Sunsync Hybrid Inverter + Storage

[Tay]

Has anybody had any experience using Sunsynk ECCO Hybrid inverter + Sunsynk battery systems?

Good thing, bad things? I was told today about the inverter playing nicely with various tariffs such as the Octopus ones and the potential of exporting excess battery power during peak periods and importing when cheap (or cheaper).

I kinda liked the Victron stuff (Software, support, reporting and looks nice!!) and Pylontech batteries too so any views on that would be good too, but I realise they come with a premium price too.

I suspect once I get a few quotes in we may well end up going down the battery charging off peak, supplemented by solar at some point in the future. probably fence mounted or long bike shed type solution with some meaty panels on it.

The shed idea has not been built, and not much thought has gone into it and might take some time, SWMBO still hasnt given me the authorisation to go down that road just yet either. She prefers the option of a small path running along side the fence with some sort of ground mount system in front of the shrubs to keep the privacy offered by the shrubs and then TO keep it neatly pruned away from the panels. (I dont have an issue with this per se, but I've got to make it look like its her idea !!!)

I could then get 4-5 (maybe more) chunky panels up and produce some power to top up batteries/export through the summer months. The output wouldn't be too dissimilar to what a reasonable roof profile might offer with smaller panels.

As always thanks in advance

[Fueltheburn]

I spent quite a long time reviewing this very situation.
My choices were between the Sunsynk ECCO 8.8KW and an Easy Solar 5KW.

Both units are "all in one" and keep the setup and layout simpler and tidier as a result.

I have ended going with a Victron Multiplus 2 48v 5KW.
The main reason is the amount of current it can supply.
I am going this route for a few other reasons.

- Current on the UPS output is over 32A.
- Possible expansion of the system at a later date just by adding in extra pieces. Daisy chaining of the MPPS I like as a feature.
- Support from Victron is superior to Sunsynk.
- Lastly the deals from Bimble on Victron are reducing the price gap. I have been buying the other parts for my system from Off-grid on eBay in auctions saving £30-50 here and there.

My Victron UPS will be wired into a separate set of RCBOs supplying downstairs sockets, lights and downstairs 6KW Aircon unit.

[richbee]

Has anybody had any experience using Sunsynk ECCO Hybrid inverter + Sunsynk battery systems?

Good thing, bad things? I was told today about the inverter playing nicely with various tariffs such as the Octopus ones and the potential of exporting excess battery power during peak periods and importing when cheap (or cheaper).

I kinda liked the Victron stuff (Software, support, reporting and looks nice!!) and Pylontech batteries too so any views on that would be good too, but I realise they come with a premium price too.

I suspect once I get a few quotes in we may well end up going down the battery charging off peak, supplemented by solar at some point in the future. probably fence mounted or long bike shed type solution with some meaty panels on it.

The shed idea has not been built, and not much thought has gone into it and might take some time, SWMBO still hasnt given me the authorisation to go down that road just yet either. She prefers the option of a small path running along side the fence with some sort of ground mount system in front of the shrubs to keep the privacy offered by the shrubs and then TO keep it neatly pruned away from the panels. (I dont have an issue with this per se, but I've got to make it look like its her idea !!!)

I could then get 4-5 (maybe more) chunky panels up and produce some power to top up batteries/export through the summer months. The output wouldn't be too dissimilar to what a reasonable roof profile might offer with smaller panels.

As always thanks in advance

I have the Sunsynk 3.6 ECCO inverter and 2x 5.12kWH CATL Sunsynk batteries in my loft. So far they've worked really well. They are controllable from the app so you can set charging times from the grid. I'm not sure if you can auto-discharge at set times though.
They aren't on the Octopus register of compatible systems for their latest automatic system, but I've put my name down.
The batteries particularly tend to be more expensive than eg. Pylontech, but I like the fact that the whole system plays nicely together (and it was fitted as a system - so when I wanted to add more battery capacity, it made sense to add another of the same

[robl]

We recently got a sunsynk 3.6kW Ecco, and a 15kWh kit battery from fogstar. It's on top of an independent FIT system.
The Sunsynk is quite programmable - we let it charge from Octopus Go, and load level the rest of the time. We're an all electric house - it is almost big enough, probably not for the worst weather. Doubling the system costs 2x as much, and is harder to justify!
The Sunsynk is working standalone for us - that is, it's programmed and just runs, no need for the internet. I think there are more sophisticated Flux and Agile ways to use it which require the internet, and it can be programmed with "buy" and "sell" prices; we've not tried this.
The manual and online info on how to use it is a bit poor I think - I end up just trying things to see what they do. I don't think the unit will pull in power from our existing PV - or maybe it will, with one of the many click boxes, but I can't see it.
The battery is a little tricky to put together, and mistakes would be "very bad" - like shorting out a cell with a spanner. It is good value for money though:-) I went with 16 off EVE304k in a vertical seplos mason 280L box, which doesn't take up too much floor space, and is on wheels £2500 for the batt kit. Natively it seems to communicate with the sunsynk via the CAN port on each - although not a big deal I think if it didn't, as the battery BMS can shutdown the cells if anything is wrong.
It comes with datalogging, that generally works pretty well - below is a screengrab of it working today. You can see it charge 12.5kWh overnight, 600W of heatpump clicking on/off, and the FIT PV exporting. The SOC is not to be trusted yet as I've not exercised the batt so the BMS doesn't know where the "end stops" are yet.

[Tay]

Has anybody had any experience using Sunsynk ECCO Hybrid inverter + Sunsynk battery systems?

Good thing, bad things? I was told today about the inverter playing nicely with various tariffs such as the Octopus ones and the potential of exporting excess battery power during peak periods and importing when cheap (or cheaper).

I kinda liked the Victron stuff (Software, support, reporting and looks nice!!) and Pylontech batteries too so any views on that would be good too, but I realise they come with a premium price too.

I suspect once I get a few quotes in we may well end up going down the battery charging off peak, supplemented by solar at some point in the future. probably fence mounted or long bike shed type solution with some meaty panels on it.

The shed idea has not been built, and not much thought has gone into it and might take some time, SWMBO still hasnt given me the authorisation to go down that road just yet either. She prefers the option of a small path running along side the fence with some sort of ground mount system in front of the shrubs to keep the privacy offered by the shrubs and then TO keep it neatly pruned away from the panels. (I dont have an issue with this per se, but I've got to make it look like its her idea !!!)

I could then get 4-5 (maybe more) chunky panels up and produce some power to top up batteries/export through the summer months. The output wouldn't be too dissimilar to what a reasonable roof profile might offer with smaller panels.

As always thanks in advance

I have the Sunsynk 3.6 ECCO inverter and 2x 5.12kWH CATL Sunsynk batteries in my loft. So far they've worked really well. They are controllable from the app so you can set charging times from the grid. I'm not sure if you can auto-discharge at set times though.
They aren't on the Octopus register of compatible systems for their latest automatic system, but I've put my name down.
The batteries particularly tend to be more expensive than eg. Pylontech, but I like the fact that the whole system plays nicely together (and it was fitted as a system - so when I wanted to add more battery capacity, it made sense to add another of the same

Thanks for that.

I would be looking to put the inverter and batteries in my garage potentially in a 19 inch rack I presume that is not too dissimilar to having them in the loft temp wise. I would then keep an eye on it with a cheapy camera.

I'm looking to get as much storage as possible from the outset maybe 15kW or more with the funds available right now. Whilst the Victron kit looks nice and is probably better overall, I think sticking to a single brand is the way to go to remove any complexities.

I'm still with British Gas but due to the Smets1 one meters I have I'm not sure if I have a migration path to a provider that offers a significantly better service right now.

When it comes to getting the kit installed I'll need to find out beforehand.

[Tay]

I spent quite a long time reviewing this very situation.
My choices were between the Sunsynk ECCO 8.8KW and an Easy Solar 5KW.

Both units are "all in one" and keep the setup and layout simpler and tidier as a result.

I have ended going with a Victron Multiplus 2 48v 5KW.
The main reason is the amount of current it can supply.
I am going this route for a few other reasons.

- Current on the UPS output is over 32A.
- Possible expansion of the system at a later date just by adding in extra pieces. Daisy chaining of the MPPS I like as a feature.
- Support from Victron is superior to Sunsynk.
- Lastly the deals from Bimble on Victron are reducing the price gap. I have been buying the other parts for my system from Off-grid on eBay in auctions saving £30-50 here and there.

My Victron UPS will be wired into a separate set of RCBOs supplying downstairs sockets, lights and downstairs 6KW Aircon unit.

Ta for that, I too liked the expansion options for the Victrons and they seem to play ball with most everybody else. But I suspect my system might be very basic initially, but adding the panels would be the first step after inverter and batteries, then who knows what next.

Alas, Bimble are too close for me to ignore, only 15 mins down the road, and they are pretty knowledgable, they suggested the Sunsynk kit (But I sometimes wonder when people steer clear of brands like Victron whether there is more margin on the Chinese stuff. But I have recently discovered City Plumbing 5mins from the house... that might bankrupt me !!

If my Electrician ever bothered to call back I could have had a chat with him about options to connect all the gear together and seek any reviews of gear from his knowledge.

more things to think about.

tks

[Tay]

We recently got a sunsynk 3.6kW Ecco, and a 15kWh kit battery from fogstar. It's on top of an independent FIT system.
The Sunsynk is quite programmable - we let it charge from Octopus Go, and load level the rest of the time. We're an all electric house - it is almost big enough, probably not for the worst weather. Doubling the system costs 2x as much, and is harder to justify!
The Sunsynk is working standalone for us - that is, it's programmed and just runs, no need for the internet. I think there are more sophisticated Flux and Agile ways to use it which require the internet, and it can be programmed with "buy" and "sell" prices; we've not tried this.
The manual and online info on how to use it is a bit poor I think - I end up just trying things to see what they do. I don't think the unit will pull in power from our existing PV - or maybe it will, with one of the many click boxes, but I can't see it.
The battery is a little tricky to put together, and mistakes would be "very bad" - like shorting out a cell with a spanner. It is good value for money though:-) I went with 16 off EVE304k in a vertical seplos mason 280L box, which doesn't take up too much floor space, and is on wheels £2500 for the batt kit. Natively it seems to communicate with the sunsynk via the CAN port on each - although not a big deal I think if it didn't, as the battery BMS can shutdown the cells if anything is wrong.
It comes with datalogging, that generally works pretty well - below is a screengrab of it working today. You can see it charge 12.5kWh overnight, 600W of heatpump clicking on/off, and the FIT PV exporting. The SOC is not to be trusted yet as I've not exercised the batt so the BMS doesn't know where the "end stops" are yet.

Great, seems to be a solid bit of kit then. My demands would be significantly less initially I imagine but expansion would be a bit part of it going forwards. Just not really in the PV space ^^ unless panel density goes up significantly.

I'll have to seriously weight up the pro's cons vs cost between a large hybrid inverter and battery solution.

If this trade war with China gets worse, which I think it might well do, then I might have to factor that in as well. Solar/renewables is a huge industry for China and its anybodies bet when that card might be played.

[dlw]

I'm thinking of getting a couple of the Sunsync 5.5kw inverters, they can be linked so this would give 11kw for my house, I currently have 8kw and my wife has managed to max it out a few times which then makes it trip and turn my house off (full off-grid mode) and my current inverter is noisy with the fans and pulsing vibration when charging, I believe the Sunsync 5.5 is passively cooled so no fans. I have found them for around £1k

[AGT]

Do you have to notify the DNO with regard to hybrid inverters, particularly if you were just time shifting?

[Kommando]

Yes as you accidentally export if the settings are wrong.