Redback Operating Envelopes

Redback Operating Envelopes

Redback provide a feature, which isn't surfaced in the portal or mobile app called an Operating Envelope. This Operating Envelope, sets the "boundaries" for your "site" and is a site level control not an Inverter control. Essentially, the 'Envelope' establishes what are the maximums of various parameters that the site is allowed to perform. These boundaries will curtail any other attempts to make the Redback inverter import/export, charge/discharge your battery.

Note

The Operating Envelope controls and manages what the Redback Inverter can or can't do, it will not affect power flow which it has no control over. i.e. your power circuits that are not controlled by the Inverter.

Warning

Make sure you understand what the settings are and what they mean, particularly for Max Import Power! You could inadvertently restrict your power below what your needs are. This setting will affect power circuits which are attached to your Redback Hybrid Inverter, normally the circuits which if you loose Grid power, are still powered by the Redback batteries.

Understanding how the Operating Envelope works

Consider that a Redback Site is a location, and that location could have 1 or more Redback Inverters operating, which are all sharing and interacting with the sites single connection to the Grid, (1 phase or 3 phase, we will consider a single connection). The operating envelope enables us to shape what power flows as measured at the point of connection to the Grid can occur.

Note

While the Redback API for Operating Envelopes as an option to set an envelope on the site or NMI, this Home Assistant Intergration as at version 2.6.7 is only supporting setting at the site level. A future update may enable an Operating Envelope at the NMI if there is demand for this.

The power shaping parameters provided with the Operating Envelope are:

Parameter	Description
Max Charge Power	The sites Maximum combined power (Watts) that can be used to charge Redback Batteries
Max Discharge Power	The sites Maximum combined power (Watts) that can be discharged from the Redback Batteries
Max Export Power	The sites maximum combined power (Watts) that can be exported to the Grid
Max Import Power	The sites maximum combined power (Watts) that can be imported from the Grid
Max Generation VA	The sites limit of combined power generation from PV

As each of the parameter names suggest, they describe the 'envelope' that the Redback inverters must stay within. For example, if you have a 5kW inverter and your PV is currently generating 5kW your only using 1kW to power your appliances then normally the other 4kW will be exported to the Grid. If you had and Envelope like the table below.

Parameter	Description
Max Charge Power	5kW
Max Discharge Power	5kW
Max Export Power	1kW
Max Import Power	5kW
Max Generation VA	5kW

The Redback management system, will intercede and tell the Inverter to reduce is generation to 2kW, (1kw for your appliances & 1kW export to the Grid)

In addition to the Power Level settings, the Operating Envelope has Start Date/time and Finish Date/Time for when the Envelope will be active. Presently the Operating Envelopes are one off events, and cannot be setup as a reoccurring schedule via the Redback API.

Solar FIT Curtailment

One of the primary use cases for the 'Envelope' is for curtailing your solar exports into the Grid, for example if you are an Amber Energy Customer and can be exposed to negative feed in spot prices. By using the envelope you could establish that between 9am and 2pm on a particular day between those times your site cannot export any power to the grid. But can still import or charge the Battery. An Envelope I would setup for my 10kW Redback to avoid Negative Feed in typically seen in Qld during days with ample sunshine, would look like below. This will allow my site to do everything normally, however if my battery is full, and I have more PV generation than I can use, curtail the export and limit it to 0. In this scenario, the Inverter will reduce the power that your PV is generating.

Parameter	Description
Start	15/5/2024 9:00
end	15/5/2024 15:00
Max Charge Power	10kW
Max Discharge Power	10kW
Max Export Power	0kW
Max Import Power	10kW
Max Generation VA	10kW