Going Green: SolarEdge Home Assistant
Home Assistant is an open-source home automation platform that allows you to connect and control all the devices in your home. It supports a wide range of solar inverters like Fronius, SMA Solar, Solar-Log, GoodWe or SolarEdge. And while SolarEdge already provides an extensive monitoring portal for end users, there are still some reasons to integrate with Home Assistant. Home Assistant lets you design cross-system dashboards or automations that leave the proprietary islands of manufacturers. For example, we can start charging our electric car when we have enough solar power left. This is more cost effective than sending it back to the grid.
In this blog post, we will take a look at how to integrate a SolarEdge inverter with Home Assistant. We will use the out of the box SolarEdge integration and the SolarEdge Modbus integration. It ties directly to the first two posts about our solar installation and our own green energy production.
Two Integration Options
We have two options to get the data from our SolarEdge system into Home Assistant.
- Using the built-in, out of the box SolarEdge integration
- Via the SolarEdge Modbus custom integration
Installation of 1) is way simpler and pretty straightforward. The inverter data is loaded from the SolarEdge monitoring portal, not via the inverter directly. This will only provide you with the data SolarEdge provides via its Cloud APIs and it will also be delayed.
With the custom integration. option 2). you’ll get more data and technical details, maybe more than you even need. As the data is retrieved directly from the inverter, it is almost as real-time as possible. However the setup of the custom component code requires some inverter config changes (in most cases) and the installation is a little more effort.
If you plan to use the Home Assistant energy dashboard I recommend option 2.
Integrating SolarEdge via the Cloud integration
Integrating your SolarEdge inverter with Home Assistant is a straightforward process. This chapter describes how this can be achieved using the out of the box SolarEdge Cloud integration which gets the data from the SolarEdge portal. The integration will update the site overview every 15 minutes. This is due to API request limits of the SolarEdge Cloud API.
Step 1: Obtain your SolarEdge API Key
The first thing you need to do is obtain your SolarEdge API key. To do this, go to the SolarEdge monitoring website and log in to your account. Then navigate to “Admin” “API Access” page, where you will find your Site ID and the API key. You will need to accept the terms and conditions if this is the first time.
Step 2: Install the SolarEdge Integration
The next step is to install the SolarEdge integration in Home Assistant. This can be done via the “Settings” page in Home Assistant. From there select “Devices Services” and then click on the “ Add Integration” button in the bottom right corner. In the dialog search for “SolarEdge”. You will see two options. Select “SolarEdge” with the Cloud symbol.
Step 3: Configure the Integration
On the SolarEdge integration configuration screen, enter your SolarEdge Site ID and API key from Step 1. Once done click on “Submit.” Home Assistant will then automatically discover your SolarEdge inverter via the SolarEdge monitoring portal, add it to your Home Assistant dashboard and configure the sensors.
You are now ready to display the data in your custom dashboards or use them for the energy dashboard.
Integrating SolarEdge Inverter using Modbus
The SolarEdge Modbus integration is an alternative way to integrate your SolarEdge inverter with Home Assistant. It can be used as a replacement for the default SolarEdge Cloud-based integration or in combination. Instead of retrieving aggregated data from the SolarEdge monitoring portal this method uses the Modbus TCP protocol to communicate directly with the inverter.
Here’s what you need to do:
Step 1: Enable Modbus TCP on Your SolarEdge Inverter
Your inverter must have Modbus TCP enabled. For some inverters you can do it yourself, for others you need an electrician. This depends on the inverter model.
In my case (using SE7K-RWS inverter) is was necessary to set the inverter into installation mode and connect directly to the inverter Wi-Fi. Modbus TCP can be enabled in the “Site Communication” menu. This can be done via the SolarEdge SetApp or via a browser. These steps should be similar for most SolarEdge inverters of the current generation. If you are unsure ask your local solar installer or electrician.
Step 2: Configure the SolarEdge Modbus Integration
The SolarEdge Modbus integration is available as a customer integration. You can installed it via HACS. search for “SolarEdge”. or manually. See instructions on the projects Git repository.After installation make sure you reboot your Home-Assistant system.
Step 3: Connect the Modbus Integration with the Inverter
On the SolarEdge Modbus integration configuration screen, enter the IP address and port number of your SolarEdge inverter, and click on “Submit.” Home Assistant will then automatically discover your SolarEdge inverter and add it to your Home Assistant dashboard.
Like many other integrations the SolarEdge Modbus integration is installed via the Home Assistant UI. Then navigate to the “Settings” page in Home Assistant. From there select “Devices Services” and then click on the “ Add Integration” button in the bottom right corner. In the dialog search for “SolarEdge” and choose “SolarEdge Modbus”. The open box icon indicates that the SolarEdge Modbus integration is a custom integration.
Step 4: Configure the Integration
In the configuration dialog enter the local IP address of your inverter. The TCP port should stay at 1502 and in most cases the Modbus address must stay at 1 as well. This depends a little bit on your setup, if multiple inverters are used etc. Select the “Read …” checkboxes for the meters (up to 3) and batteries (up to 2) you would like to get data for. The integration automatically creates all sensor entities for the meters and batteries.
The SolarEdge Modbus integration can provide very detailed data from the inverter. The integration created 107 sensors for our installation. Not all of them are needed by us. For example, since we have a 3 phase system, I disabled most of the sensors with separate details data for a single phase as I’m only interested in combined data.
The most significant innovation of the SolarEdge Home System: The Low-Voltage Home Battery
With the Low Voltage Home Battery, SolarEdge now offers a 48 V battery that is stackable and scalable. Each battery module boasts 4.6 kWh net capacity. You can install up to 5 modules in 2 towers. This results in a net capacity of 4.6 kWh – 23 kWh per system. This is what you can combine:
The low-voltage battery can be combined with the 3-phase SolarEdge Hub inverter. You can mount the storage system on the floor or on the wall. The installation occurs via plug-and-play and configuration with the SolarEdge SetApp.
High-voltage storage system: The SolarEdge High-Voltage Home Battery
In addition to the low-voltage battery, you can also get the SolarEdge high-voltage Home Battery. It is compatible with single-phase inverters and can also be combined with the previous HD Wave inverters with the help of a SolarEdge Home network plug-in. The high-voltage battery comes with a net capacity of 9.7 kWh. You can connect up to 3 batteries in parallel to one inverter. The battery can be mounted indoors and outdoors. Wall installation is possible with handles and floor installation with a ground plate. Appropriate accessories are available for this purpose.
SolarEdge High-Voltage Home Battery
Hybrid solution: SolarEdge Home Hub inverter
When a storage system and an inverter are produced by the same company, this usually means more power, more efficiency and a single customer service representative who you can ask questions to. For the new low-voltage battery, SolarEdge launches the right hybrid inverter. The SolarEdge Home Hub inverter is available with 5 kVA, 8 kVA or 10 kVA power.
SolarEdge is no longer categorising its inverters into 1-phase and 3-phase systems, opting instead for Home Hub, i.e. hybrid inverters, and Home Wave, i.e. PV inverters. The Home Hub inverters are already equipped with the new Home Network communication interface. They can therefore communicate with all other SolarEdge Home products. You can install the Hub inverter without a data cable, as it can be integrated into the manufacturer’s Smart Home network.
SolarEdge Home Hub inverter
A sophisticated, elegant solution
“In terms of cost benefit for consumer and return on investment, I can’t see how any other solutions can compete, because they’re not DC coupled,” Sturch says.
His own household in northern NSW, which has served as a testing ground for the SolarEdge Home platform, is consistently achieving 98% solar self-consumption, despite fairly hefty energy use, including a couple of electric cars.
“It’s all about efficiency, maximising self consumption and extended blackout protection,” Sturch tells One Step.
“It’s a very sophisticated, elegant solution, all based around our proprietary [software] that’s built on the back of mobile phone technology.
“This makes it really simple for the home owner,” he adds, allowing them to ‘set and forget’ while the inverter does the work on controlling loads, maxmising solar self-consumption and minimising grid exposure to high prices.
One-stop shops for Smart energy homes
This sort of all-encompassing energy “future proofing” – insulating consumers against energy market fluctuations outside of their control, while also setting the foundations for an ongoing evolution of home power supply – is quickly becoming a key FOCUS of the solar industry.
Earlier this month, a European conglomerate including Porsche Ventures, a founder of Tesla’s European operations, and the co-founder of German battery giant Sonnen, Christoph Ostermann, unveiled plans to spend 100 million in Australia and the APAC region establishing the presence of its 1komma5° venture – a one-stop-shop to bring “CO2-neutral life” to homes and small businesses.
And while this journey most often starts with solar and battery storage – either installed on a wall or housed within an electric vehicle – it’s more broadly about electrification and Smart controls.
“There’s so many products and a lack of one-stop-shops that have the ability and the capital to bring those all under one umbrella,” said Chris Williams, the CEO of Natural Solar, 1komma5°’s first retail and installer partner in Australia.
‘Energy resilience in all seasons’
Smart controls are well and truly in SolarEdge’s wheelhouse, so the company is well-placed to claim a stake in the burgeoning home energy management market.
The company is also promising an easier solution for industry, with the promise that SolarEdge Home simplifies the installation and commissioning process, including via wireless plug-and-play connectivity between components.
“SolarEdge Home is designed to meet homeowner needs for greater energy resilience in all seasons,” says the company’s Australia country manager, Gavin Merchant.
“By offering more renewable energy applications, homeowners increase self consumption while installers form higher-value relationships.”
This article has been corrected to show that the cost of a SolarEdge Home battery with installation is roughly 12,000. The article originally said 9,000.
Sophie is editor of One Step Off The Grid and deputy editor of its sister site, Renew Economy. Sophie has been writing about clean energy for more than a decade.
This post was published on October 28, 2022 10:05 am
Smart sockets
Use your surplus production with Smart sockets and Smart switches! They allow you to control the electrical loads of pool pumps, fans, lighting and other household devices. The loads can be controlled from a distance according to a pre-programmed time schedule or in real time from the inverter. The socket has an integrated energy and consumption meter. All commands are made via a specific mobile application.
Gain Energy Independence
Maximize your self-consumption with SolarEdge storage batteries.
Storage battery
This battery allows you to store your surplus energy and reuse it for your household needs whenever you want, day or night. In addition, if you are faced with a grid failure, it provides you with backup power.
Control and act on your installation with a specific mobile application
An ultra-intuitive application on the cutting-edge of technology.
MySolarEdge
Thanks to monitoring, photovoltaic installation operators and installers can access important data on their photovoltaic installation at any time. The platform offers a reporting function that keeps you reliably informed by e-mail at regular intervals (daily or monthly). The report includes information on the production and performance of your system and your savings.
Renosun also monitors the production of your system and alerts you if any anomalies or drops in production are detected.
By choosing SolarEdge Home, you are opting for a future-proof solution that guarantees increased energy efficiency and, as a result, savings on your energy bills.
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SolarEdge releases DC-optimized home solar, storage and EV-charging system
SolarEdge Technologies announced the North American launch of SolarEdge Home, a complete DC-optimized Smart energy ecosystem that maximizes solar energy production, home battery backup duration and potential cost savings.
By connecting the inverter and the battery on the DC side, the SolarEdge DC-optimized solution generates more energy and offers more savings for the homeowner by eliminating unnecessary power conversions that are typical in other battery-coupled systems. The DC-optimized system also enables longer backup times and reduces dependency on the grid by enabling reliable multi-day battery backup.
The Smart energy ecosystem is comprised of the SolarEdge Home Hub Inverter, SolarEdge Power Optimizers, SolarEdge Home Battery, Backup Interface, Smart Energy Devices such as the SolarEdge EV Charger, Hot Water Controller, Load Controllers and Smart Switches. Through the mySolarEdge app, homeowners can control, schedule and track their energy usage and savings, taking into account external factors such as weather events and rising utility rates.
For installers, SolarEdge Home simplifies the installation and commissioning process. From batteries to Smart energy devices, the DC-optimized system simplifies design, reduces the need for main panel upgrades and uses wireless plug-and-play connectivity, eliminating the need to wire communication cables between components.
The SolarEdge Home ecosystem is future-proof, enabling homeowners to add additional features and capabilities as their energy needs evolve and change.
“SolarEdge Home is designed to meet homeowner needs for larger PV systems, more applications, and seamless control through a single app. For installers, SolarEdge Home helps form higher-value customer relationships while minimizing operation and installation costs,” said Peter Mathews, North America General Manager.
