Friends:
Thanks for the many replies. Here is what I have learned, paired with the questions. 1. Is it normal for the display screens on the Sunny Islands to go blank after shutting off due to low battery voltage? *Apparently this is a feature, not a bug--the display is supposed to go blank. There is a fault-clearing procedure that requires you remove all input power for 15 minutes and it worked here. The system was responding as designed--it was not “bricked”.* 2. Is there an up-to-date option for remote monitoring that will send an email if certain error conditions occur? *No one is telling me any new SMA remote access system is much different from the old system of port-forwarding the web-box and then going blind trying to navigate the interface. There is a remote-alert for some new SMA inverters, but not Sunny Island, which needs it the most. I don’t think SMA can hold a candle to OpticsRE in this area. This alone is a deal-killer for me spec’ing Sunny Island in the future.* 3. What would you do with a 6k AH battery bank with a voltage too low to start a battery inverter or solar charge controller? *My first reaction was the same as those that suggested AC-coupled off-grid architecture is fundamentally flawed due to this predicament. In thinking about it further, the same is actually true for DC coupled systems: if battery voltage gets low enough, many PV charge controllers are not able to startup and charge a battery bank. There is a warehouse-style, 48 volt forklift charger next door I could have for the asking, but it was not needed for this outage and I doubt it will be needed in the future.* Thanks again. The wrenches list rocks! William Miller Miller Solar 17395 Oak Road, Atascadero, CA 93422 805-438-5600 www.millersolar.com CA Lic. 773985
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