How to use Smart CT Mode

How to use Smart CT Mode

Smart CT Mode is a Cloud-base feature, so you need to keep the SolarFlow and the ‘sensor’ devices have stable Wi-Fi connections all the time.

Smart CT Mode

Introduce the function of Smart CT Mode and its advantages and disadvantages

Smart CT Mode is a powerful feature which can make SolarFlow output match the whole home consumption just using one measure device, in real-time. But you need to hire an electrician to install the wiring current measure device (known as Smart CT device, For example, Shelly CT devices or Zendure CT device) in your electricity box first if you have not installed it. So compared to the smart matching mode, it’s may a little complicated. A good thing is you just need to install one measure device in your electricity box instead of installing many smart plugs in each appliance. 

So, Let’s begin to learn more about the smart CT mode.
Firstly, we need to understand there are two power suppliers in one house after installing SolarFlow: Grid and SolarFlow(For the sake of clarity, let’s just include the microinvertor in the SolarFlow System). 

The House will get the energy from both Grid and the SolarFlow at the same time, Expressed as a formula, it would be: Whole House consumption = SolarFlow output to home + Grid output to home. You can easily find the ‘Whole House consumption’ and ‘SolarFlow Ouput’ in the Smart CT Mode feature. (Whole House Consumption is known as Real-time Appliance Demand in the current version of the Zendure App



And we provide two main Mode in Smart CT Mode,

The first one is Single-Phase Mode, which means the current SolarFlow will only react to one-phase data changes. （If you are living in an area which is using Single Phase Meters, you can use this mode to cover your consumption of one phase. Or you are living in an area and are using a Phase Meter also you have more than one SolarFlow, you can try this mode to let each SolarFlow react to each Phase.

The second one is the Three-Phase Mode, which means the current SolarFlow will react to three phases of data changes. (If you are living in an area which are using three three-phase Meters, also you only have one SolarFlow, then you should use this mode.)

Let's summarize the good and bad points of Smart CT Mode:
Good Point:  No need to install many smart plugs in each appliance in the house. 
Bad Point: You need to hire an electrician to install a wiring current measure device (known as a Smart CT device, For example, Shelly Pro 3EM) in the electricity box.

Explain the Working Principle of Smart CT Mode

In the previous section, we learned that Smart CT Mode can react to changes in a specific phase or across all three phases. Let's delve deeper into this. 

Let me use Single-Phase Mode as an example (we will discuss Three-Phase Mode later) because it is simpler than Three Phase Mode. As you know, after you set up the connection between SolarFlow and the Smart CT device in the Smart CT Mode of the current SolarFlow Energy Plan page (as shown in the picture below, remember to tap the ‘Save’ button in the top right corner of the Energy Plan Page), the Cloud will start to calculate the ‘Whole House Consumption’ using two values.

Core formula: Whole House Consumption = SolarFlow output to home + Grid output to home

and send ‘Whole House Consumption’ to SolarFlow as a new output value. Imagine that in the formula ‘Whole House Consumption = SolarFlow output to home + Grid output to home’, and when the ‘Whole House Consumption’ remains stable and ‘SolarFlow output to home’ continues to increase, ‘Grid output to home’ must decrease (until 0W, which means all the house's energy comes from SolarFlow, not the Grid). That's how the Smart CT Mode works. 



However, as you know, SolarFlow can only output 600W of power (for example, 600W. In fact, SolarFlow's maximum output capacity is 1200W, which you can adjust in the micro-inverter settings on the SolarFlow settings page). So, if the ‘Whole House Consumption’ exceeds 600W, SolarFlow will only output 600W due to the limitations of the microinverter. (For example, if ‘Whole House Consumption is 3000W’, SolarFlow will only supply 600W of power to the house, and after substituting the values into the formula, it becomes Whole House Consumption (3000W) = SolarFlow output to home (600W) + Grid output to home (2400W)). 

Now you may understand how the Single-Phase Mode works. Let's talk about Three-Phase Mode, which you can see on the phase selection page of the Smart CT feature (as shown in the picture below). The basic formula is the same as in ‘Single-Phase Mode’: Whole House Consumption = SolarFlow output to home + Grid output to home. This time, ‘Grid output to home’ will include values from all three phases. The core formula will be

Whole House Consumption = SolarFlow output to home + (Grid output to home from phase 1 + Grid output to home from phase 2 + Grid output to home from phase 3)


So when ‘SolarFlow output to home’ increases, ‘(Grid output to home from phase1 + Grid output to home from phase2 + Grid output to home from phase3)’ will decrease until 0W. Like in ‘Single-Phase Mode’, SolarFlow has a maximum output capacity and will try its best to meet the whole house consumption but may face peak times, like 2000W or 3000W, which SolarFlow cannot achieve. 



Lastly, after installing the Solar Energy System, there may be some energy backflow to the public grid when the battery is fully charged. Therefore, the value of 'Grid output to home' may be negative (for example, -150W), which is normal. Referring back to our core formula (Whole House Consumption = SolarFlow output to home + Grid output to home), when 'Grid output to home' is a negative value, the 'Whole House Consumption' will decrease. The Cloud will then send the latest 'Whole House Consumption' value to SolarFlow, so SolarFlow’s output to the home will also decrease to match the 'Whole House Consumption'.

About the "House Priority" switch

Regarding Power Fluctuations: 
Due to the micro inverter's accuracy, particularly in situations of low output, SolarFlow will experience power fluctuations; the lower the power, the more unstable these fluctuations become. This is especially noticeable when the output is below 100W, but the system becomes more stable as the output increases.

Due to the presence of power fluctuations, we have added a ‘House Priority' switch, allowing users with different preferences to adjust whether the power fluctuates at higher or lower levels based on their actual situation. 

If the ‘House Priority' switch is on, SolarFlow adopts a relatively aggressive output approach, aiming to match fully or even slightly exceed the total demand of the phases, thereby maximizing the satisfaction of household appliance needs (for example, if the total phase demand is 200W, SolarFlow will set its output to 190W). However, this can lead to a slight backflow of electricity into the public grid during output power fluctuations. If you do not mind a small amount of electricity backflowing into the grid, we recommend turning on the ‘House Priority' switch.

If the ‘House Priority' switch is off, SolarFlow adopts a more conservative output method, leaving a buffer of 30W-60W between its output and the total demand of the phases (for example, if the total phases demand is 200W, SolarFlow will set its output to 170W) to ensure as little electricity as possible backflows into the public grid. This approach also minimizes the amount of electricity that backflows into the public grid during output power fluctuations. If you are concerned about electricity backflowing into the grid, we recommend turning off the 'House Priority' switch.



Special Note:  When SolarFlow Output below 100W, SolarFlow only have four settings(0W, 30W, 60W, 90W). So if you turn on the ‘House Priority' switch, SolarFlow will use the setting above the demand value( for example demand value is 45W, SolarFlow will set it to 60W). And if you turn off the ‘House Priority' switch, SolarFlow will use the setting below the demand value( for example demand value is 45W, SolarFlow will set it to 30W)

About Bypass Mode

When SolarFlow activates Smart CT Mode and the battery is already fully charged, SolarFlow will not enter bypass mode.

How to Use Smart CT Mode

Using Smart CT Mode is very easy. Open the Zendure App, navigate to the SolarFlow Page, and then proceed to the Energy Plan Page. Scroll down, and you will find the Smart CT Mode. Click the 'Smart CT Circuit’ button to choose the phase you want to match. If you want to satisfy the electricity demand of all three-phase circuits, simply click the three-phase mode button and select all three phases as shown in the picture below. Click 'Save' on the Device Selecting page, then 'Save' again on the Energy Plan Page, and everything is set. The system will start to calculate the total sum of the selected phases and use the core formula (Whole House Consumption = SolarFlow output to home + Grid output to home) to determine the ‘Whole House Consumption’ value, then send it to SolarFlow as the expected output value. You will then see the output value gradually match the demand value in the Smart CT Mode feature (This process usually takes 1-3 minutes to complete and will continue adjusting in real-time) .



Special Note: Currently, it only supports the Zendure Smart CT and Shelly Smart CT. You can authorize the Shelly CT device like Shelly Pro 3EM in the Zendure App by tapping 'Mine' -> 'Shelly' as shown in the picture below. You can check the latest supported devices by clicking the 'Supported Device' button under the Smart CT Mode feature.


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