DEYE & Sunsynk Inverter generator setup

How I set up my 16kw DEYE inverter with my 5.5kva generator.
I hope you guys find it useful as I know connecting a generator can often be problematic.
One thing I have found out since making this video:
There is a "Gen Connect to Grid Input" option in the Gen Port Use menu for if you want to connect the generator to the Grid Port using a transfer switch. It allows you to set the max load on your generator as well as allowing more leeway from the generator voltage & frequency than it does from Grid supplied power.
Useful Video from DEYE on connecting your generator
• Video
00:00 Introduction
01:10 Connecting Your Generator
02:32 Inverter Settings
3:49 Connection Demonstration
5:33 Things to Check

[@SolarIntegrations]

One thing I have found out since making this video: There is a "Gen Connect to Grid Input" option in the Gen Port Use menu for if you want to connect the generator to the Grid Port using a transfer switch instead of the AUX port. It allows you to set the max load on your generator as well as giving more leeway to the generator voltage & frequency than it does to Grid supplied power.

[@dominus6695]

Nobody mentions that the peak shaving does not work on the generator port. Seemingly the only way to be able to avoid that the inverter disconnects the generator with spikes of heavy loads, is to use the grid port (I have not tried this yet, as I don't know how to exactly do the G-N relay thing). I hate this puzzle and having to turn on and off the pump that's not in use that turns on each time the inverter switches!!!!

[@SolarIntegrations]

@@dominus6695 Mine works, maybe a firmware update on your inverter required? I have a 5.5KVA on my 16kw, my generator is limited to 3kw load and I regularly go over that load with the generator attached without issue.

[@dominus6695]

Will be tried for sure! Thanks!

[@dominus6695]

@@SolarIntegrations gen peak shaving is still not working after updating the firmware. Could it be that it (ironically) only works if the generator is strong enough to deal with a load spike? If the inverter is too slow to detect the peak then it would be useless in shaving it... Maybe the grid port is better suited for a gen in the end...

[@dominus6695]

What's likely happening is that the freq goes down when the pump starts, and that triggers a disconnection, because the detection of the trigger for peak shaving is not programmed as a priority, or so.

[@liveskippers]

Brilliant video and was instrumental in me getting our generator set-up. I have a few notes for people who want to auto start a generator that is supplied with an ATS designed to start the gen when there's a power cut but want to use it on the inverter. I assume these are pretty common similar across the world. We're in Kenya.. - Wire the gen signal from the inverter across the manual/auto switch on your ATS - This will mean when gen signal is on it will close the dry relay and switch your ATS to auto, as you have no loads connected it will start gen - When signal goes off gen will shutdown as ATS will see it as now back in manual mode - Gen force needs to be off as this is needed for manual start but for auto just keeps the relay closed - Gen signal and gen charge on + starting % in battery settings - System work mode - Gen charge for the times you want to charge and the % on the right will be where the gen shuts down This should trigger the generator to turn on when the % goes too low. From testing if there's a grid supply it won't start the generator so should only start if battery is low and there's no grid power coming in. 🙂

[@SolarIntegrations]

That is correct, it won't start the generator if there is grid as the inverter can't sync to the generator freq. and the grid freq. at the same time.

[@surfgate]

Great info. Thank you

[@SolarIntegrations]

Glad it was helpful @surfgate!

[@vaughanza]

Hi Thanks again, great video. Helps, keep them coming pls

[@SolarIntegrations]

Thanks @VaughanLundin

[@juanmiguelcalderon8771]

good night. I have had trouble coupling my generator to the Deye 8000 inverter. I have checked the connections and they all seem to be fine. But I have doubts that the generator has 3 lines, is there a problem with that? Should it still recognize it and work or does the generator necessarily have to be two-phase?

[@SolarIntegrations]

Hi @juanmiguelcalderon8771 , what inverter do you have?

[@karemalgelani9559]

Hi thank you for the helpfull video . My q is i connnect the generator on grid input port but it dose not work it appeare as off grid after start loading for a few seconds ..and when i connect it to the generator input it worked well ? For ypur information I have changed the limmits of frequancey.. Is the nominal ramp time the issue?

[@SolarIntegrations]

Hi @karemalgelani9559 , the RPM the generator is running at affects the frequency of the AC power it is sending to the generator. Most generators are set for 50hz when under no load, ideally you want the frequency the generator is supplying power at to be 50hz when it is under about 75% load. If your inverter is dropping the generator connection, it is probably because the RPM (supplied AC frequency) is dropping below the permitted frequency in the inverter settings when load is applied to the generator. My suggestion is to try increasing the RPM your generator is running at to the top end of the permitted frequency range (probably around 52hz but you will need to check) so that you have a bit more room for the generator RPM to drop before it is disconnected. Depending on the inverter you have, you should be able to see what the supplied frequency is on the inverter grid screen or you can check with a multimeter with a hz function. RPM is usually adjusted by a screw on the throttle linkage which you screw in to increase the RPM the generator runs at.

[@mauritzswanepoel7985]

Hi there, great videos! I've got a Deye 8kw connected to a 5.5kw generator. On the inverter my screen shows 230v but my frequency is 0hz. We have tested the cable with a multimeter and the hz is fine (jumping between 49 - 51) but the inverter does not seem to detect this. Any ideas what could be causing this? Secondly, regarding the earth neutral bond. Secondly, would we need a bridge box between the generator and the inverter?

[@SolarIntegrations]

Hi @mauritzswanepoel7985 what port on the inverter are you connecting the generator too? There are two options, First prize is to connect to the Aux/Gen port, allows for a wider range of frequencies and voltages and ramps the power loading up slower. Otherwise you can connect to the grid port using a transfer switch. The Grid port however has much tighter settings for the permitted voltages and frequencies before it disconnects. There is a box to tick on the DEYE's for if you want to connect a Gen to the Grid port, which I think opens up these settings but not 100% sure. I would try measuring the frequency on the inverter port you are connecting too and check that you have power being supplied to the inverter

[@ywainpenberthy]

Thank for the great video John. We are wanting to connect a 10KVA Diesel Generator to a Sunsynk 16Kw Inverter. The Generator we are looking at will produce 35A at Max, so was hoping that we would be able to pull 30A from the Generator to charge the batteries during cloudy days etc. The generator is supplied with an ATS, but since this is not going to be sensing a loss of power from he eskom side, how exactly does the inverter trigger the generator to start, and then once it has charged sufficiently to turn off the generator?

[@liveskippers]

I can answer this one as I've just figured it out :-) Your ATS probably has a manual/auto switch. So with nothing connected when you press the button from manual to auto it will start the generator. So you do the same thing from the inverter. You take the dry contact for gen signal and wire that across the switch. When the signal is on it will close the switch and go to auto on your ATS and then when off will be back to manual and will shut the gen down. To make it work you need to turn off gen force as this make the gen signal on all the time which you need for manual start but not auto. You also in system work mode need to set the times you want to charge from gen with the check boxes. Whatever the % in system work mode is the amount it will charge to before it shuts off, will then restart on the % set in battery settings on the gen column on the left. Hope that helps.

[@jamesthorpe9516]

Hey, thanks so much for the video I've been struggling to connect my MAC-AFRIC JDP10000 petrol generator to my Deye 8kW inverter. I tried myself when desperate but the inverter never connected... the closest I got was seeing the voltage on the generator screen but no attempt to actually pull a load. The installers came today and had a go but got the same results. Their initial conclusion: my genny obviously produces "dirty power" - harmonics or something. I'm not so sure.... it seems a lot of people have struggled to connect petrol/ gasoline generators to Deye Inverters so I think there may be more to it. I'm going to look at a few things you mentioned here, thanks so much. A couple of questions- You mention the bonded neutral/ floating neutral on the inverter - I'm going to check that as soon as I'm home! What about bonded neutral on the generator? Any idea about that... is it also a requirement? Do you know if your generator is floating or bonded? Also is your generator earthed? Looking forward to exploring the rest of the channel.

[@SolarIntegrations]

Hi @jamesthorpe9516 , have you got a multimeter that measures HZ/Frequency? The RPM the generator is running at sets the frequency and can be adjusted on the generator. When the generator is within the allowed band of frequencies, usually approx. 49hz - 51hz the inverter will start getting ready to connect to the generator. As long as the generator stays within those frequencies for about 60 seconds (I think, haven't timed it) the inverter will attempt to connect to the generator and sync to the frequency the generator is running as. You will hear the relay in the inverter click in won the inverter when it starts to apply load and you will hear the generator start labouring as the load is applied. As long as the generator stays within the allowed frequency band the inverter will stay connected to it and will be able to pull a load from the generator. If the inverter is not even trying to connect to the generator there is probably a problem with either a floating neutral or the Hz/Frequency the generator is running at is not within the allowed frequency band (too high or low). You will also need to check that the Force Start box is ticked which forces the generator to pull load no matter what the System Mode settings are until the battery is full. I would also suggest setting the "Grid Shaving" option to 1000W until you get the generator to connect, you can then increase it until you see the generator disconnecting. Adjust the generator RPM/HZ/Frequency to the top end of the range so as to give the generator some space to slow down slightly when load is applied without disconnecting. I set my generator for 51hz. You raise the HZ by screwing in the throttle screw slightly on the generator (only do this if you have a way to measure the frequency). Good luck

[@SolarIntegrations]

I have a Grip 5.5kva running on my 16kw, will swop if you want :-)

[@jamesthorpe9516]

Awesome Got it working today. I did two things - 1. Install a ground earth spike for my genny as per the setup video kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5XVeJhqgrShr8ksi=ABwGhcj95i2EH4SM. Not sure if it made a difference but there is some talk about earthing possibly being an issue 2. Dropped the Frequency by adjusting the throttle screw as you suggested. Originally was a very stable 55Hz (measured on Generator screen on inverter). I adjusted down to about 53Hz and then it seemed happy to connect. Once under load it drops to 50Hz. Working beautifully. Only tried pulling 2.4kW but I'll experiment and see what the sweet spot is. I gather between 50% and 90% load fuel usage is roughly the same (l/kW) so no need to hammer it if we're just trying to charge batteries. My cable is quite long so voltage drop might be too much if I push it.

[@SolarIntegrations]

Congrats @@jamesthorpe9516 Glad to hear you got it working. Main thing with the earth/neutral is that the inverter will not connect to the generator if the inverter has a floating neutral (earth/neutral not bonded when off-grid), Is a good idea to properly earth the generator in any case.

[@Omobilo]

Just found your channel :). Wonderful to see an HA focused with solar YT channel. New to solar but have my HA. Tossing for 10k Hybrid with 10 batteries either SolaX x3g4 or deye/sunsynk SG04LP3 but need that generator option that both solax and deye/sun support. 1) What is better supported in HomeAssistant in your opinion? 2) any issues or restrictions with type of generator on deye as some other guy could only make generator work on Solax? 3) Solax or Deye/Sunsynk? :)

[@SolarIntegrations]

Hi, I only have experience with the Sunsynk/Deye option so can't comment on the SolaX inverters unfortunately. As far as generators are concerned, in my opinion at least, most generator issues are caused by installers/owners not understanding the process that the inverter needs to go through to connect to the generator and what needs to be in place. Once people understand the requirements then connecting is relatively simple. I have a 5.5kva generator connected to my 16kw Deye without any issues apart from restricting the load the inverter can apply on the generator obviously.

[@smirnovd]

can generator (if connected to gen port, of course) work together with grid input on Deye inverter?

[@SolarIntegrations]

Yes, I have a my generator connected to the Gen Port, when the grid comes back on the inverter disconnects from the generator. They can't work together as they are at different frequencies and the inverter can't sync to both of them.

[@aldozilli1293]

​​@@SolarIntegrationsissue for us is the generator only comes on when mains is off and gen force is selected. When gen port is selected there is a voltage there which seems to kick off/not let the generator start probably as it thinks the grid is still present. The whole inverter has to be physically disconnected by turning off the mains breaker for it to work. It cannot be done by the inverter for us. Any ideas?

[@SolarIntegrations]

@@aldozilli1293 Why do you want to run the generator if you have grid power available? Charging from the grid is much cheaper than charging from a generator. You cannot run the generator when the inverter is attached to the grid as it is synced to the grid frequency and cannot sync to the generator frequency as well. You could put a smart switch on the connection to the grid and switch it off using an automation in Home Assistant if you really want to, not sure what the use case for it would be though

[@aldozilli1293]

@@SolarIntegrations I have a huge battery in the form of a car on my drive. I can charge the car on very low rates at night and use the v2l like a generator when needed. E. G. When my house batteries on a winter UK cloudy day run out before we get to the very low night rates, so in those instances want to be able. to. easily switch instead of using expensive day rates on the grid.

[@MsViorela]

Hi! I watched your video so many times and still can't really figure this out. My situation is that the inverter is not seeing the gen at all. I can't see the generator picture on the main screen. Checked the cable just at the entrance of the inverter, all good, power incoming. I have a 3 phase Hyundai DHY8600SE-T CONNECTED TO the 3 phase Red port via NYY cable, quite a thick one... It doesn't see the generator... Any magical ideas? 😢😊

[@SolarIntegrations]

Hi @MsViorela , do you have a Sunsynk or DEYE inverter? So you have "Gen. Force" under battery settings ticked? My understanding is that ticking the "Gen. Force" box allows you to charge batteries no matter what the SOC settings are.

[@SolarIntegrations]

It should also display the generator on your screen on the inverter

[@uthanwintun]

Hello @SolarIntegrations. Firtst of all Thanks for your great effort and knowledge of you your video. I have a little confusion. Apparently aux port can be set to smart load (output) or gen input. Lets say: electrician install a gen inlet which has male probes. I ve been using as gen input. But what if accidentally change setting to smartload, wouldn't my gen inlet fitting male probes be active and expose electrical danger?

[@SolarIntegrations]

Hi @uthanwintun ,I have never considered that but I think that you might be correct. Am not sure if there are any safety features that would stop damaging the generator if you changed the settings by mistake or if it would even do so.

[@jacquesrademeyer9418]

Hi, I have a question. I have 2x 12kw 3phase in parallel. Will a 5kw 3phase generator charge the batteries? Do I need a bigger generator I can send the specs of the generator.

[@SolarIntegrations]

You can use a 5kw generator, you will need to restrict the power being pulled from the generator

[@SolarIntegrations]

I have a 5kva generator providing power to my 16kw single phase

[@croog08]

i have a 40kw 3 phase generator…can i run it into deye 20kw 3 phase…my gennie is connected to house directly… eg eskom to gennie to house..

[@SolarIntegrations]

Hi ​@@croog08 , you can definitely use your 40kw generator to power your Deye 20kw 3-phase, it will only pull the power that it can use from the generator i.e. the generator can't be too big for the inverter. If you have an ATS on the generator, you can also set the inverter to automatically start the generator when it's battery reaches a specified level, it will then recharge batteries from the generator and then switch it off again when the batteries have charged to the desired level. Deye have got a pretty good video explaining how to set it up, kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5aac4KOaNeDjqs

[@afgaming3204]

Hello am having a weird issue with the inverter i have 5kw deye its shiws that the generator is providing 500v and does nit shows the frequency. On another thing can you please share ur config related to home assistant and the dashboard it look awsome

[@SolarIntegrations]

Hi @afgaming3204, Have you checked you generator voltage with a multimeter? Also, have you checked that your inverter has an earth/neutral bond when it is running in island mode?

[@afgaming3204]

Yes i checked the voltage, it was working perfectly before but for no reason it stopped. What do you mean by earth bond in my country we don’t have earth even from the official electricity company. We only receive two poles negative and positive

[@SolarIntegrations]

What country are you in@@afgaming3204? Are you saying that you have no earth/neutral bond in your country? Having a voltage difference between earth & neutral is usually very dangerous as there is usually no protection for a short between earth and neutral, so if you have a voltage difference and you create a circuit between E/N there are no earth leakages or breaker switches. Maybe the electrical circuit designs are different. Have you tried measuring the voltage difference between earth and neutral when attached to the grid and when disconnected from the grid to see if there is any difference? Back to the generator, if the voltages and frequencies being supplied by the generator are not within the permitted range on the inverter, it will not try connect to the generator.

[@afgaming3204]

@@SolarIntegrations well i am in lebanon. There are no earth i can measure i created some sort of earth digging 3 copper rods on the ground and it was usually works before with the generator but lately it shows 500v and no frequency i am attaching the generator into the hen port in my inverter so it must cop with frequency fluctuation

[@garfielow]

how did you physically connect the generator to the inverter

[@SolarIntegrations]

Hi @garfielow, I connected using the Gen port on the inverter, you can connect using a transfer switch on the Grid port as well but there is an additional box to tick. Gen/Aux Port is the preferred method.

[@garfielow]

i mean how did you physically connect to the generator what cable did you use and maybe a video of the conenction to i t

[@SolarIntegrations]

@@garfielow With 4mm Surfix cable to the Aux/Gen port on the inverter. I bypassed the 3 pin connectors as they are limited to 15A (3450W)

[@garfielow]

@@SolarIntegrations do you think i can see a pic of the generator side as well

[@garfielow]

@@SolarIntegrations any update for me

[@SolomonRahil]

I have a 8.8 KVA single phase inverter and 3phase 20kva generator connected to the grid port. can i charge the batteries using this Gen and how exactly can I do that please sir Thanks in advance

[@SolarIntegrations]

Hi @solaimanrahil4047, You could connect it directly to your generator but would only be able to use one phase of the output. This may however result in that phase overheating and perhaps burning out if you put too much load on it. Would be difficult to know when that would be as the generator would not be laboring under the load. 20KVA = 16kw / 3 = 5.3kw per phase. @ 75% = 4kw load per phase, so in theory it should be able to handle that. That is however totally a guess and I would definitely suggest speaking to your generator manufacturer and checking with them. Please let me know as I am interested to know what they say and could be totally wrong with my guess.

[@SolomonRahil]

@@SolarIntegrations how can I stop the output?thats my concern sir thank you

[@SolomonRahil]

I mean how can I make it use the gen to charge but not supply the load

[@SolomonRahil]

Like how to restrict the load from being pulled from the gen

[@SolarIntegrations]

Tick the Gen Force box and it will charge from generator no matter what the Work Mode settings are

[@mariusz9725]

@SolarIntegrations Your inverter is 16kW so is it 3-phase one? In your video (kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4e1imx5odRmoJo) the generator input is 1-phase. How can you connect 1-phase generator to 3-pase inverter?

[@SolarIntegrations]

Hi @mariusz9725, 16kw is single phase :-) , you can't connect a single phase generator to a 3-phase inverter.

[@mariusz9725]

@@SolarIntegrations I've heard that VFD is a solution for that. However I haven't seen it working live...

[@SolarIntegrations]

Thanks @@mariusz9725 hadn't thought of using a VFD, is a good idea.