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Safety Information

Safety Information

Important Information

This document contains important safety instructions that must be followed during

installation procedures. Read and keep this Solutions Guide for future reference.

Read these instructions carefully and look at the equipment to become familiar with the

device before trying to install, operate, service or maintain it. The following special

messages may appear throughout this documentation or on the equipment to warn of

potential hazards or to call attention to information that clarifies or simplifies a procedure.

The addition of either symbol to a “Danger” or “Warning” safety label

indicates that an electrical hazard exists which will result in personal

injury if the instructions are not followed.

This is the safety alert symbol. It is used to alert you to potential personal

injury hazards. Obey all safety messages that follow this symbol to avoid

possible injury or death.

DANGER

DANGER indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, will result in death or serious

injury.

WARNING

WARNING indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in death or

serious injury.

CAUTION

CAUTION indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in minor or

moderate injury.

AC Coupled Systems with Conext™ XW+/SW:

Solutions Guide

976-0240-01-01

Revision G

Summary of content (15 pages)

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AC Coupled Systems with Conext™ XW+/SW: Solutions Guide 976-0240-01-01 Revision G Safety Information Important Information This document contains important safety instructions that must be followed during installation procedures. Read and keep this Solutions Guide for future reference. Read these instructions carefully and look at the equipment to become familiar with the device before trying to install, operate, service or maintain it.
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Conext XW+/SW Battery Inverters and PV Solutions Guide NOTICE NOTICE is used to address practices not related to physical injury. Please Note Electrical equipment should be installed, operated, serviced, and maintained only by qualified personnel. No responsibility is assumed by Schneider Electric for any consequences arising out of the use of this material.
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Conext XW+/SW Battery Inverters and PV Solutions Guide Contents Safety Information 1 Purpose 4 Audience 4 Prerequisite 5 What is AC Coupling? 5 Surplus Power in Off-Grid/Backup Mode 6 AC Coupling System Design 7 PV Inverter Compatibility 7 Battery Inverter/PV Inverter Sizing 8 Lithium Ion (Li-ion) Battery Compatibility 8 AC Coupling in Generator-Based Systems 9 Battery Charge Control Using Frequency Shift 10 Operation with Smart PV Inverters 11 Operation with Legacy PV Inverters
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Conext XW+/SW Battery Inverters and PV Solutions Guide Purpose This Solutions Guide outlines how the Conext XW+/SW Battery inverters and PV inverters can be interconnected to form an AC-Coupled system. Audience This manual is intended for use by qualified personnel installing a system involving Schneider Electric Conext XW+/SW Battery Inverters and PV inverters. The qualified personnel have training, knowledge, and experience in: n Installing electrical equipment and PV systems (up to 1000 V).
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Conext XW+/SW Battery Inverters and PV Solutions Guide Prerequisite It is strongly recommended to upgrade to the latest Conext XW+/SW firmware. To find the latest firmware, go to https://solar.schneider-electric.com/products/inverterchargers/ > your product > DOWNLOADS > Firmware. CAUTION RISK OF INJURY AND EQUIPMENT DAMAGE n To prevent battery damage in a micro-grid AC system, always use the latest firmware available for your inverter.
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Conext XW+/SW Battery Inverters and PV Solutions Guide Surplus Power in Off-Grid/Backup Mode The most critical element of AC coupling is the use of the surplus power that the PV system produces when operating in off-grid or backup mode. The surplus power is the power that is not used by the loads. For instance, if the PV inverter produces 4 kW and the load is 1 kW, there is a surplus of 3 kW.
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Conext XW+/SW Battery Inverters and PV Solutions Guide AC Coupling System Design There are several important considerations when designing an AC coupled system with the XW+/SW inverter: n PV Inverter Compatibility n Battery Inverter/PV Inverter Sizing n Lithium Ion (Li-ion) Battery Compatibility n AC Coupling in Generator-Based Systems PV Inverter Compatibility NOTICE RISK OF INCOMPATIBLE EQUIPMENT n Ensure that the PV inverter warranty covers off-grid applications, specifically AC coupling with
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Conext XW+/SW Battery Inverters and PV Solutions Guide Battery Inverter/PV Inverter Sizing Because battery charge management through Frequency Shift is not instantaneous, the power rating of AC coupled PV inverters must be sized taking into account the battery charge power and the battery-based inverter ratings. Charging power is calculated as minimum battery voltage times the recommended charging current.
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Conext XW+/SW Battery Inverters and PV Solutions Guide For AC coupled systems with Conext XW+/SW inverters, ensure the Li-ion battery packs are sized so that the continuous rated charge power of the battery is equal to or greater than the maximum power available from the AC Coupled PV inverter. Refer to the Battery Inverter/PV Inverter Sizing section for more details on the sizing requirements.
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Conext XW+/SW Battery Inverters and PV Solutions Guide generation exceeds AC load and battery charging consumption, excess PV power could flow to the generator with potentially damaging effects. While running a generator in an AC-Coupled system, the generator will provide AC power to the battery-based inverter and the PV inverter. The PV inverter will detect this and begin to inject energy to the system.
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Conext XW+/SW Battery Inverters and PV Solutions Guide Operation with Smart PV Inverters NOTICE RISK OF INCOMPATIBLE EQUIPMENT n Ensure that the PV inverter warranty covers off-grid applications, specifically AC coupling with a battery-based inverter. n Ensure that the PV inverter is capable of operating when it is AC-Coupled with the batterybased inverter which forms the local grid. PV inverters with an impedance sensing antiislanding scheme are not compatible with the inverter/charger.
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Conext XW+/SW Battery Inverters and PV Solutions Guide Where possible, it is generally recommended to install smart PV inverters with frequencyWatt capability for AC coupled systems. However, operation with legacy PV inverters can be considered for grid-tied applications with less frequent outages. Installation Notes AC Breaker Requirement Each PV inverter that is connected to the AC Output (load) of the Conext XW+ requires its own AC breaker.
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Conext XW+/SW Battery Inverters and PV Solutions Guide Configuration Settings NOTICE RISK OF BATTERY DAMAGE Ensure that the AC Coupling feature is enabled on the battery inverters. If disabled, the battery may be exposed to overcharging. Failure to follow these instructions can result in battery damage. Conext XW+ Configuration Settings Note: For Conext XW+ configuration settings, see the Conext XW+ Owner’s Guide (document part number: 975-0240-01-01). Verify that AC Coupling (AC_COUPLING) is enabled.
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Conext XW+/SW Battery Inverters and PV Solutions Guide n Using the SCP, on the Conext SW device screen, go to Advanced Features > Adv Features > AcCouple [Enabled]. Table 2 Conext SW AC Coupling Configuration Settings Mode Recommended Setting Search Disabled AC Support Enabled1 AC Coupling3 Enabled Note: For PV inverters and grid code settings that only allow partial curtailment, there is a possibility of PV inverter cycling at the end of the absorption charge cycle.
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