Fast forward into 2024

April not quite over yet, but still looking good......

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Is "set and forget" a realistic possibility?

I have said elsewhere that my aim is to set up my inverter so that it does not require continuous tweaking. I know that this may be naive, but how does it look so far? Well, I think that the Octopus Cosy tariff makes all the difference. Without the afternoon cheap rate period, I don't think that it would be possible to adjust the inverter in such a way that it would work well on sunny and overcast days alike. Reading the forums, it looks like some people have set up quite elaborate automation to take advantage of weather reports, published tariff changes, etc. This is not something that I particularly want to get into. The Octopus Cosy tariff seems to work very well for me. On sunny days, despite setting "Priority Load", my batteries are reasonably full by the time 1pm rolls around. This means that the automatic charge from the grid is minimal. I am experimenting with splitting the 1pm-4pm cheap rate period into two (or even three) segments with different SoC targets. ...
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Solar Assistant: Local "Remote" Monitoring

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The sunsynk.org Website and Sunsynk Connect app give me access to my inverter statistics and configuration. Unfortunately, this access goes via a remote server which seems to go down quite frequently. Additionally, the updates to the figures only happen every five minutes. One way to solve this problem is a product called "Solar Assistant" . Solar Assistant is software which runs on a Raspberry Pi which is connected permanently to the RS-485 port on the inverter. The software monitors the inverter continuously and compiles statistics which you can view locally on a built-in web server that runs on the Pi. The Pi connects to your WiFI network.You can also make configuration changes via this web server or access it remotely when you are not at home on you home WiFi. You can buy the Solar Assistant software and run it on your own Raspberry Pi, or you can buy a pre configured Pi from Solar Assistance in South Africa. They will also sell you pre-made RS-485 cables and a 48V pow...
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Automation tasks underway

I have the following automation tasks underway, in various stages of completion: If there is a suitably inexpensive timeslot overnight, use it to top up the batteries to 100%. Using this, instead of solar, will allow more solar to be exported at 15p/kWh. Inexpensive slots during sunlight hours are not as useful because I can't export at the same time as using electricity from the grid. If there is not a suitably inexpensive timeslot overnight, top up the batteries from the grid during the period coming up to peak time (which is usually fairly reasonably priced). Make sure any battery charging from the grid is definitely off before the 4pm-7pm peak rate starts. When the electricity price goes negative, boost the hot water temperature using the heat pump and immersion heater. This is a way of benefitting from being PAID to use electricity and storing a little of it in the form of hot water. Change the colour of a lamp in the kitchen to reflect the current electricity...
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