Smart automations in photovoltaic systems enable you to maximize the benefits of solar energy by automating device operations based on real-time solar production. This guide will walk you through the process of setting up smart automations using the Home + Control app, allowing you to efficiently manage your energy consumption and optimize your solar power usage.

Before you try to set up automations, make sure you have your products installed and configured correctly:

• Check all prerequisites and installation instructions here: What are the prerequisites for a photovoltaic production monitoring system in Home + Control?
• Check that your products are properly configured in the Home + Control application here: How do I configure my modules to monitor my photovoltaic production?

Table of contents

1. Introduction to solar-based automations 
2. Step-by-step guide to setting up your first automation 
3. Key considerations for effective automations 

1. Introduction to solar-based smart automations

Solar-based smart automations allow you to optimize the use of energy produced by your solar panels by automatically controlling devices based on available solar energy. In a self-consumption setup, this helps you maximize the use of your own produced energy and minimize the draw from the grid. 

With solar automations, you can do the same things as others automations in Home + Control, it is to say : 

• Automatically turn on devices.
• Trigger scenarios that include multiple actions. 

2. Step-by-step guide to setting up your first automation

A. Open the Home + Control app: 

Navigate to Settings, select Automations, tap the ➕ button in the bottom right corner and choose Custom automation.


 

B. Set up the trigger

Select Measurement and choose the energy meter that measures your solar production.
 

You will then arrive on the Trigger page, select Grid injection or Total Production.

It's crucial to understand the difference between these two concepts, especially when setting up multiple automations:

• Grid injection: This refers to the excess power sent back to the grid after your home’s consumption needs are met. We recommend using this for your automations because it leverages the surplus energy that would otherwise be lost.
• Total production: This is the total power generated by your solar panels, regardless of how much is being used or sent back to the grid.

For more details about the difference between the total production and the grid injection, refers to this article : I don't understand the difference between "Grid Injection" and "Total Production", and how this changes the behavior of my automations?

You have the choice between "Grid injection" and "Total production". To best optimize your solar electricity production, please choose "Grid injection" In the rest of this article, we will assume that you are interested in grid injection to configure your automations.

After selecting "Grid injection", the automation will be launched when the power injected into the grid is over or under the selected value. Once this threshold is reached, the automation you have defined is triggered regardless of the device you decide to turn on.
 

C. Define actions 

Choose which devices to automate or which scenarios to activate. You can set the devices to turn them on or off, adjust their settings (e.g., set a specific shutter level),... You can select multiple devices, multiple scenarios or a combination of devices and scenarios. 

Know that with photovoltaic production smart automations, certain devices are more beneficial to automate due to their energy consumption patterns and flexibility. 

• For example, water heaters, electric vehicle (EV) chargers, and pool pumps are advantageous because even brief operation helps to use energy efficiently. Water heaters, for instance, benefit from thermal inertia, meaning that once the water is heated, it retains heat for a longer period. Similarly, energy stored in EV batteries and the ongoing heating of a pool remain effective even if the devices are only used intermittently. 

  By automating these devices, you can ensure that the available energy is utilized in a lasting and efficient way.

3. Key considerations for effective automation

A. Adjust activation thresholds 

⚠️ When adjusting the threshold, add a safety margin to ensure sufficient grid injection. You can also deliberately set a low activation threshold to use all the energy injected into the grid, but this compromises the principle of saving energy and money created by automations.

B. Configure shutdown automations

In case of a drop in grid injection, the devices turned on by an automation may consume more than the available grid injection. In this case, the grid injection will drop to 0, and your house will draw energy from the grid to power the devices, which is not the desired outcome. This is why you need to configure shutdown automations.

These automations serve as a safety measure to turn off devices when there is no grid injection, preventing unintentional additional energy consumption.

• How to properly configure your shutdown automation?

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to configuring a shutdown automation, but it’s generally advisable to create an inverse automation for every action-based automation.

Why? If an automation turns on a water heater, heat pump, or other devices you don’t monitor frequently, they might remain on indefinitely, leading to overconsumption and potential damage.

To set up a shutdown automation, follow the same steps as in the "Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Your First Automation," adjusting the triggering threshold and actions accordingly.

• Configure the trigger

Based on the automation set to turn on your devices or scenarios, choose a lower threshold and select the "under" option.

This way, the automation will activate when total production or grid injection drops below the chosen value, signaling a decrease in energy output.

For grid injection automations set the trigger to 0 W. When the injection falls below 0 W, it indicates your home is consuming more than it produces, so it’s no longer efficient to keep devices on. Instead, you should turn them off to avoid drawing energy from the grid.

• Define the actions

To properly configure the shutdown, choose the same devices selected for the activation automation. The difference lies in the action you define for the devices, which will be the inverse action.

If you created an automation that turns on your water heater, then here, choose the water heater and set its state to off. This way, you ensure that your devices do not remain on indefinitely.

C. Set a margin for activation automations

Without a proper margin, fluctuations in solar production can cause your devices to cycle on and off frequently. When a device turns on based on grid injection, it starts consuming power, causing the grid injection to drop. If it drops too much, the shutdown automation might activate, turning the device off. This could cause a repeated cycle of the device turning on and off, which can be damaging.

 

To prevent this, set a margin on the activation threshold. For instance, if your device consumes 1,5kW and your automation triggers at 1,5kW of grid injection, set the activation threshold slightly higher, like 1.7kW. This ensures that when the device turns on, the grid injection doesn’t immediately drop below the threshold needed to keep it running.

By setting this margin, you create a more stable automation that reduces wear on your devices and ensures smoother operation.

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By following this guide, you can effectively optimize your solar energy use with smart automations. Careful planning of automation sequences and adjusting activation thresholds ensures efficient operation and minimizes grid draw.

Implement these tips to manage your solar automations confidently, maximizing the benefits of your photovoltaic system and enhancing your home's energy efficiency.

Updated October 29, 2024 16:51