System configuration using Grid Charge Settings

[mikeincairns]

Hi all. Can I configure the system to do this.

PERIOD 1
For a period during each day (8:00-11:00):
PV Panel > Export all power to grid
PERIOD 2
Then at (11:00-16:00) I want to do this:
Grid > to power the Battery as priority
When battery is full, Solar will be exported to grid and battery to power load
If wondering why... Because in this period, the grid feed rate is higher than the consumption rate.

Are these the correct settings:

[MaterialBarracuda48]

That function you are using is dumb charging of battery to 100% with no fine controls at all, this is why you are seeing the grid import more electric than your house is demanding. Example 4kW grid, load 0.5kW and 3.5kW is charging your battery up in the time period.

What you need is to set a manual schedule up, period 1 will use a mode called Feed-in, please note that this will still consume some of your PV energy, as this cannot be stopped. So it goes like this... PV -> Load -> Export, so 4kW of PV, 0.5kW load and exports 3.5kW to the grid.

Period 2 will depend on your exact requirements, it seems that you wish to charge battery to 100% or close to it, so this schedule will have a mode called Force charge (or backup) to consume all your energy from the grid only.

Period 3 after 16:00 you should let us know what you are wanting to do, I presume use the battery to feed the house load during this time?

Also, when you do decide upon a schedule, make sure to set END times to 10:59 say for Period 1, as this equals 10:59:59 in the inverter

[mikeincairns]

Thanks for the detailed answer. I assume you are suggesting to use the Mode Scheduler feature. I previously tried using this and had all sorts of issues. I posted to this community and I think the consensus was that the feature is extremely buggy, and not to use it.
The Mode Scheduler is a nightmare. It is different in Android App, in v1 online and v2 online. There was even a week or so when it could not be disabled after being set.
Perhaps I need to wait for the software to get more mature.

Period 2 seems to work quite well. In this period grid power is almost free, so "dumb" charging is fine.

This perhaps a better screen capture of my current settings

[MaterialBarracuda48]

It can cause all sorts of issues flipping between the different access methods for sure, me and my son had trouble with Fox Cloud 2.0 app and me running Android and iPhone for him... it would take the manual scheduler and smash it (swapping values and changing operating modes)

Maybe you can experiment with just the cheap grid charge slot and see how it works for you, no need to complicate settings if the dumb grid mode works fine.

Have a little day or two testing and see how it works for your setup, with luck this works well.

[mikeincairns]

Thanks so much for making time to help me.
You obviously have a lot of knowledge and experience with this thing.
I am 2 weeks in and learning. But I like tinkering, so I will keep going.
Happy new year!!

[MaterialBarracuda48]

I have had my system for 10 months, you will soon learn what works and what doesn't.
And you are correct in saying there are bugs in all 3 ways to access the system, they will iron out the bugs in time.


A Happy New Year to you also.

[mikeincairns]

When configuring Mode Scheduler, which method did you find most successful? Phone app, Online v1 or Online v2?
I can't get the phone app to work at all. Others in this community say to use Online v1.

[MaterialBarracuda48]

When configuring Mode Scheduler, which method did you find most successful? Phone app, Online v1 or Online v2?
I can't get the phone app to work at all. Others in this community say to use Online v1.

I used the phone app before, but how all 3 methods function does depend on the firmware in the system, with online v1 it has been around for a longer time, so tends to be a little more mature.

Best is to try one method per day or two and observe results (using one of the 3 methods to check results)


Bit of a read for you, here is the result of using two versions of the same program to view system, so just looking can break things.
viewtopic.php?p=10324#p10324
tldr; Fox Cloud 2.0 bug when looking via iPhone/Android, swapping scheduler about

[mikeincairns]

I read that long post that you sent.
All I can say is that you have super-human patience

[MaterialBarracuda48]

I read that long post that you sent.
All I can say is that you have super-human patience

Almost endless.

I think you will get there in the end, there's a learning curve with all things new.
As long as you work logically, adjust... observe and learn what works and what doesn't this is the way.

[mikeincairns]

I am mostly documenting this to help others with my experience. Any comments or insights would be greatly appreciated.

I am just concentrating on PERIOD 2 right now. During Period 2 - 11:00-16:00 we have extremely cheap electricity from the grid. I want to do this:
1) The Grid to charge the Battery as priority.
2) When battery is full, power the load and then send any excess to the grid.
- If PV > Load the excess solar will be exported to grid and also power the load
- If Load > PV then draw power from the battery, not the grid

I started with the legacy "dumb" schedules called Grid Charge Setting (on my Android)....

If PV > Load it works well to charge battery and export excess to grid

Unfortunately, during this period if Load > PV then power is drawn from Grid not from the battery. Very annoying!!

Tomorrow I am going to start experimenting with the new Manual Scheduler: Force Charge option. I have had nothing but headaches from this feature, but will try again tomorrow.

[MaterialBarracuda48]

I am glad to see you are approaching it methodically, this is the best way to do it.

I suspect your force charge is loading battery to 100%, but more importantly holding it at 100% for the duration of the schedule, so it cannot release the power.

That being said, if your energy from the grid in that 2nd window is cheap... why not use it for all your load?
I have for example Intelligent Octopus Go in the UK, it gives you a guaranteed 6hrs of off peak, then 18hrs off peak. Offpeak is 7p per kWh vs. 30p per kWh peak, so I hold the battery during this cheap period to 100% and then for 18hrs the battery takes on the house load.

[mikeincairns]

That being said, if your energy from the grid in that 2nd window is cheap... why not use it for all your load?
I have for example Intelligent Octopus Go in the UK, it gives you a guaranteed 6hrs of off peak, then 18hrs off peak. Offpeak is 7p per kWh vs. 30p per kWh peak, so I hold the battery during this cheap period to 100% and then for 18hrs the battery takes on the house load.

I think your off-peak in UK is at night. Here in Queensland Australia, it is the opposite. Off peak coincides with the sunniest time of the day! So this requires a reversal of the commonly used logic!
Day (off peak) period: 11am to 4pm $0.07724
Peak period: 4pm to 9pm $0.57363
Night (shoulder) period: 9pm to 11am $0.26375
Feed in rate: $0.08660

I generate PV from about 8:30am until 4:00pm
You can see how expensive the power is in the peak period! So I want the battery to be fully charged by 4pm to see me through the expensive Peak and Night periods.

Off peak coincides with the sunniest time of the day. So I have a choice to use the cheap Grid electricity or the free PV to charge the battery. Or use the cheap electricity to power the home. Or both! But of course during this off peak cheap period I am also making the most PV power!

I guess what I want is to have Forced Charging Mode until the battery is full and then switch to Self-Use Mode for the remainder of the day. But I don't think this is possible.

[MaterialBarracuda48]

UK Peak rate is similar, generally considered to be 4pm-7pm.

If I was in your shoes, I think I would have the system in self-use mode, and just run the "dumb" schedule that charges and holds (I think) your battery at 100% during your cheap period. Yes you will maybe use some grid power at this time, but as it's only 7cents per kWh, I would be happy.

Then from 4pm onwards, and during the night, hopefully the 100% lasts you until the sun rises the next day.

Then your battery can charge up from the early morning sun, so free, and if this is not enough, you get the cheap charge period to top up the remainder.

Bottom line, will be it's your system and choices to make, I know my preference as I have mine charging overnight and holding at 100% SoC until my peak begins. I normally have power left over by the time the 18hrs of expensive time has passed.