HOW TO VIEW SOLAR PRODUCTION ON BATTERY MONITOR

tidetim
tidetim Registered Users Posts: 10 ✭✭
in Caravan, Recreational Vehicle, and Marine Power Systems #1
Just purchased a Victron 702 battery monitor for our boat. I would like it to monitor the status of both my house battery bank (12 volt system) and my solar production (535 watts through a Morningstar MPPT controller). I don't think it is as simple as putting the negative wire from the solar controller to the load side of the shunt (or in my case a bus bar that feeds the shunt), but don't know how to do it. Any ideas?
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  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
    where do you want to monitor it from? Home or on the boat?
     
    KID #51B  4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM
    CL#29032 FW 2126/ 2073/ 2133 175A E-Panel WBjr, 3 x 4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM 
    Cotek ST1500W 24V Inverter,OmniCharge 3024,
    2 x Cisco WRT54GL i/c DD-WRT Rtr & Bridge,
    Eu3/2/1000i Gens, 1680W & E-Panel/WBjr to come, CL #647 asleep
    West Chilcotin, BC, Canada
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  • Photowhit
    Photowhit Solar Expert Posts: 6,006 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #3
    You can not monitor solar production only what you are able to pass through the shunt. Off grid solar must be wasteful to properly charge batteries.
    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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  • Estragon
    Estragon Registered Users Posts: 4,496 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #4
    I think it is as simple as that. The Victron (properly wired) measures current to/from the battery. That is all.

    There will be some assumptions or settable parameters for battery charging efficiency and what defines a full battery. None of these can or will be entirely accurate, so the meter will tend to drift to some extent. It's not an issue with Victron meters in particular, ,just a fact of life with SOC meters in general.

    The meter can give you a net amp number across the shunt to/from the battery, but can't tell you what solar production is if there are loads being supplied as well as battery charging. The controller may be able to give you that. Absent loads other than battery charging, whatever is going across the shunt to the bank IS the solar production. Panels won't produce more than loads draw.
    Off-grid.  
    Main daytime system ~4kw panels into 2xMNClassic150 370ah 48v bank 2xOutback 3548 inverter 120v + 240v autotransformer
    Night system ~1kw panels into 1xMNClassic150 700ah 12v bank morningstar 300w inverter
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  • Raj174
    Raj174 Solar Expert Posts: 795 ✭✭✭✭
    #5
    Solar production data may be available via the charge controller's communications port, depending on which model you have. If it's a MPPT 30 or 45, data is available via the serial port and can be monitored with MS View on a laptop PC. If it's
     a MPPT 60, data is sent by means of an ethernet connection and again can be monitored with MS View on a laptop PC. These connections are described in their respective manuals.

    Rick
    4480W PV, MNE175DR-TR, MN Classic 150, Outback Radian GS4048A, Mate3, 51.2V 360AH nominal LiFePO4, Kohler Pro 5.2E genset.
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #6
    The meter has a shunt which measures current.  You can likely place that shunt anywhere, and measure 1 thing.
    2 meters=2 shunts=2 measurements  but as was mentioned earlier, many charge controllers can measure their own production, and if your inverter can measure loads, you can cover all bases
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

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