Solar Assistant assistant

[MartBrooks]

Hello folks,

I've been using Solar Assistant for well over a year now and I think it's a great product, certainly worth the money. The developers have been responsive to bug reports and feature requests and it, mostly, DEWISOTT.

One thing it has been lacking for some time is better automation. There is automation there but it's limited and very beta right now. As such I've been working on my own automation tool which piggy backs on to SA, using its MQTT interface to control the inverter.

On the off-chance you:

a) Are at least a little bit comfortable with Perl.
b) Use Solar Assistant

..then perhaps you could help me develop it a little faster than I'm managing.

GitHub - martbrooks/SolarAssistantAssistant

Contribute to martbrooks/SolarAssistantAssistant development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

Feedback and bug reports welcome.


Mart.

 

[doityourself2021]

Mart, Hi
Need a little guideance with moving from my Growatt SPF6000T -DVM split phase off of ShineApp ... I want to go to Solar Assistant Raspberry 4 PI,
I have some questions maybe you can help me with.
A. If I purchase from Amazon a complete kit - link https://www.amazon.com/RockBee-Rasp...&qid=1713492993&sprefix=,aps,1139&sr=8-3&th=1
Will this provide everything I need to get up and running.. ??
B. As for hook up, I am using 3 LifePo4 150amp each lithium batteries with BMS boards connected in parallel and communication with the Growatt RS485 -
Question- since the Battery BMS boards which are Seplos boards are communication with the Growatt, can I connect to the USB of the Growatt where the Shine app Growatt Dongle is connected or where?
I understand the power of the SA PI, I plan on using WiFi communications via my router and access via my desktop.. is the app loaded in the Raspberry to access the info?
Basically can you or someone shed so light on the proper connections to make this work.. I have a basic idea and understanding , would appreciate any help.. Thank You.. Ric

 

[Brett V]

You will connect the usb where you Wi-Fi dongle is currently connected to a USB port on the Pi running SA. No converters needed, just a simple usb cable. The one provided with the inverter works fine. In the general settings tab of SA, select the Growatt and use inverter values in the battery setting.

 

[meetyg]

Can't you achieve the same goal by pushing the data to HomeAssistant via MQTT ?
I know it's also possible to change inverter parameters via the MQTT interface.

 

[doityourself2021]

You will connect the usb where you Wi-Fi dongle is currently connected to a USB port on the Pi running SA. No converters needed, just a simple usb cable. The one provided with the inverter works fine. In the general settings tab of SA, select the Growatt and use inverter values in the battery setting.

Bret, Hi
Thanks for the comeback.. so basically, my feedback with the PI will amount to the same info I am now receiving from the Growatt Dongle.. however the question next is, what about the status of each battery and it's SOC, voltage and amps .. all of which currently is being fed to the Growatt, via network cable from each BMS board in the Battery bank..
Another question comes to light.. as the network cables are daisey chained, from BMS battery #3 is looked at as Slave #2, Battery #2 is seen as Slave #1, and Battery #1 is looked at as Master, which if fed to the Growatt via RS485 BMS port of the Growatt currently.
Is there a different way to connect the SA Pi with the batteries for that info and the Growatt using the USB. Thanks in Advance - Ric

 

[wattmatters]

A. If I purchase from Amazon a complete kit - link https://www.amazon.com/RockBee-Rasp...&qid=1713492993&sprefix=,aps,1139&sr=8-3&th=1
Will this provide everything I need to get up and running.. ??

Yes but $150! Man Pis are expensive. Pretty sure mine were never that much.

You still need to purchase a Solar Assistant Licence. It might be cheaper just to buy a pre-loaded Raspberry Pi from Solar Assistant.

I understand the power of the SA PI, I plan on using WiFi communications via my router and access via my desktop.. is the app loaded in the Raspberry to access the info?

You just go to the local IP address for the instance of Solar Assistant.

Basically can you or someone shed so light on the proper connections to make this work.. I have a basic idea and understanding , would appreciate any help.. Thank You.. Ric

Suggest reading through their documentation:

Introduction to SolarAssistant

Read a high level overview of SolarAssistant.

solar-assistant.io

 

[doityourself2021]

Wattmatters,
Read you Loud & Clear - Thanks,