Genset start/stop: Extend battery SOC condition with PV production settings

[ReinvdZee]

Make the system stop a genset in case there is enough solar to charge the batteries. Instead of keeping the genset running while solar is charging as well.

Helps for offgrid systems where the genset is started early morning (because state of charge is too low), and then the rules are now such that it keeps running until fully charged. While running it until solar takes over would also be ok (and save a lot of fuel costs).

This is the current "Battery SOC" condition:

Extend this condition with a few settings:

• "Start/Stop based on PV production" - toggle
• When toggle is set, show:
  • "Start when PV production is lower than load and battery SOC is lower than x%"
  • "Stop when PV production exceeds load by x%" (10% would mean pv > 1.1 X load)

This allows the user to start the genset when the SOC is lower than X and there is no PV yet to cover the load. The "Start when battery lower than" setting can be used as a fallback to always start the genset independently of the PV production.

When the battery is low and the PV production ramps up to x% above the load, the genset is stopped because the PV production covers all the loads and has some left to charge the battery.

[philipptrenz]

Instead of "Start when PV production is lower than load and battery SOC is lower than x%" I would propose:

Start when consumption exceeds PV production and battery SOC is lower than x%

And respectively:

Stop when PV production exceeds consumption by x%

I like how it fit's really well in the established portfolio of conditions.