SMA Cluster controller

[infinity]

Has any had to install one of these?

Its being used for zero export.

having trouble with the energy meter and CT clamps, would be great if anyone has installed one so i could pick your brains..

 

[jason121]

I tried using the SMA energy meter for zero export. DNO wouldn't let me install the unit, due to the 5 sec lag time before reducing power out put from the inverter

 

[infinity]

DNO Have approved it! Its all installed, just the setting of the thing is playing havoc, even SMA dont seem to know how to set it up.

 

[Gavin A]

your issue will be that the energy meter is initially set up for direct connection, you have to go into it via the network to set it up for ct clamps.

the instructions will tell you to type in something like smameter.serialnumber.local but that doesn't work, you need to go into the router to identify the IP address then just type the ip address in directly. (or just manually go through and try all IP addresses from 1 upwards until you hit it).

Then you need to set up the CT ratios.

Then log in to the cluster controller to set that up, then register it all with sunny portal, then use that to register the meters to the cluster etc etc.

Assuming it's the same process as for the home controller, which I understand it is.

ps make sure you set up the inverters to be fail safe, so in the event of loss of signal they revert to the set minimal output / zero.

 

[infinity]

Thanks Gavin, i was trying to ask how it know what the ratio was and that it was even connected to CT clamps! They dont seem to know too much about it.
I havce supplied one side (top) with 3phase power as well as the drawing suggests. did it matter what side you supplied it with power?

Il do exactly as you said regarding the setup. I had accessed it via the cluster but options for the meter were limited.
Il connect to it via the IP address abd hopw fully it will work, the farmer has 30,000 chickens going in tomorrow morning so we have about 2 hours to get this up and running and prove to SSE it works, and the fail safe.

Is the fail safe accessed via the inverters or cluster? Did you need a grid guard code to do any of it? We have one just in case.

Thanks i feel a lot more confident that what we have done is correct. Its just the very poor instructions for these units that let you down.

 

[Gavin A]

It may sound obvious, but make sure the clamps are matched up with the phases used for the voltage reference.

the fails safe bit is in the inverter set up via sunny explorer, it's the setting to do with derating via remote control. can't remember the exact setting, but needs to be set so that in the event of loss of signal it derates.

 

[SibertSolar]

Good luck getting it set up, check that the secondary winding rating is correct too (1A or 5A typically).

 

[SibertSolar]

How are you getting on Dan? Just curious but which DNO is this? I am not aware of any DNO accepting a purely software based "fail-safe" as, according to my info, even the SMA Tripower units do not actually output exactly zero Watts, they need to limit to somewhere around 0.5% (maybe 100W-200W) to keep all the DSP/internal electronics functioning when needing to ramp up again. I think it depends on the inverter brand in particular, as to whether absolute zero output can be achieved.....also, what happens if the inverter doesn't respond, or the controller fails? Like I said, just curious for my own info, thanks.

 

[infinity]

It's going well very close.. I hope

SSE are the DNO. We have two SMA 25000tl

It is throttling down as expect. Just setting the fail safe now so should no in the next half hour that it's all working correctly.

 

[infinity]

Andy, if the controller fails etc it's designed to shut off, in fact one of the main things the DNO is looking for is the fact it will shut off it the inverter loses a signal or the cluster power is switched off etc.
so far it's all gone well apart from one part, the fail safe if the inverter data cable is pulled out.
It's just a case of finding the option as SMA are not sure, so we're looking in sunny explorer as Gavin mentioned so will hopefully have that tied up tomorrow.

It turned out to be a Very nice tidy install considering all the parts required for this zero export. Plus a contractor so in even of a power cut you have I manually push a button to allow the PV to fire up, as they have a generator on site.
It's just the cluster configuration has been much more complicated than expected.

 

[SibertSolar]

Thanks Dan, very interesting, glad you got it sorted. The DNO knows that it's a soft fail-safe rather than electromechanical shutdown in the event of a control failure leading to excess export?