Integration of Photovoltaic Panels with SMA Inverters

Visualisation Capabilities:

• Current yield from the solar panels (data retrieved from your SMA inverter).
• For multiple panel groups and inverters, each grouping can be visualised separately.
• In addition to real-time yield (RT), you can also visualise the total energy provided throughout the day (from midnight until now) (TT = Total).
• If you have the SMA Sunny Home Manager 2.0, you can incorporate the built-in smart meter into your TDS installation.
• If your setup includes one or more home batteries, you can see the energy flow either from the panels to the batteries or from the batteries to the home.
• Note: This typically involves surplus panel energy going to the batteries to avoid grid injection. Conversely, you can see power drawn from the batteries to reduce grid consumption when the solar panels aren't generating enough energy.
• The battery's “state-of-charge” (SOC) isn’t visible yet on the AURUS-OLED, PENTUS, OPUS, ATMOS... but it is available to the system integrator, for testing, in the inverter’s PROSOFT 5 Diagnostics menu.

Applications:

• You can use these parameters for automated actions within special functions like conditions, if-then-else, and process functions. These parameters can trigger flags and manage energy:
  • Initiating on/off actions based on kW power parameters:
  • Start a charge point (EV charger) when solar power exceeds xx kW.
  • Automatically stop the EV charger when there's no surplus energy or a deficit.
  • Send a message to an AURUS-OLED, PENTUS, OPUS… when power is above, at, or below a chosen threshold. E.g.: “Warning, electrical power limit reached.”
• Trigger output contacts for controlling SGR (Smart Grid Ready) devices like heat pumps, water heaters, non-intelligent charge points for EV,... Once there is enough renewable energy or grid injection, close the contact to encourage increased power usage in the relevant device(s).

• Manage dynamically controlled processes such as pond pumps and fountain pumps, that don’t need to run continuously and can be temporarily disabled during an energy shortage or during peak energy cost periods.

The highest power consumer often becomes a focal point in EMS management, such as temporarily halting an electric vehicle's charging when power is needed for a baking oven or ironing... After cooking,... the TDS system can instantly detect reduced consumption (via the P1 interface or the Sunny Home Manager) and reactivate for example the EV charger.
The users still have manual override possible: Residents can manually decide charging needs and set the maximum permissible power through their interfaces.

PROSOFT 5 version V5.0.263

You can now download version V5.0.263 from our professional website (link), which includes these functions.

How to Set Up SMA Integration in PROSOFT 5 as a System Integrator?

Ensure Your Inverter is Properly Configured:

• If your inverter doesn't have a static IP address yet, set it up first:
  • Log in (as ‘installer’) to the SMA at the current IP address (can be found with an IP scanner).
  • Under ‘device configuration’ – ‘Ethernet’ tab, set Automatic configuration to ‘No’ and input the desired static IP address.
  • In 'device configuration,' under the 'Modbus' tab:
    • Port = 502
    • Unit ID = 3
    • Profile = Standard

1. Open PROSOFT 5 and access the Input Interfaces menu.
2. New -> Modbus IP Device
3. Select ‘Inverter device’
4. Select the correct SMA type (e.g., Sunny Tripower 8.0; note: Sunny Tripower... = ST...)
5. Enter the static IP address of the SMA inverter (as set above)
6. In the Sensor definition:
   • Name your solar panel (e.g., ‘PV’, ‘PV South’, ‘PV West’, ‘PV rear façade’…)
   • Under "rooms," choose in which room menu you want to see the parameters on PENTUS, OPUS, ATMOS...
   • Use ‘Add’ to link ‘Smart meter’ if the inverter connects with a Sunny Home Manager 2.0, getting consumption and injection readings.

Beyond Visualization: What Else Can You Do with This Data?

• Within conditions, sensors can trace the inverter and monitor instant power output (in Watts).
• For systems with home batteries, you can utilise charge and discharge data (in Watts) and the state-of-charge (0-100%) in conditions, if-then-else, and process functions.
• You can impose a maximum power limit on the inverter in a mood function setting. This value shouldn't exceed the inverter’s capacity. This feature is beneficial to avoid potential 'fines' or congestion charges from excessive grid injection in countries like the Netherlands (as of 2025).

Diagnostics Menu in PROSOFT 5

• The PROSOFT 5 diagnostics menu includes an ‘Inverters’ button, shown below.
• The TDS system continuously fetches the actual inverter's maximum set power and displays it here.
• You can manually adjust this power limit here, for testing purposes. Without manual intervention, it defaults to the inverter's factory-set maximum capacity setting.
• Never set this value higher than the maximum possible inverter generated power, as this has no use.

Table of contents: