Charger Block; Peak Load Shaving (Pls) - Conext XW+ 6848 NA Owner's Manual

Configuration

Charger Block

Peak Load Shaving (PLS)

3–32
The charger block feature halts charging on AC1 (Grid) for a period of time each
day. This period of time is defined by the Chg Block Start and Chg Block Stop
settings. In areas where the utility charges variable rates for electricity, it is
preferable to use utility power for charging only during non-peak hours. Charger
block can prevent utility power from being used for battery charging during peak
billing periods.
During the time period set between Chg Block Start and Chg Block Stop, AC1
(Grid) input continues to be passed through to the loads. Inverter operation
remains unaffected during the charger block period.
During the charger block period, no charging on AC1 occurs even if the batteries
discharge below ReCharge Volts setting. However, a generator connected to
AC2 (in the absence of utility/AC1 power) or a Conext Solar Charge Controller
may charge batteries during the charger block period. AC priority must be set to
AC2 to charge batteries with a generator connected to AC2 during the charger
block period.
If the charger is operating (that is, in float, absorption, bulk, or equalize stage) at
the Chg Block Start time, charging on AC1 stops immediately and the charger
enters an idle state identical to no float (see "Two-Stage" on page 3–16). When
the charger block period is over, the charger does not resume the charge stage
that was interrupted. Instead, if the batteries are above the ReCharge Volts
setting, the charger remains idle.
If the battery voltage falls below the ReCharge Volts setting during the charger
block period, the Conext XW+ begins a new charge cycle with the bulk stage
after the charger block period has expired (at the Chg Block Stop time).
For example, charger block is set to start at 5:00 PM and end at 8:00 PM. If the
Conext XW+ is charging from AC1, charging stops at 5:00. When charger block
ends at 8:00, the Conext XW+ does not automatically resume charging. The unit
first measures the battery voltage. If the voltage is below the ReCharge Volts
setting, then the Conext XW+ starts a new charge cycle from bulk. If the battery
voltage is above the ReCharge Volts setting, the Conext XW+ remains idle and
continues passing through AC to the loads. The Conext XW+ also keeps
measuring the battery voltage as before to determine whether to start a new
charge cycle.
Many utilities impose a surcharge on their customers based on the peak load
used by a facility. To reduce utility peak demand charges, the inverter can be
configured (using the Load Shave Amps setting) to limit the maximum draw the
AC loads place on the utility. The inverter can be programmed to provide power
above a specified level to avoid the surcharge. When the utility current draw
reaches the maximum level, the inverter assists by sourcing power from the
batteries to the loads.
For PLS to be effective, all loads must be connected to the inverter. For large
loads, multiple (or stacked) inverters may be required.
975-0240-01-01