you can afford since it will pay you back every winter...
by calum
Tue Jun 11, 2024 9:51 am
Forum: HV2600
Topic: HV2600 expansion
Replies: 9
Views: 3842

Re: HV2600 expansion

Hi Dave - sounds like the G2 gained the ability to do this Master / Slave config vs the original H1? If so that's very interesting, I hadn't realised that was the case.
by calum
Tue Jun 11, 2024 9:38 am
Forum: Customer/End User Help
Topic: Storage battery question
Replies: 11
Views: 3814

Re: Storage battery question

(I wrote this yesterday and forgot to press send!)

There is a distinction to be made between the maximum DC power the battery can provide, and the maximum AC output of the inverter.

By way of example, I have x6 HV2600 modules here, giving a nominal voltage of 307.2V and a recommended discharge ...
by calum
Sun Jun 09, 2024 9:28 am
Forum: Customer/End User Help
Topic: Storage battery question
Replies: 11
Views: 3814

Re: Storage battery question

The more packs you have for a given load, the less hard any of them need to work. Given you've got a high capacity inverter, I'd say you want as much battery as you can afford / for into the space.

Having each pack work less hard should also mean somewhat longer overall life for the bank as a whole ...
by calum
Thu May 02, 2024 11:34 am
Forum: Customer/End User Help
Topic: How to stop exporting to the grid please
Replies: 9
Views: 4785

Re: How to stop exporting to the grid please

All grid tied systems will pull a small load from the grid in order to confirm it's still connected - if they can no longer draw that power, they shut down to avoid energising the grid and potentially electrocuting anyone working on the power lines.

At the same time, your inverter is constantly ...
by calum
Wed May 01, 2024 11:44 am
Forum: Hybrid (Solar + Battery)
Topic: So - what if I want to get a bigger inverter?
Replies: 8
Views: 5472

Re: So - what if I want to get a bigger inverter?

I cannot see us ever wanting to add a third string of panels here - the only roof space left is north facing into a small patch of woodland, so pretty hopeless for PV generation purposes!

The main thing that sways me towards the KH is the main spec bump it seems to have over the H series, which I ...
by calum
Tue Apr 30, 2024 12:59 pm
Forum: Hybrid (Solar + Battery)
Topic: So - what if I want to get a bigger inverter?
Replies: 8
Views: 5472

Re: So - what if I want to get a bigger inverter?

So - this has progressed (slowly!) since I last posted. The installer was eventually able to get someone out to assess things and has confirmed the basics as expected, we'd need an earth spike and a manual changeover switch. Our DNO has also given us the nod to increase our export up to 6kW, without ...
by calum
Mon Apr 29, 2024 4:04 pm
Forum: Hybrid (Solar + Battery)
Topic: Draw from grid
Replies: 11
Views: 6249

Re: Draw from grid

All grid tied systems will pull a small load from the grid in order to confirm it's still connected - if they can no longer draw that power, they shut down to avoid energising the grid and potentially electrocuting anyone working on the power lines.

Your old system would have been doing the same ...
by calum
Sun Apr 28, 2024 1:14 pm
Forum: Customer/End User Help
Topic: Temperature of system housed in loft
Replies: 7
Views: 4269

Re: Temperature of system housed in loft


I may add a small tube heater to my enclosure for this winter, to keep the lower battery modules that are in contact with / close to the floor from getting too chilly, since temperature differences within the battery bank will also cause the BMS to derate the performance.
I ended up not doing ...
by calum
Thu Apr 18, 2024 4:08 pm
Forum: Pre-sales Questions
Topic: Global MPPT KH Series
Replies: 5
Views: 5077

Re: Global MPPT KH Series

In case anyone is reading this in the future, one of the very concrete spec bumps the KH7 gets over the H-series is the ability to do 10kW peak AC output (assuming enough battery and / or PV) for up to 60 seconds in EPS mode - essentially a bit of overboost to avoid tripping the inverter with an ...
by calum
Mon Apr 08, 2024 8:45 pm
Forum: Home Assistant
Topic: Battery SOC via API not available
Replies: 8
Views: 4700

Re: Battery SOC via API not available

I'd do it anyway. Their cloud platform is so wobbly I'm assuming it's hosted on a blancmange. Home assistant plus a suitable integration and you're laughing.
by calum
Thu Mar 21, 2024 11:32 pm
Forum: Energy Cube (ECS/EQ)
Topic: Individual control of slaves
Replies: 10
Views: 5993

Re: Individual control of slaves

there are very good reasons why we wont have anything wifi connected.
I am...curious. Care to expand?
by calum
Thu Mar 21, 2024 3:03 pm
Forum: Energy Cube (ECS/EQ)
Topic: Individual control of slaves
Replies: 10
Views: 5993

Re: Individual control of slaves

Yep, Dave is a legend and has helped me a lot in getting my system (especially batteries) into good order and talking nicely to my Home Assistant setup. Best of luck for your system changeover.
by calum
Thu Mar 21, 2024 12:33 pm
Forum: Energy Cube (ECS/EQ)
Topic: Individual control of slaves
Replies: 10
Views: 5993

Re: Individual control of slaves

Assuming you end up with the KH inverter and a certain amount of battery storage, you could set the "MinSOC on Grid" parameter to say, 70%, but the "minSOC" parameter to say, 15%.

When connected to the grid, your batteries would not discharge below 70% SOC, but in the event of a power cut, they ...
by calum
Thu Mar 21, 2024 12:03 pm
Forum: Energy Cube (ECS/EQ)
Topic: Individual control of slaves
Replies: 10
Views: 5993

Re: Individual control of slaves

Hi there

I don't think disconnecting the battery as you describe is a very good plan. Batteries are not like fuel tanks that we simply empty and fill with liquid, they're more like muscles that work together to form a certain amount of output. If you disconnect one battery, you are making the ...
by calum
Thu Mar 21, 2024 7:40 am
Forum: Customer/End User Help
Topic: Using Grid power instead of Battery on Self-Use mode?
Replies: 13
Views: 7504

Re: Using Grid power instead of Battery on Self-Use mode?

What are the ambient temperatures where you are? The batteries being cold can have an effect on their ability to deliver power.