Best solar inverters for not yet available? C4 integration

[WisC4]

Deciding between Enphase or SolarEdge ecosystems for solar.  It doesn't seem like either integrates with Control4 yet (although Enphase touts an open-API).  Any guidance on which might be best positioned to one day play nice with Control4?  This is one of the areas that makes me wish I had Savant so everything could be tightly connected.

[c4toys]

there is a Sense driver which monitors energy. I was just looking at this myself.

https://drivercentral.io/platforms/control4-drivers/utility/sense/

[WisC4]

Any hopes of a tight Control 4 integration like with Savant Power?  https://cdn.savant.com/video/Savant_Power_A_Day_In_The_Life.m4v?new   

Is anyone aware of any Control4 interest in home energy or has that been dropped?

[Control4Savant]

2 hours ago, WisC4 said:

Any hopes of a tight Control 4 integration like with Savant Power?  https://cdn.savant.com/video/Savant_Power_A_Day_In_The_Life.m4v?new   

Is anyone aware of any Control4 interest in home energy or has that been dropped?

Not likely. This area is very specific to the company. Savant Power was originally Racepoint Energy started by the same owner/founder so we have been getting bit and pieces of it for years before becoming Savant power,  buying GE Lighting etc. There are lots still in the works. 

[dreres]

The sense driver has been working well for me. Notifications built into the driver.

[Topfox]

I have SolarEdge and Sense. I don’t have Sense configured in my C4 setup, but can tell you the SolarEdge app on its own is really nice. I can see how much I’m producing and consuming at any time in the day. Historical information, etc. 

[Neo1738]

Unless you plan to shut down breakers when on solar only no real benefit to integration w C4 I can think of. I have enphase and love the system. Did have a few hiccups getting it running right and a period of 2 weeks one of their sw updates dropped my whole system from production however since then no issues. The microinverters being able to run the house off solar only are great, we also have a 10kw battery for our accessory panel (other 2 on generator). Nice setup.

[zaphod]

I have a SolarEdge inverter but I can't really see any purpose of integration with C4, unless you have dynamic electricity pricing are going to do very sophisticated program to do specific stuff at various times, like charging an EV or battery storage.

SolarEdge does have an open API.  I use a third party website called PVOutput to monitor my panels as they give some interesting info.

[WisC4]

3 minutes ago, zaphod said:

I have a SolarEdge inverter but I can't really see any purpose of integration with C4, unless you have dynamic electricity pricing are going to do very sophisticated program to do specific stuff at various times, like charging an EV or battery storage.

SolarEdge does have an open API.  I use a third party website called PVOutput to monitor my panels as they give some interesting info.

That's exactly right, I utilize dynamic electricity pricing. 

[zaphod]

Interesting, how much do prices fluctuate?  I am on a new pricing regime here in Ontario called Ultra Low overnight.  Pricing is as low as $0.024 overnight, but as high $0.24 from 4-9pm.  My solar panels were installed under a (now cancelled) program called microFIT where I just sell my production back into the grid.  There is no netting as the production as totally separate from my usage.

[WisC4]

2 minutes ago, zaphod said:

Interesting, how much do prices fluctuate?  I am on a new pricing regime here in Ontario called Ultra Low overnight.  Pricing is as low as $0.024 overnight, but as high $0.24 from 4-9pm.  My solar panels were installed under a (now cancelled) program called microFIT where I just sell my production back into the grid.  There is no netting as the production as totally separate from my usage.

I've seen it as low as .01 during the night and as high as .65 during peak daytime surges.

[zaphod]

Wow, that is huge volatility.  Do you have a battery as well?  If that differential happens on a regular basis then you could make some money by charging at .01 and selling at the high price.

[Murch_DES]

I'm partial to Enphase because their Micro-Inverters are probably the most reliable out there and they do a good job with their ESS, Combiner and other products. 

I clearly see the advantages of incorporating Energy into Control Systems.    The ability to tie in Load Shedding within user created scenes is powerful.  The future 

of EV becoming more common place produces a need for efficient charging or discharging EV batteries (Vehicle to Grid, Vehicle to Home). 

I'm like a lot of people ..tired of being under the foot of my local energy co-op for high energy costs in the summer only to be bludgeoned by my natural gas provider 

in the winter.  I'm serving two Oligarchs when what I really want is my own Kingdom. 

[WisC4]

7 minutes ago, Murch_CEI said:

I'm partial to Enphase because their Micro-Inverters are probably the most reliable out there and they do a good job with their ESS, Combiner and other products. 

I clearly see the advantages of incorporating Energy into Control Systems.    The ability to tie in Load Shedding within user created scenes is powerful.  The future 

of EV becoming more common place produces a need for efficient charging or discharging EV batteries (Vehicle to Grid, Vehicle to Home). 

I'm like a lot of people ..tired of being under the foot of my local energy co-op for high energy costs in the summer only to be bludgeoned by my natural gas provider 

in the winter.  I'm serving two Oligarchs when what I really want is my own Kingdom. 

100%.  On this it would seem like Savant is ahead of or on the curve.

[Murch_DES]

20 minutes ago, WisC4 said:

100%.  On this it would seem like Savant is ahead of or on the curve.

Have you checked out the forthcoming Pulse system from Schneider?  I think Control4 would be best to align with a few large vendors that have the right hooks into the system.   Schneider is already on Gen 2 (with their first system called the Energy Center) and they've got currently established inroads with Builder and Electricians that know the products.  All they have to do is make their software extensible to tie in with partners. 

Interestingly  LiFePO4 batteries didn't see much of a price increase during Covid which tells me ESS pricing needs to come down from the major vendors. 13Kw ESS for 20 grand is a joke.  No one is asking vendors to give product way but let's be reasonable. 

I just saw Savant acquired POMCube.  It's an interesting ESS/Hybrid Inv system.  I guess we'll see what they're about at Cedia.   I'm bullish on the potential for Energy.   Consumers have a decade to leverage 30% tax credits so the interest is only going to improve in many areas. 

[zaphod]

There's also Span with a smart circuit breaker panel as well. 

[WisC4]

13 hours ago, zaphod said:

There's also Span with a smart circuit breaker panel as well. 

Although Span really caps out at 200 amp service, so will work for homes under 4,000 sqft, but not larger. 

[zaphod]

12 minutes ago, WisC4 said:

Although Span really caps out at 200 amp service, so will work for homes under 4,000 sqft, but not larger. 

Thanks, I didn't know that.

[Neo1738]

2 hours ago, WisC4 said:

Although Span really caps out at 200 amp service, so will work for homes under 4,000 sqft, but not larger. 

I've seen larger homes w more than 1 SPAN panel can't you just do that?

[WisC4]

22 minutes ago, Neo1738 said:

I've seen larger homes w more than 1 SPAN panel can't you just do that?

SPAN panels in the same home operate independently.  You cannot create any kind of energy profiles across the panels bringing together circuits across panels.  In terms of energy consumption data, none of it would be aggregated.  You basically see the data as though you have SPANS running in separate homes.  No hierarchy or bundling of panels for operations or consumption data.   

[WisC4]

The irony of course being that while there are some very nice homes with lots of bells and whistles under 4,000 sqft, for an electrical panel that runs $5,000 before installation, they don't serve (well) any home larger than 3,500-4,000 sqft.  

[zaphod]

On 5/25/2023 at 3:55 PM, WisC4 said:

The irony of course being that while there are some very nice homes with lots of bells and whistles under 4,000 sqft, for an electrical panel that runs $5,000 before installation, they don't serve (well) any home larger than 3,500-4,000 sqft.  

Which is probably a big portion of the market willing to shell out the extra money for smart circuit breakers.

[Murch_DES]

Still liking the Leviton Load Center as flexible system with Smart Breakers to add as little or as much meterings as you would like 

[Neo1738]

On 5/25/2023 at 3:53 PM, WisC4 said:

SPAN panels in the same home operate independently.  You cannot create any kind of energy profiles across the panels bringing together circuits across panels.  In terms of energy consumption data, none of it would be aggregated.  You basically see the data as though you have SPANS running in separate homes.  No hierarchy or bundling of panels for operations or consumption data.   

Weird this seems to me like both are operating together. I put link to start time that is most appropriate. Let me know your thoughts on their install. (Also he recently did a video going off grid [has solar as you can see] for 48 hrs and seems 
 

 

[zaphod]

Dude has his priorities straight - golf simulator is part of the "must have" so that he can still use it if power goes out.

This guy seems rich AF and has a monster house with all of the latest tech gadgets, but he is talking about showing someone the energy usage if he ever sells his house.  I am guessing that the person buying a ~$10M house really cares about electricity consumption.