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solaredge_meterproxy

solaredge_meterproxy is a python tool that proxies Modbus requests from SolarEdge power inverters to unsupported kWh meters. While SolarEdge only supports a limited number of revenue meters, by masquerading as a supported meter it is possible to supply your own meter values to the SolarEdge inverter for production, consumption, import/export monitoring, and export limitation.

This tool simulates one or more WattNode WNC-3Y-400-MB revenue meters, functionally similar to the rebranded SE-WNC-3Y-400-MB-K1 and SE-RGMTR-3D-208V-A/SE-RGMTR-3Y-208V-A. The Modbus registers of these simulated meters can then be updated with values from otherwise unsupported kWh meters.

Supported devices and data sources:

  • SDM120 (Modbus RTU, TCP)
  • SDM230 (Modbus RTU, TCP)
  • SDM630 (Modbus RTU, TCP)

Usage

Run semp-rtu.py on a device physically connected via RS485 — either natively or via USB adapter — to a SolarEdge inverter.

    usage: semp-rtu.py [-h] [-c CONFIG] [-v]

    optional arguments:
      -h, --help            show this help message and exit
      -c CONFIG, --config CONFIG
      -v, --verbose

By default, semp-rtu.py assumes your RS485 device is located at /dev/ttyUSB0 with a baud rate of 9600. The device you will probably need to change, the baud you should not. While configuring and testing solaredge_meterproxy, you should probably run semp-rtu.py in debug mode.

RS485 server and proxied meter configurations can be set in semp.conf, see Configuration File.

Configure your SolarEdge Inverter

Configuration of the inverter takes place in the SetApp interface. For more information, please read SolarEdge's SetApp documentation. You will need a suitable SolarEdge account to access the SetApp application, available for iOS and Android. While solaredge_meterproxy should work with non-SetApp enabled inverters, this has not been tested.

If you have multiple SolarEdge inverters connected via Modbus, are currently polling the SunSpec Modbus API, or have one or more revenue meters connected via Modbus, please read all instructions below to be sure you know what you are doing. This guide assumes the RS485 ports are unused and disconnected.

Once connected to the SetApp interface, you will need to go to the Site Communication settings.

First, ensure your SolarEdge inverter is set to Modbus ID #1:

  • Choose the first available RS485 device, in most cases RS485-1.
  • Set the Protocol to SunSpec (Non-SE Logger).
  • Set the Device ID to 1.

Now, add a meter:

  • Set the Protocol to Modbus (Multi-Device).
  • Choose Add Modbus Device.
  • Choose Meter.
  • Select the newly added Meter 1.
  • Set Meter Function to the functionality of the meter you will be proxying.
  • Set Meter Protocol to SolarEdge.
  • Set Device ID to 2, or another unused Modbus ID if you have multiple devices connected.
  • Set the appropriate CT Rating and Grid Topology depending on your situation.

The SolarEdge inverter will now be polling a meter with Modbus id 2 on the physical RS485 connection you selected. If you have configured and started solaredge_meterproxy with the corresponding meter configuration, and have physically connected the RS485 adapter to the inverter's RS485 port, you should see a Meters section at the bottom of the Status page. Depending on the function selected, metering functionality should now be available.

If, after configuring a meter in the SetApp interface, you only see meter connection errors, set log_level to debug in your configuration file. After starting solaredge_meterproxy you should see Modbus read requests from the inverter. If you do, please open an issue with copies of these and your configuration file. If you don't, check your physical connection and RS485 adapter.

Configuration file

The serial server, and one or more source meters, can be configured in a python configparser formatted configuration file. If a file named semp.conf is present, this will be loaded by default. If this file does not exist, generic defaults will be loaded. Provide your own configuration file using the --config parameter.

For an overview of all configurable parameters, see semp.conf.

Creating Device Scripts

Support for various kWh meters can be added by creating a Python script in the devices directory. This script should adhere to the following:

  • Its name corresponds to the device type it masquerades.
  • It contains a device() function.
  • It contains a values() function.
  • Both functions accept the variables as defined in /devices/generic.py.

For a skeleton implementation, see /devices/generic.py.

device()

The device() function is called once. It gets passed a number of device specific variables, as configured in the global configuration file. It must return a data structure which contains either an active connection, or enough information to identify the device in your datastore. This data structure will be passed to the values() function. host, port and device are not substituted by default values if left blank.

While the intent is to masquerade another Modbus or ModbusTCP device, it should be possible to use virtually any type of data store. InfluxDB, or SQLite, for example.

Each masqueraded meter is updated every refresh_rate seconds in its own thread. This thread is provided the type module and the data structure returned by device().

values()

The values() function is called every refresh_rate seconds. It gets passed the data structure returned by device(), and must return a dict. The /devices/generic.py script contains a list of all possible dictionary keys. It is not required to return all, or in fact any, keys. Functionality of the SolarEdge inverter will depend on the values provided.

Single phase devices should put the single phase values in the generic and first phase specific values, for example: power_active and p1_power_active, but also voltage_ln and p1n_voltage.

Contributing

Contributions are more than welcome, especially new device scripts, or modifications which broaden the use case of this tool.