Sunny Beam - Using with multiple inverters

[Energetic]

Hi Guys,

We've just installed our first extension to a system so we now have 2 SMA inverters with Bluetooth and the original sunny beam. We'd assumed that the display would show both inverters and allow access to each set of data.

Upon commissioning of the second system we found that the display would only pick up one NetID at a time and had to be set up again to communicate with the other NetID.

We phoned SMA UK and got a not particularly friendly or helpful chap who said that we should put both inverters on the same NetID. This gave us the data from both inverters but expressed as a single PV plant. This is of no real use to our customer as the systems are on different phases feeding different things. We relayed this back to the yunge Mann at SMA who stated categorically that this cannot be done.

Has anyone had a different experience and managed to sync both inverters to the display showing their data independently? Despite having a fully functional system the customer is withholding final payment until he gets two sets of data on the display.

Cheers

 

[Gavin A]

you can still view the individual inverters via that method, I think you scroll to

Menu >>> number of inverters

then click on the inverter serial number to see the data for the individual inverter.

It's not ideal, but is how it works, and the customer can't be withholding payment on that basis. If they want to see both individually all the time then they need 2 sunnybeams, or some other method.

 

[Berniethebolt]

I don't suppose they want to view it on a PC/laptop via Bluetooth. I think the pc software will do what you want. as if I remember right. (as I have since uninstalled it) as I now use the sunny beam,
I hope the customer was assuming to view bot inverters, and you did not tell them it was possible.

 

[car-mark]

Hi there
I have lurked for for far too long with no inputs, so here it is.

I run a system very similar to what you describe, 3 phase domestic with a single phase inverter on each (installed over different time schedule)
I have a 3000tl and an early version 3300 with the added bluetooth board.
Both report to the sunny beam with no problem and as stated above will give an acceptable output with both on at the same time.

Have you changed the chanel of communication to net ID >1 I think if you left them both on 0 you would have the effect you describe
Hope this helps
Mark

 

[Energetic]

Thanks for the input chaps and welcome to the forum Mark.

We've resolved it, the netid needs to be set to the same number on both inverters . The reason we had problems was because we neglected to reboot the inverter to reset the net id properly.

SMA UKs advisor either misunderstood (his English was slightly worse than mine) what we were trying to achieve or wasn't aware of the capabilities if the display.

Long story short plant view shows all inverters as a single unit and inverter view shows individual inverters, just as we always thought and would have eventually worked out if not for sma's red herring. And we've been paid too!