Table of Contents
Plan energy optimization and storage
This article describes the installation planning. For on-site implementation and equipment configuration on the Climkit platform, refer to the links at the end of the article.
The Climkit Energy Management System (EMS) controls certain appliances based on solar production and manages a storage battery to make the most of the surplus, for example at night.
Locally produced solar electricity is better utilized: the self-consumption rate increases, electricity purchases from the grid decrease, and the building gains autonomy. It is also possible to program timers to systematically switch on certain appliances at different times of the day.
This article is divided into two parts: appliance control and storage battery.
1. Appliance control
The Climkit EMS controls appliances via a relay or communication protocol based on excess solar production (fed back to the grid) or according to programmed timers. The main use cases are hot water production, heat pumps, and electric vehicle charging.
Hot water production
The EMS controls an immersion heater (electric heating element) installed in the hot water tank, solely based on excess solar production. The power of the heating element is configured in the Climkit EMS; when an equivalent or greater solar power is fed back to the grid, the relay turns on the heating element, which produces hot water for room heating or domestic hot water.
The immersion heater is inexpensive to purchase and very responsive. It is often already present in the tank, as the primary water heater or as backup for a heat pump. It is an effective way to store solar energy in the form of hot water.
Heat pump
A heat pump can also be controlled based on solar production. Some heat pumps feature an SG-Ready potential-free contact, which the Climkit Gateway controls following the same principle as the immersion heater, for example by raising the heating setpoint when solar electricity is available.
To maximize self-consumption, it is recommended to program the heat pump to run between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM, at least from March to October, and in winter when the stored energy covers the night. Furthermore, the impact of peak/off-peak hours is increasingly less decisive, as distribution system operators (DSOs) now often apply high rates in the evening.
Charging station control
Charging stations can be configured to charge plugged-in vehicles exclusively with solar energy. This feature requires no additional equipment beyond the infrastructure planned for the charging stations (see Planning the management of electric vehicle charging stations).
Users wishing to charge their vehicle regardless of this mode can activate the corresponding charging mode via the Climkit mobile app.
Climkit offering
Here are the additional products for appliance control:
- Equipment:
- Relay I/O Module
- Software features:
- Self-consumption optimization
- Commissioning service:
- Technical coordination and configuration
All these products are ordered directly from Climkit. As a general rule, an on-site visit by a Climkit technician is not required for commissioning. Components are delivered pre-configured, allowing the installer to easily carry out commissioning, with phone assistance from Climkit technical support if needed.
Details of equipment used
Relay I/O Module
The WP8024 I/O Module provided by Climkit has 4 relays.
It comes with a 24V DC DIN rail power supply and connects to the Climkit Gateway via RS485-Modbus (like electricity meters).
2. Storage battery
A battery allows excess photovoltaic electricity produced on a site to be stored and used when production drops below consumption.
The Climkit Gateway can connect to the battery to:
- read battery data only: energy volumes charged and discharged, as well as the state of charge (SoC)
- directly control charging and discharging based on surplus production
Communication between the battery and the Gateway takes place via Modbus TCP.
A battery can be connected in two ways:
- AC coupling: the battery is connected to the electrical panel via its own inverter, independently of the photovoltaic inverter.
- DC coupling: the battery is connected directly to the photovoltaic inverter, known as a hybrid inverter.
AC coupling
AC coupling is recommended for medium to large-scale installations, or when a standard photovoltaic inverter is already installed.
The battery, equipped with its own inverter, is connected to the electrical panel as an independent feeder. A dedicated Climkit private meter is installed on this connection and configured in "Battery" mode on the platform, in order to measure the volumes charged and discharged and integrate them properly into the site's metering.
DC coupling
In DC coupling, the battery is connected on the direct current side directly to the hybrid photovoltaic inverter. This configuration is suitable for installations equipped with a hybrid inverter, typically small to medium-sized. Since the battery is located behind the photovoltaic production meter, no dedicated battery meter is installed. If the Climkit Gateway can read the hybrid inverter via Modbus TCP, the platform distinguishes solar production from battery flows.
Climkit offering
Here are the additional products for battery management:
- Equipment:
- Ethernet switch, if needed to connect the battery
- Software features:
- Battery management
- Commissioning service:
- Technical coordination and configuration
All these products are ordered directly from Climkit. As a general rule, an on-site visit by a Climkit technician is not required for commissioning. Components are delivered pre-configured, allowing the installer to easily carry out commissioning, with phone assistance from Climkit technical support if needed.
3. Next steps
Appliance control:
Storage battery:
