Frequently Asked Questions

Detailed answers to your questions on the products can be found in the SMA Online Service Center at www.my.sma-service.com.

Is it possible to measure currents of more than 63 A per line conductor with the SMA Energy Meter and/or Sunny Home Manager 2.0?

From firmware version 1.02.04.R of the SMA Energy Meter, installations with more than 63 A per line conductor are possible if one external current transformer is used for each line conductor. SMA Solar Technology AG recommends current transformers designed for a secondary current of 5 A. The current transformers should have at least accuracy class 1.

Can devices with BLUETOOTH interface also communicate with the Sunny Boy Storage?

No: The Sunny Boy Storage, however, is equipped with a Speedwire and WLAN interface.

Can existing PV systems be retrofitted with the Sunny Home Manager or the SMA Energy System Home?

Yes: New and existing PV systems can be retrofitted with the Sunny Home Manager or the SMA Energy System Home.

Do any limitations apply to the PV System when using the SMA Energy System Home?

No: The SMA Energy System Home is technically independent of the peak power of the PV system. Whether the intermediate storage of PV energy on site makes economic sense will need to be evaluated in each individual case:

• Use Sunny Design Web to design and evaluate an SMA Energy System Home (for Sunny Design, see www.SMA-Solar.com).

• Use the method described in this document to design and evaluate an SMA Energy System Home ( > PV System Design of an SMA Energy System Home with Sunny Design).

Can PV inverters from other manufacturers be installed together with a Sunny Island or a Sunny Boy Storage?

If you want to retrofit an existing PV system with the Sunny Island or a Sunny Boy Storage for intermediate storage of PV energy, but do not require active power limitation, you can use PV inverters from any manufacturer. Active power limitation may be stipulated by the grid operator or may bring financial rewards due to local legislation (e.g. the PV storage incentive program in Germany). If the active power limitation is required, the selected inverters must ensure the limitation.

Which batteries can be used with the SMA Energy System Home?

The Sunny Island supports all lead-acid batteries of types FLA and VRLA as well as various lithium-ion batteries. The Sunny Boy Storage supports selected lithium-ion batteries (see Technical Information "Approved Batteries and Information on Battery Communication Connection" at www.SMA-Solar.com).

Which battery capacities can be implemented with the SMA Energy System Home ?

The battery capacity for an SMA Energy System Home with Sunny Island can be freely selected within a wide range.

The Sunny Island supports lead-acid batteries of types FLA and VRLA as well as various lithium-ion batteries. It is important to observe the capacity:

• Lead-acid batteries with a capacity of 100 Ah to 10000 Ah can be connected.

• Lithium-ion batteries with a capacity of 50 Ah to 10000 Ah can be connected.

This corresponds to a maximum storage capacity of 480 kWh for a battery with 48 V and 10000 Ah.

The battery capacity for an SMA Energy System Home with Sunny Boy Storage is prescribed by the lithium-ion battery used.

Is it possible, in addition to the PV system, to connect other AC sources to the SMA Energy System Home?

You can also connect other AC sources to a Sunny Island or Sunny Boy Storage, for example, a combined heat and power plant (CHP plant). Keep in mind that within the SMA Energy System Home, the Sunny Home Manager does not support wind power inverters or CHP plants.

If your system combines various AC power sources (e.g. PV system and wind energy inverters or CHP plants), then the Sunny Island can only detect the PV inverters and limit their power. No wind power inverters or CHP plants are displayed in Sunny Portal for the SMA Flexible Storage System.

Since the data from wind power inverters or CHP plants is not taken into account by the Sunny Island, the data calculated in Sunny Portal and the displayed diagrams may be inaccurate.

Can I connect a single-phase system for intermediate storage of energy to a three-phase PV inverter?

Yes: Single-phase battery-backup grids can be connected to three-phase utility grids.

Note: With single-phase Sunny Island systems for intermediate storage with three-phase inverters, the optional battery-backup function only works to a limited extent since, in the event of a grid failure, the three-phase PV inverter can not be used for battery recharge (see Planning Guidelines "SMA Energy System Home with Battery-Backup Function" at www.SMA-Solar.com).

How much maintenance work does the SMA Energy System Home involve?

The Sunny Island, the Sunny Boy Storage and the Sunny Tripower Smart Energy are largely maintenance-free (see operating manual of the inverter). Information on battery maintenance can be obtained from the battery manufacturer.

Will I receive information on the Sunny Boy Storage in Sunny Portal?

Yes: The Sunny Boy Storage is equipped with a Webconnect function as standard. The Webconnect function enables direct data transmission between the inverters of a small-scale system and the Internet portal Sunny Portal without any additional communication device and for a maximum of four inverters per Sunny Portal system. It is also possible to integrate the Sunny Boy Storage into Sunny Portal via Sunny Home Manager.

What rated power does the Sunny Island have?

For intermediate storage of PV energy in Germany, the output power of the Sunny Island inverter is limited to 4.6 kW per line conductor due to the standard requirements.

What rated power does the Sunny Boy Storage have?

For intermediate storage of PV energy in Germany, the output power of the Sunny Island inverter is limited to 4.6 kW per line conductor due to the standard requirements.

Is it possible for two Sunny Island or Sunny Boy Storage devices to feed in via a single phase?

No: Only one Sunny Island or Sunny Boy Storage per phase is allowed to feed in.

Can I use a Sunny Island or Sunny Boy Storage only within the SMA Energy System Home?

If no automatic load control and no limitation of the active power feed-in are required, you can equip a PV system solely with a Sunny Island or Sunny Boy Storage and do without the complete SMA Energy System Home installation. With this option however, you implement only the intermediate storage of PV energy.

For a purely Sunny Island storage system, the following SMA products are required:

• Sunny Island 4.4M / 6.0H / 8.0H (SI4.4M-13 / SI6.0H-13 / SI8.0H-13)

• SMA Energy Meter

In a Sunny Island storage system, the SMA Energy Meter must be connected directly to the Sunny Island via a network cable. The Sunny Island receives no data regarding PV generation. This means that the Sunny Island cannot display some of its parameters, e.g. the increased self-consumption values.

For a purely Sunny Boy Storage system, the following SMA products are required:

• Sunny Boy Storage

• SMA Energy Meter

Can the Sunny Boy Storage be operated with three phases?

No: The Sunny Boy Storage can only be operated with one phase.

Can the Sunny Island or the Sunny Boy Storage without a Sunny Home Manager limit active power feed-in of a PV system ?

Yes: The Sunny Island or the Sunny Boy Storage without a Sunny Home Manager is able to limit active power feed-in of a PV system under the following conditions:

• Only the following device types may be used with the Sunny Island for the active power limitation: SI4.4M-13 / SI6.0H-13 / SI8.0H-13.

• A maximum of three PV inverters can be installed in the PV system.

• All PV inverters in the PV system must be equipped with Webconnect function.

• An SMA Energy Meter must be installed.

Can the Sunny Boy Storage be used as WLAN access for PV inverters?

No: As all network participants, PV inverters also need a direct WLAN access.