Aberdeenshire Solar Performance Q1 2024, Introduction to SolarEdge Modbus

In this video we're reviewing solar production for the first three months of 2024. We then look explore the basics of SolarEdge Modbus communications and discuss the possibilities of how it can be used.
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00:00 Introduction
01:00 Solar Performance Q1 2024
11:36 Introduction to Modbus, enabling Modbus TCP on SolarEdge inverters
13:15 Documentation for SolarEdge and Sunspec modbus addresses
14:50 Testing the modbus interface with a modbus tester
17:12 Writing our own modbus program in python language using ChatGPT
21:18 The Power Control Protocol and using it to control the battery
27:57 Concluding remarks

[@alisterg3582]

Really interesting video, I enjoyed watching and I also learnt from this - thanks. That said I can’t help but think that Home Assistant would solve many of your problems and also supply you with a myriad of other data to entertain you along with simplistic (compared to writing it all yourself) automations for your solar / heat pump / car / Zappi. I admire that you are writing this from scratch but I do feel you would ultimately get more control leveraging HA and what the community has already put together.

[@andrewknots]

Hi Anthony, fascinating as always
Just for comparison, in Kinross-shire my 14kw array produced
January 349 kWh
February 633 kWh
March 812 kWh

[@anthonydyer3939]

That’s a nice sized solar array. 349kWh on the 2nd darkest month of the year is enviable.

[@robjones8950]

Hi Anthony, I’ve had a hunch that my Solar Edge app has been underreporting solar production since last October based on the graph. I checked today, the monthly totals tally with the graph but if I add up daily production for the month I get something very different. January was 144kwh monthly vs 283kwh aggregate daily. December was ZERO vs aggregate daily 194kwh. The difference is much smaller June to October (3-6%). Have you observed this? Rob

[@anthonydyer3939]

I have seen this, and again it seems to be the way that battery charge / discharge seems to be factored. So for example after the sun has set, daily production can still increase by virtue of consumption from the battery.
Likewise I’ve also seen daily production not increase very fast when the charge is going into the battery.
This all works fine, until you start charging the battery overnight from the grid. Then the formula goes wrong.

[@DavidOSullivan1980]

Interesting video. Are you using WiFi or an Ethernet cable to connect to the inverter? I’ve seen some comments that Modbus isn’t available over WiFi?

[@anthonydyer3939]

The inverter is connected using Ethernet. But there’s no trouble connecting my laptop to the inverter via wifi to the router. The wifi modbus restriction only applies if the inverter is connected to the router via wifi. It has no idea how the origin of the modbus master is connected.

[@DanielEarlester]

You could also have a future as the voice of C3PO in upcoming Star Wars films or robots of the future. ChatGPT: find me a voice like C3PO. Certainly > Anthony Dier (Daniels) 😇

[@anthonydyer3939]

Maybe C3PO could have a chat with Kryten in a competition for the most robotic voice on the fully charged show.

[@Dominic_Bolton]

Hi Anthony, this week I tried using the ‘charge battery from clipped solar’ option, and though it worked great in the daytime at the end of the day when we were pulling more than the solar generation we were using grid power instead of battery. I know you’ve used this setting previously, have you had a similar issue?
Cheers

[@anthonydyer3939]

That’s how that mode works, and therefore it needs selective use. I only use it from 10am to 3pm and only during bright spring summer days. Outside that time I use “discharge to minimise import” during the morning, and “max self consumption” after 3pm to pick up any remaining charge for the battery
What I’m going to try is using modbus to select between this mode and “discharge to minimise import”, depending on power consumption in the house and maybe the weather forecast.
I dont use “discharge to maximise export” during the evening anymore since I’m not on Octopus Flux.

[@Dominic_Bolton]

Okay, I misunderstood that mode then…
I’ll look into the discharge to minimise import option and see how I can make it work for me
Thanks for the reply 👍🏼