Huawei or Solis?

johnbk · 25-10-2022 7:12pm #1

Hi

On the verge of embarking on a home solar set-up. I am working closely with my electrician and builder on this, who are both very keen to learn about solar too. I come from a technical background and have only got interested in this area now that electricity is getting so expensive. Just for your information, some of the things I plan, are to do with pursuing my interests in wiring rather than the economics of solar. What I am thinking of, is a one string system with 11 panels (circa 4.5kw). I would like to add a second string in the future. The SEAI grant is not critical in my decision but doing the installation properly is. Making sure that it is compliant with all relevant standards and registration including ESB is also important to me.

The thing I am struggling with is the inverter choice. I want to go hybrid so I can add batteries in the near future. I am fascinated by those making their own batteries and sharing their knowledge here. I would like to also separate out my consumer unit circuits, for example lights, the fridge and boiler supplies so that I can run off solar and battery once the system is eventually fully complete in the event of power failure. I live in a rural location and have short interruptions to power supply a few times a year. I already have a generator and manual change over switch.

I have looked at two inverters that are available from local suppliers. One is the 6kw hybrid Solis and the other is the Huawei 6kw hybrid.

I am leaning towards the the Solis even through it is is around €500 more expensive. They appear to be very different systems. The Solis seems to be compatible with more batteries (much lower voltage that Huawei). It has an interface on the front. Has a separate automatic back up ac supply in the event of power failure. Has a CT clamp and solis grid AC meter included. Most importantly in my view, this inverter has has many users here on Boards that share their knowledge of it. I would still need a change over switch to allow me to run the essential circuits in the event of power failure. There is a number of ways to achieve this which I will look at in the future.

With the Huawei to get my off grid option to work, I would need to purchase their 'back-up box' which is around €500. This does include an automatic change over. I also think the Huawei does not include the ct clamp and ac meter but I may be wrong on this.

Am I correct with my information above. What do those on here think? Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards

johnbk

graememk · 25-10-2022 7:17pm

Interesting.

Most of the v expensive quotes in the quotes thread are hauawi stuff. Most of us had assumed that it was pricer gear

I'd be leaning towards the the solis, as gives much more flexibility battery.

ELM327 · 26-10-2022 9:08am

do NOT get huawei. The voltage rules out most non proprietary batteries

unkel · 26-10-2022 9:58am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119794434#Comment_119794434

Not so much the voltage, you can build a battery for any voltage easily enough. Lots of benefits of having a high voltage system. The problem is that the Huawei hybrid inverters are only compatible with just a few proprietary batteries and you can't configure your own!

ELM327 · 26-10-2022 9:59am

I thought it was just the voltage that ruled out other batteries on the huawei. I knew they werent good for interoperability.

unkel · 26-10-2022 10:15am

The funny thing is that the Huawei can take batteries of several different voltages. But they will only talk to each other if those batteries are on the list of compatible batteries - all proprietary (unless of course you crack the CAN protocol and convince the Huawei that your battery is a compatible one - I know someone who did just that 😁)

The great thing about Solis or Sofar inverters is that they are compatible with a number of proprietary batteries (i.e. Pylontech, etc.) but you can also configure your own battery of any chemistry you want, be it lead acid, lithium iron phosphate or any other lithium chemistry. So DIY batteries too!

And that's where payback periods make a huge difference. I built my own 20kWh LiFePO4 battery for €2,300. For that sort of money you'd just about buy a 5kWh proprietary battery with inferior actual battery cells...

johnbk · 26-10-2022 10:48am

Many thanks for the quick replies.

ELM327 · 26-10-2022 11:11am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119794685#Comment_119794685

Fancy selling me some of those 20kWh batteries?

unkel · 26-10-2022 12:58pm

AliExpress PWOD store CALB 200Ah cells. They're a bit more expensive now than when I ordered mine in April and a good bit more expensive than the last lot I bought in 2019 I think. But still several times cheaper than pre-made batteries with inferior cells (like Pylontech, etc.). I think the VAT magic still works too, that saves 23% 😁

Tree · 26-10-2022 10:13pm

Huawei is a pain in the rocks to automate, so would not recommend on that basis.

DC999 · 27-10-2022 8:42am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119798060#Comment_119798060

I got Huawei as that was all the installer could get. Anyone have any success getting it connected in HA? I've checked a bit online and seems to need a lot of tinkering.

Tree · 27-10-2022 7:25pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119798932#Comment_119798932

You need smart dongle, and then from there the modbus connections can be enabled from a local installer account. There's a module in HACS seems to work well with it. I'm still at the 6 mo trying to get a smart dongle out of my installer.

fearrchair · 27-10-2022 10:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119795392#Comment_119795392

Hi Unkel,

Would there be an issue going down the DIY battery route that the installer will have an issue if your installing batteries on a system he installed, regarding warrently etc.

I have has some communication with an installer installing Huawei products including the battery module ready for battery etc. I am thinking of asking him not if he would install sofar or solis....but as I am just looking at and waiting for other quotes I am waiting before I ask him.

unkel · 27-10-2022 11:06pm

I couldn't tell you, I bought all my hardware myself and my installs are DIY with the help of some professionals like roofers and electricians that I employed. So I have no warranty on any installs. So nothing to worry about in that respect 😂

You need to ask your installer, but they'll probably see any changes you make to "their" system means you are no longer covered by their warranty. Which I guess is fair enough.

dloob · 28-10-2022 12:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119798932#Comment_119798932

This HACS module works well for me https://github.com/wlcrs/huawei_solar

I've a Sun2000-6KL-L1 it has built in wifi so no need for smart dongles with it.

I can set the battery mode and what percentage to charge to at night in home assistant.

There isn't a way to set the time periods for change and discharge yet, mainly as there isn't a good interface to do this in home assistant, you still need the app for that.

It's gotten a little convoluted to setup with the recent firmware, you used to be just able to give it the ip of the inverter on your network and that was it.

Now you need to be connected to the inverters wifi AP to access the tcp modbus.

I use a raspberry pi with an ethernet connection that has port forwarding to the inverter wifi.

So Home Assistant is pointed at the raspberry pi and connects via ethernet, the pi is also connected to the inverter via wifi and forwards the traffic back and forth.

Tree · 28-10-2022 5:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119804121#Comment_119804121

Don't upgrade the FW on it, they got rid of alot of the native modbus in an update a while back, so it requires a smart dongle.

Ubbquittious · 28-10-2022 8:25pm

I wonder would China be able to bring down the grid of a country with a high % of Solis/Huawei installs by "pulsing" them on and off or doing some other form of attack. If they all drew as much as possible into battery for a few mins, then export at full blast for a few minutes while simultaneously ignoring voltage limits it would shurely cause havoc once the install base is big enough

unkel · 28-10-2022 8:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119806273#Comment_119806273

If only. Unfortunately, Solis hybrid inverters are incapable to even charge / discharge as much as they promise they can do in the spec sheet 😂

con747 · 28-10-2022 10:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119806273#Comment_119806273

If China wanted to fcuk up the west it would be very easy to do since most of what we use electronically is made there not just inverters!

Ubbquittious · 28-10-2022 10:25pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119806704#Comment_119806704

In most cases the grid should stay running, once the crowd running the generators / grid have their network properly secured - they probably don't but hopefully they will make it a priority before any more unofficial police stations are ordered to shut here. Something doesn't gain the ability to fcuk up our sh1t just because it rolled off a pick'n'place machine in the People's Republic so a whole load of "Made in China" hardware is probably OK. For that the device would have to be phoning home and ideally have the ability to download new firmware automatically.

There's probably loads more cheap consumer hardware the PLA could commandeer to fcuk with the grid, smart switches and the like. It will be interesting what kind of cyber warfare tricks they do pull out of their hat if they decide to have a go at Taiwan.

dloob · 29-10-2022 12:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119805521#Comment_119805521

It's on the latest FW and still working ok.

They did remove the ability to access modbus easily via the inverters ip on your network a few releases back, now requiring you to go through the inverters own management wifi access point which is a bit of a pain to setup initially.

There is always the direct modbus serial connection if anything else changes.

Punchin A Keyboard · 29-10-2022 3:16pm

Just out of curiosity what sort of traffic is coming out of the solis, thinking of getting one. Has anyone put a filter in front of it, allowing stuff like http post to its cloud but blocking stuff like gets to prevent unexpected firmware updates

fearrchair · 29-10-2022 5:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119795392#Comment_119795392

If you were buying again would you buy the higher Ah rated ones, is the main difference that they last longer, bigger capacity etc

Ubbquittious · 29-10-2022 9:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119808614#Comment_119808614

I would be very curious too. Long term packet logging tests would be interesting to see.

unkel · 29-10-2022 10:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119809085#Comment_119809085

I bought the lower Ah ones, the CALB 200Ah cells. On the face of it the EVE 280Ah cells for similar money look like a good choice but as a repeat buyer of battery cells from China over many years, they would make me weary.

fearrchair · 30-10-2022 12:38pm

Yeah l googled the differences there between eve and calb, see the differences. I had been looking around the PWOD store and could see the prices increasing with Ah there's a bit of a 11.11 sale now. Lots of choice you'd want to know what your looking for ...some stores sell an in kit, in the one casing. Looking at some of the prices you could get more for your Euro than the cost some charge for the 5kWh locally. The advantage l guess you'd have the installer backup.

Big Lar · 03-11-2022 7:12pm

Having a nightmare of a time with Solis, albeit I went the self install route, inverter died last August and have had nothing but hardship, started off fine and they said that they would send out a replacement inverter, the the incorrect inverter arrived about 3-4 weeks ago and since then phones and emails go unanswered.

Huawei or Solis?

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