8K Install Guide and Owner Manual

March 14
th
, 2022 17
Integrating a Generator
Generators < 10kW (GEN Breaker)— See Diagram 1-2
A. ONLY supports 240V / 208V generators | 50A breaker
B. Connect the generator output to the "GEN" input breaker in the Sol-
Ark 12K user area
C. THD of less than 15% preferred but not required
Standby Generators > 10kW (GRID Breaker)— See
Diagram 1 (OFF-GRID)
A. Supports 220V / 240V / 208V generators | Depends on “Grid Type”
selection | 63A breaker
B. Off-Grid / Whole-home Generator on ATS installations require selecting
"GEN Connected to Grid Input"
Home Screen → Gear Icon → Grid Setup → Sell Control  GEN
Connected to Grid Input
C. Off-Grid = turn "Grid Sell" off | Only need CT's (on Gen lines) if using
Grid Peak Shaving (see below)
Grid Peak Shaving Mode (For Gen Connected to Grid Breaker)
A. Prevents the Sol-Ark from overloading generators
B. Must place the CT sensors so that they measure L1 and L2 of the
generator's output, pointing arrows on the CT's towards the generator
C. Sol-Ark contributes power above the "Power" value threshold to prevent
overloading the generator
D. This mode will auto-adjust the Grid Charge Amperage to avoid overloads
Gen Start V or % (Grid Start if Gen on Grid Breaker)
Value batts need to reach BEFORE automatically starting a generator connected to
the GEN breaker to charge the battery bank.
Sol-Ark will NOT charge batteries from a generator until the batteries
reach this value.
Gen Start A (Grid Start if Gen on Grid Breaker)
This is how many amps (DC) you can pull specifically from the Generator to charge
the batts. To ensure you do not overload a small Generator, you will want to
adjust the GEN or GRID Start A value. Multiply value by # of Sol-Arks for actual
current value into batteries.
Suppose PV production = 0W | Disabled TOU | Enabled Grid/Gen Charge: the batteries will be
charged to "full" using the Grid or a Generator (if available) until the battery bank accepts only
5% of its rated capacity in Amperes. This value correlates to roughly 90-93% full for most
batteries and is the generator's default "OFF" signal. If producing PV, the system will use PV to
charge the batteries to 100% full instead.
Weekly Gen Exercise
If the Sol-Ark is up to date with MCU
version xx73 or newer, and your
generator has two-wire start
compatibility, you will experience
weekly generator tests.
These tests occur at 8AM (local time)
every Monday by default.
The test takes approximately 20
minutes to complete. During that
time, the generator will auto-start
and auto-stop.
The generator will not provide
power during this test. The
generator may charge the batteries
if the batteries reach designated
generator start point, however.
Increase Gen/Sol-Ark efficiency
1. Select “Limited to Load” 2. Select “General Standard”
3. Increase Grid frequency range: 55-65H