Trend BMS linking in the Inverters production info.

[solarfred]

Anyone got any experience of connecting Inverter/generation meter output into the Trend Building Management System? Need to get the CHP linked up with the PV kit system but not sure how they "talk" to each other. Inverters are SMA's

 

[SolarRoofSols]

Funnily enough one of our clients has been asking about this and I don't really know for certain. My feeling is that there would need to be some software development work either by the client or Trend to pull the data from the inverter via a communication device. The information from the communication device will most probably be gathered in tables which sits behind whatever graph is presented, a developer should be able to integrate the tables into an existing platform (Trend).

I am no IT expert and this is just my gut feeling, someone will probably know of a button you press which is much easier!

 

[stevie gill]

I've had trouble getting a definitive answer on this recently. I was told that the RS232 connections on most inverters will allow for this,and it is a simple data connection between the inverter and BMS panel. The BMS system would have to be re-programmed to take this info on board though I imagine, and didn't find an easy answer. Our suppliers for BMS systems like TREND and SATCHWELL were fairly non committal!

Sorry I can't be more help, but if you do find anything, I'd be interested in gearing it!

 

[AndyOz]

Firstly I will say that this is possible but unfortunatly not easy.
I have no personal experience in solar inverters but have done it with motor inverters. Digital signals are easy and can just be linked into the IQ controllers. So getting states like fault, running and stopped can be done via this method.
Analogue values are a different kettle of fish. Dependent on your Trend controller, Trend network and the communication protocol from your inverter will depend on the Trend interface you need.
Contact Trend and I am sure they will point you in the right direction.

 

[SibertSolar]

Yep, speak to Trend - they will advise the comms protocol best preferred and you can go from there. Most inverters will have an EI/RS485 interface and you can then convert that to Modbus if that's the BMS preferred protocol. GUI design and manipulation of the data into a display format can be done using a 3rd party platform or, preferably, managed by the BMS provider. We can provide BMS integration solutions based on RS485/Modbus receivers/converters/senders (wireless/Zigbee) but it's the GUI/software side that's the tricky bit.

 

[Gavin A]

is there no way to just use the pulse output from the generation meter?

 

[SibertSolar]

Yes, hardware is available to convert pulsed outputs into a suitable comms protocol such as Modbus. Whether there is a facility for the BMS framework to incorporate the pulsed output as raw data straight into the system is an unknown for me to be honest. Bacnet/Modbus seems to be the typical defacto standard for BMS comms protocols but I'm not an expert in this particular field to be honest.

 

[jason121]

most BMS work with 4-20ma and 0-10v inputs and outputs. There is a company called next controls that design, write the software all via GUI for BM sytems , maybe worth a phone call.