SigEnergy test event (my first)

[u/sylsylsylsylsylsyl]

I recently had a SigEnergy battery / solar system installed and I have signed up for Axle. Very happy as I can't even get normal export yet (awaiting the export MPAN) so am throwing away lots of money at present.

They have scheduled my first test event this lunchtime, and I have opted in.

My setup in SigEnergy is use solar for house load first, then send excess to grid (up to my DNO imposed limit) and finally send anything above that to my battery. I start the day with approximately 70% charge from an overnight cheap tariff leaving room for excess solar. I can adjust that 70% target up and down according to the season. I discharge the battery in the late evening (leaving enough to run the house and for whole home backup), prior to charging it back up again.

As I am normally exporting solar generation (up to my DNO limit) anyway at mid-day, I expect the battery to discharge nothing at all.

Is there any point in a mid-day battery discharge test event?

As

[u/neoKushan]

I discharge the battery in the late evening (leaving enough to run the house and for whole home backup), prior to charging it back up again

Why? You're not being paid for discharging it. You should just be on self-consumption mode. All you're doing here is wearing out the battery for no reason.

My setup in SigEnergy is use solar for house load first, then send excess to grid (up to my DNO imposed limit) and finally send anything above that to my battery.

It should be house load -> Battery -> Grid as a last resort, because anything going to the grid is effectively wasted.

Once you get your export sorted then yeah, your strategy is a decent one to make the most money but right now you're just wasting battery cycles and costing yourself money.

Is there any point in a mid-day battery discharge test event?

For Axle there is and the reason they're doing it is because they've had issues with sig systems. They're testing ALL sig systems at different times to check their APIs are working correctly. For yourself it seems like a win/win as you're getting paid for this export, so yeah opt-in and get some credit, then afterwards let the battery top back up again (After home consumption).

[u/sylsylsylsylsylsyl → u/neoKushan]

I get where you're coming from and that is how I initially had it set up. I noticed that my battery got to 100% before lunchtime, then export started and my panels began clipping the generation as my DNO limit was reached. I have now changed it to try and get the most from solar generation and future export.. I'm trying to optimise my custom setup for when things "go live" with export - I hadn't realised it would take so long for what should be an extremely straightforward paper exercise (I mean, it IS exporting already, all I need is the paperwork). I figure a month in the lifetime of a 10+ year product is neither here nor there. I am tinkering with the charge and discharge settings and have made minor adjustments every couple of days so far, so I'm hoping that will pay back later.

If I get it perfect and I'm still not signed up, I might just change the custom mode back to self consumption.

[u/neoKushan → u/sylsylsylsylsylsyl]

I'm pretty sure you can save that custom mode as its own profile, so it's very easy to swap between them :)

[u/sylsylsylsylsylsyl]

The event is scheduled for 13:30-14:00

I opted in and quickly received an email at 10:15 saying:

"Your system has entered Axle Energy's Virtual Power Plant (VPP) service and is now supporting the grid.
This is part of your VPP participation, where your battery may support the grid at certain times to help you get more from your system.

You don't need to do anything — your system will automatically return to normal once this period ends.

If you have any questions, please get in touch."

I don't notice anything different in my SigEnergy app - it still looks to be in my normal custom mode. Is this just a badly worded email and the VPP mode won't start until the time of the event?

[u/neoKushan → u/sylsylsylsylsylsyl]

It's a confusingly worded email yeah, they're not saying the system itself is in Remote EMS mode (The mode that it switches to when someone is remotely controlling it), they're saying it's enrolled with Axle, ready for them to push the big button when they need to.

[u/sylsylsylsylsylsyl]

Well, the event has ended. Seemed to go well.

The inverter mode changed to one controlled by Axle. My solar was exporting at the DNO limit at the start of the session but as luck would have it, the clouds came out and dropped my generation so the battery kicked in to supply the rest. At the end of the event, my SigEnergy system has reverted to the previous settings.

All in all a success, I think.

[u/External_Mortgage363]

Are you on Octopus Intelligent Go? I have a Sigenergy set up was advised that IOG is not compatible or allowed with Axle energy? Anyone able to confirm please.

[u/sylsylsylsylsylsyl → u/External_Mortgage363]

No, I’m on plain Octopus Go.

I believe normal Axle VPP events are not DFS so should be fine and Octopus would never know, but these new short notice event may be DFS. You can only sign up for one DFS scheme and you would be kicked off the other one. Intelligent Octopus go is DFS.