Sonnen sonnenBatterie eco Gen 2, User Manual, Page: 21 / 30

13
Operating Mode
Under the Settings tab, there are three
operating modes to choose from – Backup Mode ,
Self-consumption Mode , and Time of Use Mode .
Backup Mode
Under this setting, the battery will maintain
a higher state of charge and will only discharge
power during a grid outage.
Self-consumption Mode
Under this setting, the sonnenBatterie will
utilize solar energy to first feed loads and then
charge the batteries with the extra energy
produced from your solar panels. After solar
generation has stopped, the battery will
supplement the grid in powering your loads.
Time of Use Mode
As mentioned in the 'Modes of Operation'
section on page 11, this setting is for residents
who have utilities which charge Time of Use rates.
Under this setting, you can input which times
your utility charges higher tariff rates, and the
sonnenBatterie will begin discharging power if no
solar is available to meet the required loads. Thus,
the sonnenBatterie will help you avoid using power
during periods with expensive peak tariff rates.
Backup Buffer
In addition to the operating mode, you can
also adjust the Backup Buffer setting. This setting
indicates how much power the sonnenBatterie will
keep in reserve in the event of a power outage.
If you are using backup mode, we recommend
that you set this to 95%, this way the battery will
retain its stored power solely for power outages.
If you want to use Self-consumption or Time of
Use mode, we recommend setting the buffer no
lower than 10%. In this case, the sonnenBatterie
will stop discharging power once it has 10% charge
remaining (or whichever percentage you set it to),
so that in the event of a nighttime grid failure,
there is stored energy remaining to restart your
home’s power.
Time of Use
Under Time of use, you can enter which times
your utility charges peak energy rates. Please
note, the peak hour start and end times need to be
entered in military time.
Under these settings, you can adjust:
• Grid enabled: No - The sonnenBatterie will
never use the grid for charging
• Grid enabled: Yes - The sonnenBatterie will
charge from the grid during off-peak hours
• Peak Hour Start Time - Enter in military time
when your utility begins charging peak energy
rates, so the sonnenBatterie will know when to
begin powering loads
For example, if the peak time is set from 16:00
to 20:00, the batteries will discharge for 4 hours
from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., stopping at your preset
buffer percentage discussed above.
• Peak Hour End Time - Enter in military time
when your utility stops charging peak energy
rates
• Low Tariff Charge Time - If your local utility
also has a low tariff period, the battery can be
set to charge at this designated time as well.
You can enter that time here in military time.
Microgrid
This feature is not frequently used and can
typically be ignored.