The combination of the Sunny Portal Professional Package and Sunny Home Manager is ideal for professional monitoring of systems in the 5 kWp to 50kWp power range. Users can also read the inverter's most relevant DC and AC measured values and pull up information about power and yield. With the Sunny Portal Professional Package, system information is displayed at 5-minute resolution, therefore offering even greater detail. PV system operators can analyze their daily energy use even more accurately using the detailed energy balance data and can learn about their consumption patterns.
Managing household appliances
Particular energy savings can be made by allowing Sunny Home Manager to schedule distribution of solar power among the household appliances. The biggest savings can be made when the system takes control of the largest electrical appliances in the home. SMA offers a number of solutions that allow Sunny Home Manager to access appliances:
Switch appliances on and off
The Sunny Home Manager 2.0 works with select WLAN radio-controlled sockets from the online shop (see Accessories).
These radio-controlled sockets switch appliances on and off using control signals from the Sunny Home Manager 2.0. The Sunny Home Manager 2.0 measures power consumption levels and records exactly how much power the device has used and for how long.
A variety of appliances can be controlled via the energy management system, including washing machines, dishwashers, dryers, immersion heaters, pumps and many more.
Radio-controlled sockets are available in various country-specific versions. You can find more information in our SMA Smart Home planning guidelines (available in April 2017).
Smart Appliances With Direct Data Connection
The household of the future is completely interconnected. SMA has already partnered with a few manufacturers to develop major household appliances that work with the Sunny Home Manager in automatically managing household energy:
For example, after simple plug-and-play installation, Â an intelligent heat pump automatically coordinates with the Sunny Home Manager 2.0 to find the best time to heat the house with solar energy.
SMA Smart Home Partners
- Stiebel Eltron heat pumpsor
Compatibility list see Planning Guidelines - SMA Smart Home (available in April 2017)
- MENNEKES AMTRON® wall charging stations (Premium/Xtra models)
- Household appliances with the EEBUS communication standard (e.g., Bosch-Siemens household appliances)
More and more controllable devices will be added with the EEBUS communication standard for energy efficiency. Each manufacturer will supply detailed information on compatible appliances and setup.
Store energy when it’s the most worthwhile
The active power limitation policy in Germany forces PV systems with battery storage to curtail PV inverter power output when more than 50% of the installed PV power (kWp) is fed into the utility grid.
With its PV yield forecast and measurement of household consumption, the Sunny Home Manager 2.0 knows precisely when it needs to limit grid feed-in, for example at midday. After all, even though on sunny days as much as 100% PV power may be available, if there is no one at home to use this energy, everything over 50% has to be discarded.
To be able to use valuable PV power, it is best to store the otherwise discarded energy in a battery. You can use this practically free energy in the evenings to operate television or prepare a meal.
For such purposes, the Sunny Home Manager 2.0 always ensures that there is enough capacity left in the battery. Instead of charging the battery with excess PV power first thing in the morning, the Sunny Home Manager 2.0 controls the battery inverter to make sure as much PV energy as possible is curtailed during the midday peak so it can be stored in the battery.