Hey everyone! I'm on the lookout for a smart power controller that can manage my energy consumption based on solar production. Ideally, I'd like to connect it to a significant appliance like a water heater or potentially an electric vehicle in the future. The controller would need to communicate with my inverter to detect when there's excess solar power that can't be used immediately or stored in the battery. Since my inverter has WiFi, it should be able to send this information wirelessly. Does anyone know if such a device exists?
3 Answers
I've done some research on a program called Home Assistant. It seems that many smart relays, switches, and plugs have a capacity limit of around 16 amps maximum. If you're planning to control high-power devices, you might need to set up an energy sensor suite alongside a smart relay and a high-amp contactor to handle everything properly.
With the Emporia Vue system and their EV charger/plugs, you can actually turn your plugs on and off based on excess solar production. It sounds like a perfect solution!
You might want to consider setting up a contactor controlled by something like Solar Assistant. This way, you can create an algorithm that knows when you're generating more solar energy than you're consuming, allowing the controller to manage your power effectively.