Since energy prices regularly dip below 0, I thought of a piece of automation with the solar panels and inverter. The newer models already support control via API, but the inverter I have as far as I know does not, which is the SolarEdge SE-5000.
However, it is equipped with a large switch to switch it on or off neatly. In addition, I have a Raspberry Pi running with Home Assistant and a complete Zigbee network at home to which various switches, sensors and lamps are connected. This immediately raised the question of the possibility of switching off the solar panels if the hourly price becomes negative, given that we have a dynamic contract.
This left me with 3 options:
Manually transfer the switch with a fingerbot, a bit of wood / string, but I have it working now. Home Assistant triggers the bone when necessary, and it automatically switches the switch. With a zigbee replacement for the fuse in the fuse box. Does work, but an acute power cut at the hour when the electricity price becomes negative does not seem to me to be a very correct solution for the inverter, that is always a blow I suspect Replace the switch on the inverter with a relay that can be switched via Zigbee Option 1 I already running but is not the best solution in my eyes. Option 2 does not seem to me to be an option that probably has a negative effect on the inverter itself. Option 3 then remains as the most reliable option. The warranty expires, but we are tweakers for a reason, of course
Now I know a lot about software, but with hardware there is a bit more to it and some knowledge is missing. The question now is mainly what would be the best solution in terms of product and/or application to achieve this. There are several relays available on zigbee protocol that could handle this in my opinion, but what am I good at. Many relays seem to divert power from the socket, requiring a minimum of 80v.
Now I suspect that the switch of the SolarEdge is only a signal current, and certainly not 220V, I think more of 12v. Unfortunately I don’t have the equipment to measure it and know for sure. A relay on a battery that only interrupts the wire when necessary and reconnects when the hourly rate becomes positive seems perfect to me, but I have not been able to find it yet.
Do you have any nice additions or ideas?
2023-07-06 20:08:00
#Turn #SolarEdge #inverter #onoff #Zigbee #Smarthome
