[RE-wrenches] Remote Alert and Bootstrapping on Sunny Island AC Coupled System

[William Miller]

Friends:



Thanks for the many replies.  Here is what I have learned, paired with the
questions.



1.   Is it normal for the display screens on the Sunny Islands to go blank
after shutting off due to low battery voltage?  *Apparently this is a
feature, not a bug--the display is supposed to go blank.  There is a
fault-clearing procedure that requires you remove all input power for 15
minutes and it worked here.  The system was responding as designed--it was
not “bricked”.*



2.   Is there an up-to-date option for remote monitoring that will send an
email if certain error conditions occur?  *No one is telling me any new SMA
remote access system is much different from the old system of
port-forwarding the web-box and then going blind trying to navigate the
interface.  There is a remote-alert for some new SMA inverters, but not
Sunny Island, which needs it the most.  I don’t think SMA can hold a candle
to OpticsRE in this area.  This alone is a deal-killer for me spec’ing
Sunny Island in the future.*

3.   What would you do with a 6k AH battery bank with a voltage too low to
start a battery inverter or solar charge controller?  *My first reaction
was the same as those that suggested AC-coupled off-grid architecture is
fundamentally flawed due to this predicament.  In thinking about it
further, the same is actually true for DC coupled systems: if battery
voltage gets low enough, many PV charge controllers are not able to startup
and charge a battery bank.  There is a warehouse-style, 48 volt forklift
charger next door I could have for the asking, but it was not needed for
this outage and I doubt it will be needed in the future.*



Thanks again.  The wrenches list rocks!



William Miller

Miller Solar

17395 Oak Road, Atascadero, CA 93422

805-438-5600

www.millersolar.com

CA Lic. 773985
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