System not drawing enough power from battery bank, so most power needed for loads comes from grid

TheVillagesGuy
TheVillagesGuy Registered Users Posts: 10 ✭✭
in Off Grid Solar & Battery Systems #1
I have a Conext SW 4048 inverter/charger AC coupled to an Enphase micro inverter (AC output) solar system. They are coupled at a critical load panel. No matter how I adjust the settings, the fully charged battery bank only produces a tiny part of the load draw. If the load draw is say 1,500 watts, the inverter/charger will only take 13-87 watts from the batter bank and the rest is being pulled from the grid...EXACTLY WHAT I DON'T WANT. The point of this system is to charge the batteries during the daylight and them power as much as possible from the batteries at night....yet no matter how I adjust the settings, I barley get more than a trickle contribution from the batteries.

Please help.
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  • Photowhit
    Photowhit Solar Expert Posts: 6,006 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #2
    I guess I'm confused about what you are trying to do, you say you want to,

    TheVillagesGuy said:
     The point of this system is to charge the batteries during the daylight and them power as much as possible from the batteries at night....
    ...but that would cost you more than if you just used the grid. If you draw down your batteries at night you will just have to recharge them the next day, you lose energy because it take more energy to recharge the batteries than to just run from the grid.

    If you really want to do this, just turn off the breaker to the grid.
    Home system 4000 watt (Evergreen) array standing, with 2 Midnite Classic Lites,  Midnite E-panel, Magnum MS4024, Prosine 1800(now backup) and Exeltech 1100(former backup...lol), 660 ah 24v Forklift battery(now 10 years old). Off grid for 20 years (if I include 8 months on a bicycle).
    - Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
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  • mcgivor
    mcgivor Solar Expert Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    #3
    Unless the grid is very expensive at night, there would be no need to use battery power because it cannot compete with the grid. However if the grid has peak billing between certain hours, it may be advantageous to program load shaving for those hours, but other than that there would be no benefit.
    1500W, 6× Schutten 250W Poly panels , Schneider MPPT 60 150 CC, Schneider SW 2524 inverter, 400Ah LFP 24V nominal battery with Battery Bodyguard BMS 
    Second system 1890W  3 × 300W No name brand poly, 3×330 Sunsolar Poly panels, Morningstar TS 60 PWM controller, no name 2000W inverter 400Ah LFP 24V nominal battery with Daly BMS, used for water pumping and day time air conditioning.  
    5Kw Yanmar clone single cylinder air cooled diesel generator for rare emergency charging and welding.
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  • jonr
    jonr Solar Expert Posts: 1,386 ✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2018 #4
    Maybe "self-consumption mode" that is briefly mentioned in the XW manual?

    The Tesla Powerwall 2.0 has a mode that does that. 

    I am available for custom hardware/firmware development

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