SolarVu AE 500NX Installation Manual

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SolarVu® for AE 500NX Inverters

CABLE/DSL

MODEM

ROOFTOP SOLAR ARRAY

K135

GATEWAY

FIREWALL ROUTER

CORPORATE ETHERNET LAN

LOCAL ACCESS

REMOTE BROWSER

ACCESS

INTERNET

SolarVu Servers

RS485

ISP

GE796

Ethernet

ModBus

AE500NX INVERTER

DC COMBINERS

AE500NX

RS485 Terminals

Use Cat5e Twisted pair cable or equivalent

COMMUNICATION SETTINGS (DEFAULT)

Data

RS232 - RS485

Converter

RS232 to RS485

CONVERTER

K135

RS232

INVERTER

RS485

DB9F to RS485

9/11

D-

D+

GND

COM

1 3 42

#GE088

GND

D+ & D- twisted pair

GE770

Optional shield

Switch to

DATA position

K135 Gateway

SLAVE

GND

D+

D-

Blue Blue-White

DB9F to Terminals Adapter

Blue-White

Blue

Green

BAUD

PARITY

DATA

FLOW

STOP

9,600 none

off

ADDRESS

SERIAL COMMS

RJ45 Pins

120ohm

Terminating

Resisto r

View looking

into RJ45 connector

from plug side

JACK

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

RJ45

568B

568A

RJ45 plug

Viewed from pin side

T-568B

PLUG

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

T-568B

ORA-W

ORA

GRE-W

BLU

BLU-W

GRE

BRO-W

BRO

T-568B

PLUG

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

T-568A

GRE-W

GRE

ORA-W

BLU

BLU-W

ORA

BRO-W

BRO

Make custom Cat5e cable or use adapter supplied

120ohm

Terminating

Resisto r

RJ45 to TERMINALS ADAPTER BOARD

D+

GND

1 3 42

D-

6 87

485

x x x x

x x

DB9M-RJ45 ADAPTER

Ethernet Patch Cable

RJ45 Plug

MOXA Communication Module Inside AE 500NX

Direct Connection from RJ45 Jack

Alternative connection using adapter

3 GND 5 Data+ 6 Data-

Port 3

Modbus 485

Installation Guide

Site Preparation

SolarVu® is an energy portal that enables remote monitoring of renewable energy generation sites over the web. It requires the installation of a K135 gateway which continuously transfers data from the inverter. This guide explains how to connect the K135 gateway to an AE 500NX inverter.

The AE 500NX has a Moxa communication module with multiple RJ45 jacks of which only Port P3 is used for serial RS485. Be careful to plug into the correct

jack as shown in g 2 as they all look similar but are for different purposes.

To access SolarVu from a browser, the inverter is connected to the internet through a Cachelan K135 gateway using twisted pair wire, typically cat5e. An

RJ45 ethernet jack, connected to the LAN network and 120VAC outlet for the

gateway power dongle are required. The LAN must have high speed internet

service to an ISP to provide a gateway to the internet as shown in gure 1.

K135 Installation

Mount the SolarVu enclosure with conduit to the inverter for the RS485 serial

cable, ethernet cat5e cable and 120VAC control power. Normally this enclosure

will be in the same electrical room as the inverter, however, the RS485 serial cable can run long distances, over 1000 feet, if necessary.

Power Supply: Temporarily unplug the K135 power dongle. Wire 120VAC

control power from a suitable 15A circuit to the internal receptacle and replace the cover securing the dongle with the reusable cable tie suppled.

RS485 Serial: Consult the AE 500NX installation manual and g 2 for location,

wiring and default ModBus RTU RS485 serial communications of slave address

22, 9600 baud. An adapter is provided for connecting RJ45 port 3 to terminals

to allow using twisted pair wire between the inverter and the K135 gateway. Connect the other end of the twisted pair cable in the SolarVu enclosure to the

K135 gateway terminals as shown in g 2. Shielded twisted pair wire is preferred for noise immunity but standard Cat5e, 8 wire, UTP, #24 cable may also work.

Use a standard ethernet patch cable with RJ45 connectors of the appropriate length to connect from the K135 to the network ethernet at a RJ45 wall jack or the router/switch.

Fig 2 K135-AE inverter connections

Fig 1 Internet Connection

SMART GRID ENERGY

Congure Inverter with ModBus Settings

After installing the communication wiring, the inverter must be congured with ModBus communication settings to match the K135 gateway for successful communication to occur. If the inverter ships with its default settings as shown in g 3, which have been programmed into

the K135 gateway, it should begin communicating with SolarVu once a connection is made with no changes required. To check, consult the AE500 manual section 5 for login using the internal web browser which requires a user name and password provided with the inverter.

Fig 3 Congure inverter with default ModBus RS485 settings

Default Communication Settings

Web browser login URL <https://[unitIPaddress] supplied with inverter User Name uadmin Password: 7soman33

Use these default settings

Save when done

SMART GRID ENERGY

Inverter Status

Once the inverter is connected to the SolarVu K135 gateway, powered on and set up for communications with an internet connection, data will be sent to the SolarVu server. From a browser, log in to the SolarVu energy portal (URL shown on the K135 gateway label and

conguration sheet) and select ANALYZER --> Inverters. The lower indicator goes green when there is a valid internet connection. Once

the internet connection is made, the upper light will go green if the K135 is able to communicate with the inverter. Ensure the internet is

working rst. Check network settings if the No Communications Since internet indicator does not come on within a few minutes. With the

internet connection working, if the inverter Last Data Updated indicator does not go green, consult the inverter manual section 5 and verify the communications settings are correct.

Fig 4 SolarVu Analyzer - Inverter status screen

ModBus slave address

Inverter

Default = 22

Green = K135 Gateway

communicating with inverter

Green = K135 Gateway

internet connection successful

Data appears here when available

Last communication time

from K135 Gateway to SolarVu

over internet

Download instructions

SMART GRID ENERGY

Network Setup

Act

Power

Ready

Serial Rx/Tx

100Base

Link

Act

Factory Reset 10/100 Base-T 5.0V

Serial Port

Data/Console

RS232

SERIAL PORT

COMMUNICATION

MODE SWITCH

RJ45

ETHERNET

5Vdc

POWER

Data mode - left

Connect to inverter

Connect to RJ45 LAN

(see IP settings)

Connect to 120VAC

power supply

On power up, the K135 looks for a DHCP server to provide it a dynamic IP address. If a PC connected to the network can automatically connect to the

internet through a browser then the network is already congured to accept

the K135. Otherwise consult the IT systems administrator for assistance. If a dedicated IP address, subnet mask and DNS server address are required, this needs to be entered into the K135 before shipment. Once the K135 receives its IP address it acts as a client. It will automatically try to connect to the SolarVuTM server and begin transferring data from the inverter to the server.

K135 indicators and connections

K135 Status Indicator Interpretation

LED NORMAL STATUS

POW ER

READY

SERIAL

100Base

Link

INDICATOR STATUS

OFF- no power ON-power OK

OFF No DHCP or static IP address . Check

IP settings, ethernet connection

FLASHING

OFF Check RS232 to inverter connection. Inverter may be off.

ON- 100Base, OFF- 10Base or no ethernet

connection

OFF No ethernet connection

Testing

Ensure the inverters and K135 are powered on, the ethernet cable is plugged into a network jack and the RS485 cable is connected between the K135 and the inverter. The Power and Ready lights should be on if the power supply is plugged in. The Link light on indicates the ethernet connection is working. 100Base will only be on for high speed connections; for 10Base it is off. The Act light will

periodically ash showing network activity. The Serial Rx/Tx ashes when the

inverter is polled by the K135 but most of the time the light is off.

Internet Connection

Power on the K135 and allow at least 2 minutes for communication to be estab-

lished. From any internet connected computer, open the browser and type in the site address assigned for your account. This will be found on the account label shipped with the K135 and on the front panel of the K135 after the URL.

Activity

FLASHING

FLASH - data traffic activity

K135 front panel label with web address and login

K135 GATEWAY

URL: mysite.solarvu.net

USER: myusername PASSWORD: mypassword IP: DHCP

MAC: 00-01-95-06-E8-33

ID: SS100 070300075 v1.4.1 TYPE: Xantrex GT

Check ANALYSER > INVERTER STATUS for communication Screen shots may vary by inverter type

Once the website is reached, the opening screen is the SITE view. Click

ANALYZER > INVERTER STATUS. If there is a connection from the site, the

Last Communication light will be green. The K135 gateway does not need to be connected to the inverter for this light to be green. If this indicator is red, it indicates no internet connection has been established. Check internet connections at the site by trying to browse the internet at the site with a PC connected to the network.

If the K135 gateway is successfully collecting data from the inverter, the Last Data Updated indicator will be green and inverter data will appear. If this indicator is red but the Last Communication indicator is green, check the serial connection to the inverter and that it is operating. When both lights are green the gages on the SITE screen will display live data and graphs will begin recording site energy output.

SMART GRID ENERGY

LIVE - for valid data, green status light and time received

Video Tour

For an overview of available features, visit www.solarvu.net and play the What is SolarVu video. Each screen has a HELP button that explains how all the

features work. An online help guide is available for printing under SETUP > DOWNLOADS > PRINTED HELP .

Site Screen

For a summary of information about the site, click the SITE menu button. On the upper left, the current charging status of the solar panels, total power being generated now and in the last 30 days is displayed. Underneath, the carbon footprint of energy equivalents is displayed since startup. Links to other websites can be left as defaults or changed in SETUP to personal preferences. The local weather is preset. Email contactus@cachelan.com to have it changed. For viewing on a widescreen TV suitable for display in a public place, click the WIDE PAGE button. On the right is a slideshow for public viewing. Content can be personalized using uploaded graphics in SETUP.

Select wide screen view for public display on an HDTV

Visit www.solarvu.net for a features video

Help guide

Site Summary Screen

Live Data

Click the LIVE menu button to display current power being generated in the array. Actual power and energy generated today are shown on the meter dial. For a normally operating system, the status indicator should be green with the last update time less than 15 minutes ago. Lifetime energy and revenue are shown digitally. For correct revenue display, the sell price per kWh must be entered in SETUP. If connection to the site is lost, or if an alarm is detected, the status indicator will be red. Click the Listen button with sound on for more information.

Trends are shown for the lifetime of the system using the graphs on the right. Select either an Energy or Revenue view using the button. Click the desired time period under the graph. Scroll over a data point with the mouse for more detailed information about that day. The carbon footprint pulldown gives energy equivalents for the solar power generated for the selected time period.

Analyzer - Performance

Click the ANALYZER menu button and select a category in the pulldown

menu and a time period under the graph. The carbon footprint will compute the energy equivalents to the solar energy generated over the selected time

period. This helps visitors get a practical feel for the benets available. To nd the carbon equivalent for an arbitrary value, override the actual solar

amount by entering a kWh value and selecting a category, then click the Calculator button. Other views including buy/sell energy use, performance and payback can be selected with in the pulldown menu. The screen will return to the last value selected on return.

LIVE view shows current conditions

ANALYSER - select performance views from pulldown

SMART GRID ENERGY

Analyzer - Troubleshooting

When problems occur with the system or to check inverter operation, click

ANALYZER > INVERTER STATUS. Each inverter connected to the system

with a K135 gateway will have its own display panel showing actual values sent. Remotely located technical personnel can assist in interpreting what the values are conveying. If no communication has been received from the

device for more than 2 hours a No Data Available message will be shown.

For detailed analysis, it may be helpful to download all readings for the time

period of interest into a spreadsheet for further analysis using SETUP >

DOWNLOAD.

Download printable HELP guide or actual readings for any time period

Click ANALYZER > INVERTER STATUS for troubleshooting

Setup

For entering settings to congure your site, click the SETUP menu button.

Enter your unique username and password from the account label. The setup screen appears showing communication status and current preference settings. Check the last communication time . It should show a time within the last 15 minutes if communication between the site and SolarVuTM server is working normally.

For the payback and revenue calculators to work properly, correct parameters for energy sell rate, capacity, average insolation etc should be

entered. Account > Equipment Setup is for factory use. All changes take

immediate effect. The Site Setup tab is used to customize the banner, links, slideshow and system description. Click the Help  button for each section for a description of the effect for each entry. For further analysis, individual energy readings for any time period can be downloaded into a spreadsheet from the DOWNLOAD section.

Enter the email address  for each individual that wants a regular status report sent to them and select the frequency. This report will include energy and revenues for different time periods and indicate if there are any alarms. In the Password tab, include an email address to receive the Setup login password if this is forgotten.

See K135 label for SETUP login

myusername

mypassword

Congure site settings in SETUP

K135 GATEWAY

URL: mysite.solarvu.net

USER: myusername PASSWORD: mypassword IP: DHCP

MAC: 00-01-95-06-E8-33

ID: SS100 070300075 v1.4.1 TYPE: Outback Mate DATE: Feb 2009 SUPPORT: cachelan.com

Support

See the What is SolarVu? video at www.solarvu.net for a feature overview. Each screen has a HELP button with details for the items on that view. A

printable HELP guide can be downloaded in SETUP > DOWNLOAD.

For additional technical support, send an email to contactus@cachelan.com

or dial our support line in Toronto, Canada at 905.470.8400

SMART GRID ENERGY

Cachelan Technical Support

contactus@cachelan.com

905.470.8400 x228

SolarVu AE 500NX Installation Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual