Not sure where to start!

[andy@2610.co.uk]

Evening all

I have:

• Fox ESS AC1 G2 5kW 1ph AC-Coupled

• 3 x Fox ESS EP11-H 10.36kWh

• SolarEdge 3500 HD Wave

• 9 x Aiko Neostar 2S 460W

The fitters told me that the PV from the SolarEdge inverter would show up in the Fox app. But it doesn't. I've seen screenshots showing panels on the roof in the app but I get nothing. If I login to the Fox Cloud site I see a PV Yield of 8.9kWh. But my PV yield for the day today according to the SolarEdge app is 14.6kWh.

Everything is working fine, as far as I know. I'd just like to learn where all these numbers are coming from.

Thank you in advance.
Andy

[Dave Foster]

If it isn’t showing you power from the panels then it hasn't had the second CT clamp fitted to the Solar Edge inverter, without that it has no idea how much PV power is being produced and so the PV yield it shows is actually the amount of work the inverter has done which is all about the battery.

Without the CT2 it won’t be able to calculate your house usage correctly during the day, or display the PV output from the SolarEdge inverter - but it will be able to charge the battery with any ‘excess’ solar and it will meet any house load in excess of your solar and overnight when there is no sun so will run correctly to supply your home.

Ideally you should have a CT2 clamp fitted to the live feed from the SolarEdge inverter and cabled to the meter connector of the Fox inverter - with that fitted it will know what the inverter is outputting and be able to calculate your house usage and report PV as well. The CT clamp isn’t an expensive device but it needs to be clipped from the SolarEdge output and cabled to the meter connector of the Fox inverter. With that fitted / enabled you’ll get accurate stats for both systems.

[andy@2610.co.uk]

Thank you for that.

I think it's starting to make sense. I'll have a look at the Solar Edge inverter later. I was 99% sure that the fitters said that they had fitted one. it didn't arrive on the first day and I took the delivery of it when they came back to finish commissioning everything. So I know it is/was here.

Is there a spec for it? For example, would this work?

https://amzn.eu/d/cJ20Lvi

Other than that, everything seems to be working nicely. Bottom line is that Octopus is only costing overnight when the batteries charge from the grid. Everything else is just for my curiosity.

[Dave Foster]

Thank you for that.

I was 99% sure that the fitters said that they had fitted one. it didn't arrive on the first day and I took the delivery of it when they came back to finish commissioning everything. So I know it is/was here.

Is there a spec for it? For example, would this work?

https://amzn.eu/d/cJ20Lvi

Other than that, everything seems to be working nicely. Bottom line is that Octopus is only costing overnight when the batteries charge from the grid. Everything else is just for my curiosity.

It's possible they have fitted it but not clipped it to the correct cable, or more likely not enabled it in the inverter settings (under Setting, Feature, Meter2/CT2)

No that wouldn't work - you have to use the correct type of clamp and current ratio - this is the one you need https://www.tradesparky.com/solarsparky ... aio-ranges

[andy@2610.co.uk]

Thank you for your help on this. There is a cable that comes from the bottom of the AC isolator on the SolarEdge. That goes to the CT/METER/RS485 port on the Fox inverter.

I can't find "Feature" in the settings for the inverter but I have found 2 sections that reference CT

One says Meter2/CT2 and CT is selected in the dropdown.

The other is a screen that just mentions CT1/Meter1/ReverseEnable

[Dave Foster]

That sounds like it's connected - in the app if you swipe left from the home screen on the graph at the bottom do you have anything showing for meter 2?

[andy@2610.co.uk]

0KW flat line.

[andy@2610.co.uk]

Just to add... on the Device Details for the inverter, it says Meter: offline.

[Dave Foster]

The features menu item is when you are using the inverter front panel, but I see you are using the new V2 website - either way it is correctly set for a Meter2/CT to be connected using a CT clamp, also either way the CT clamp is either not clamped to the live wire of the Solar Edge inverter - or there is a cabling fault between the CT clamp and the Fox inverter.

The 'Meter Offline' is normal for the V2 website it's what we all see and is a bug.

If the installers haven't cut the CT clamp cable to extend/shorten it, it's very likely that any cable fault will be within the meter connector of the inverter as the cores often break in there.

If you are not seeing any trace on your meter2 output then it's not seeing your Solar Edge so I think the best thing to do is to call your installer back and get them to check it out - basically if the Solar Edge inverter is generating then the Fox should be reading power via CT2 and it will display it in the app.

[andy@2610.co.uk]

Thank you very much!

They have to come back to finish some bird proofing and cut the bars on the roof. So I've flagged it with them so have a look at.