FRO­NIUS Eco User manual

Installation
Instructions
Fronius Symo 10 - 20 kW
Fronius Eco
42,0426,0175,EN 029-09082023
EN Installation Instructions

Contents
Installation location and position 5
Explanation of safety notices 5
Safety 5
Proper use/intended purpose 6
Choice of location 7
Installation position 8
General comments regarding choice of location 9
Attaching the Mounting Bracket 10
Safety 10
Selecting wall plugs and screws 10
Recommended screws 10
Opening the inverter 10
Fitting the mounting bracket to a wall 12
Installing the mounting bracket on a mast or beam 12
Fitting the mounting bracket to metal supports 13
Do not warp or deform the mounting bracket 13
Connecting the inverter to the public grid (AC side) 14
Safety 14
Monitoring the grid 14
Type of AC cable 14
Preparing the aluminium cables for connection 14
AC terminals 15
Cross section of the AC cable 16
Connecting the inverter to the public grid (AC) 16
Maximum fuse rating on alternating current side 18
String fuses 20
Fronius Eco - string fuses 20
Connection variants on multi-MPP and single-MPP tracker inverters 22
General 22
Multi MPP tracker - Fronius Symo -M inverter 22
Single MPP tracker - Fronius Eco inverter 25
Connecting solar module strings to the inverter 27
Safety 27
General comments regarding PV modules 28
DC terminals 28
Connecting aluminium cables 29
Solar module strings - checking the polarity and voltage 29
Connecting the solar module strings to the inverter 30
Data communication 33
Routing data communication cables 33
Installing the Datamanager in the inverter 33
Attaching the inverter to the mounting bracket 36
Attaching the inverter to the mounting bracket 36
Attaching the metall bracket 39
Starting for the first time 40
Starting the inverter for the first time 40
Notes regarding software updates 43
Notes regarding software updates 43
USB Stick as a Data Logger and for Updating Inverter Software 44
USB flash drive as a datalogger 44
Data on the USB flash drive 44
Data volume and storage capacity 45
Buffer memory 46
Suitable USB flash drives 46
USB stick for updating the inverter software 47
Removing the USB flash drive 47
Notes regarding maintenance 48
Maintenance 48
Cleaning 48
Australian Conduits 49
3
EN

Tightly sealing the conduits 49
Seal conduits 49
Serial Number Sticker for Customer Use 50
Serial number sticker for customer use 50
DC SPD option 51
Overview of DC SPD option 51
Retrofitting the DC SPD‑S option to the Fronius Symo 51
Retrofitting the DC SPD‑M option to the Fronius Symo 52
Retrofitting the DC SPD‑S option to the Fronius Eco 54
Factory-installed DC SPD option wiring 56
Access the Basic menu 57
Settings in the Basic menu 58
DC-plug +- pair MC4 option 60
General 60
4

Installation location and position
Explanation of
safety notices DANGER!
Indicates immediate danger.
▶If not avoided, death or serious injury will result.
WARNING!
Indicates a potentially hazardous situation.
▶If not avoided, death or serious injury may result.
CAUTION!
Indicates a situation where damage or injury could occur.
▶If not avoided, minor injury and/or damage to property may result.
NOTE!
Indicates a risk of flawed results and possible damage to the equipment.
Safety WARNING!
Danger due to incorrect operation and incorrectly performed work.
This can result in serious injury and damage to property.
▶Only qualified personnel are authorised to commission your inverter and only
within the scope of the respective technical regulations.
▶Read the Installation and Operating Instructions before installing and com-
missioning the equipment.
WARNING!
Danger due to work that has been carried out incorrectly.
This may result in serious injury and damage to property.
▶Surge protective devices must only ever be installed and connected by a
qualified electrical installation engineer!
▶Follow the safety rules.
▶Ensure that both the AC side and the DC side of the inverter are de-ener-
gised before carrying out any installation and connection work.
5
EN

Fire prevention
CAUTION!
Danger due to poor or unprofessional installation.
This may result in damage to inverters and other live photovoltaic system com-
ponents.
Poor or unprofessional installation can cause overheating of cables and terminal
connections and result in arcs. These can cause heat damage, which in turn may
lead to fires.
Observe the following when connecting AC and DC cables:
▶Tighten all terminals to the torque specified in the operating instructions
▶Tighten all grounding terminals (PE / GND), including free ones, to the torque
specified in the operating instructions
▶Do not overload cables
▶Check cables for damage and verify that they are laid correctly
▶Take note of the safety instructions, Operating Instructions and any local
connection regulations
▶Using fastening screws, always screw the inverter firmly to the mounting
bracket to the torque specified in the Operating Instructions.
▶Ensure that the fastening screws are tight before starting the inverter!
Observe the manufacturer's connection, installation and operating instructions
at all times. To reduce the hazard potential to a minimum, perform all installation
and connection work carefully according to the instructions and regulations.
Refer to the device Installation Instructions for the tightening torques to be used
at the relevant terminal connections.
Proper use/
intended pur-
pose
The inverter is intended exclusively to convert direct current from solar modules
into alternating current and to feed this into the public grid.
Utilisation not in accordance with the intended purpose comprises:
-Any use above and beyond this purpose
-Making any modifications to the inverter that have not been expressly ap-
proved by Fronius
-the installation of components that are not distributed or expressly ap-
proved by Fronius.
Fronius shall not be liable for any damage resulting from such action.
No warranty claims will be entertained.
Proper use also includes:
-Carefully reading and obeying all the instructions and all the safety and
danger notices in the Operating Instructions and Installation Instructions
-Performing all stipulated maintenance work
-Installation as specified in the Installation Instructions
When designing the photovoltaic system, ensure that all components are oper-
ated within their permitted operating ranges at all times.
Observe all the measures recommended by the solar module manufacturer to
ensure that the solar module retains its properties in the long term.
Obey the regulations of the power supply company regarding connection meth-
ods and energy fed into the grid.
6

Choice of loca-
tion
The inverter is suitable for indoor installation.
IP 66
The inverter is suitable for outdoor installation.
Because of its IP 66 protection class, the inverter is resistant to
water jets from any direction and can also be used in damp en-
vironments.
In order to minimise the heating up of the inverter, do not ex-
pose it to direct insolation. Install the inverter in a protected
location, e.g. in the vicinity of the solar modules or beneath the
eaves.
Fronius Symo:
UDCmax at an altitude of:
0 to 2000 m = 1000 V
2001 to 2500 m = 950 V
2501 to 3000 m = 900 V
3001 to 3400 m = 850 V
IMPORTANT! The inverter must not be installed or used at alti-
tudes above 3400 m.
Fronius Eco:
UDCmax at an altitude of:
0 to 2000 m = 1000 V
2001 to 2500 m = 950 V
IMPORTANT! The inverter must not be installed or used at alti-
tudes above 2500 m.
NH3
Do not install the inverter in:
-Areas where ammonia, corrosive vapours, acids or salts are
present
(e.g. fertiliser stores, ventilation openings from cattle sheds,
chemical plants, tanneries, etc.)
During certain operating phases the inverter may produce a
slight noise. For this reason it should not be installed in an occu-
pied living area.
Do not install the inverter in:
-Places where there is an increased risk of damage from farm
animals (horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, etc.)
-Stables or adjoining areas
-Storage areas for hay, straw, chaff, animal feed, fertilisers,
etc.
7
EN

All inverters are designed to be dust-tight. However, in areas
with a heavy build-up of dust, the thermal efficiency may still be
impaired by dust forming on the cooling surfaces. Regular clean-
ing is necessary in such situations. We therefore recommend not
installing the inverter in areas and environments with high dust
accumulation.
Do not install the inverter in:
-Greenhouses
-Storage or processing areas for fruit, vegetables or viticul-
ture products
-Areas used in the preparation of grain, green fodder or an-
imal feeds
Installation posi-
tion
The inverter is suitable for vertical installation on a vertical wall or
column.
The inverter is suitable for a horizontal installation position.
The inverter is suitable for installation on a sloping surface.
Do not install the inverter on a sloping surface with its connection
sockets at the top.
Do not install the inverter at an angle on a vertical wall or column.
Do not install the inverter horizontally on a vertical wall or pillar.
8

Do not install the inverter on a vertical wall or pillar with its con-
nection sockets facing upwards.
Do not install the inverter overhanging with the connection sock-
ets at the top.
Do not install the inverter overhanging with the connection sock-
ets at the bottom.
Do not install the inverter on the ceiling.
General com-
ments regarding
choice of loca-
tion
Please note the following criteria when choosing a location for the inverter:
Install only on a solid, non-flammable surface
Max. ambient temperatures:
-40 °C / +60 °C
Relative humidity:
0-100%
The airflow within the inverter is
from the right to the top (cold air
taken in from the right, hot air dis-
sipated out of the top).
The exhaust air can reach a temper-
ature of 70 °C.
If the inverter is installed in a switch cabinet or a similar sealed area, then
forced-air ventilation must be provided to ensure adequate heat dissipation.
If the inverter is to be installed on the outer wall of a cattle shed, maintain a
minimum all-round clearance of 2 m between the inverter and all ventilation
and other openings in the building.
The installation location must not be exposed to ammonia, corrosive vapours,
salts or acids.
9
EN

Attaching the Mounting Bracket
Safety WARNING!
Danger of residual voltage from capacitors.
This may result in an electric shock.
▶Wait for the capacitors to discharge. The discharge time is indicated on the
inverter.
CAUTION!
Danger due to dirt or water on the terminals and contacts of the inverter's con-
nection area.
This may result in damage to the inverter.
▶When drilling, ensure that terminals and contacts in the connection area do
not become dirty or wet.
▶The mounting bracket without the power stage set does not correspond to
the protection class of the entire inverter and must therefore not be exposed
to external weather influences over a longer period of time without protec-
tion. The mounting bracket is protected when the inverter is suspended in
the mounting bracket and firmly screwed to it.
▶The mounting bracket should be protected from dirt and moisture during in-
stallation.
IMPORTANT!
Degree of protection IP 66 is only applicable if
-the inverter is placed in the mounting bracket and permanently attached us-
ing screws，
-the cover for the data communication area is permanently attached to the
inverter with screws.
Degree of protection IP 20 applies to the mounting bracket with no inverter.
Selecting wall
plugs and screws
Important! Different fixings may be required to fit the mounting bracket depend-
ing on the type of underlying surface. Fixings are therefore not included in the
scope of supply of the inverter. The installer is responsible for selecting the right
type of fixing.
Recommended
screws
To install the inverter, we recommend the use of steel or aluminium screws with a
diameter of 6 - 8 mm.
Opening the in-
verter WARNING!
Danger from inadequate ground conductor connection.
This can result in serious injury and damage to property.
▶The housing screws provide a suitable ground conductor connection for
earthing the housing and must NOT be replaced by any other screws that do
not provide a reliable ground conductor connection.
10

1 2
3 4
11
EN

Fitting the
mounting brack-
et to a wall
1 2
3
Installing the
mounting brack-
et on a mast or
beam
When installing the inverter on a mast
or support, Fronius recommends the
"Pole Clamp" kit from Rittal GmbH (or-
der no. SZ 2584.000).
This kit enables the inverter to be in-
stalled on round or rectangular masts
with the following diameters: Æ from
40 to 190 mm (round mast), ÿfrom 50
to 150 mm (rectangular mast)
12

Fitting the
mounting brack-
et to metal sup-
ports
NOTE!
When mounted on metal supports, the inverter must not be exposed to rainwa-
ter or splashing water from the rear.
Provide suitable rainwater protection or splash water protection.
The mounting bracket must be securely screwed to at least four points.
1
Do not warp or
deform the
mounting brack-
et
IMPORTANT! When fitting the mounting bracket to the wall, ensure that the
mounting bracket does not become warped or deformed.
13
EN

Connecting the inverter to the public grid (AC
side)
Safety WARNING!
Danger due to incorrect operation and incorrectly performed work.
This may result in serious injury and damage to property.
▶Only qualified staff are authorised to commission your inverter and only
within the scope of the respective technical regulations.
▶Read the Installation and Operating Instructions before installing and com-
missioning the equipment.
WARNING!
Danger due to grid voltage and DC voltage from solar modules that are exposed
to light.
This may result in an electric shock.
▶Ensure that both the AC side and the DC side of the inverter are de-ener-
gised before carrying out any connection work.
▶Only an authorised electrical engineer is permitted to connect this equip-
ment to the public grid.
CAUTION!
Danger due to incorrectly tightened terminals.
This may result in heat damage to the inverter, which may lead to fire.
▶When connecting AC and DC cables, ensure that all the terminals are
tightened to the specified torque.
Monitoring the
grid
To provide the best possible grid monitoring, the resistance in the leads to the
AC-side terminals should be as low as possible.
Type of AC cable The following types of AC cable can be connected to the AC terminals of the in-
verter:
-Copper or aluminium: solid round conductor
-Copper: fine-stranded round conductor, up to conductor
class 4
Preparing the
aluminium
cables for con-
nection
The AC-side terminals are suitable for connecting single-wire, round aluminium
cables. Because of the formation of a non-conductive oxide layer due to the re-
action of aluminium with air, the following points must be considered when con-
necting aluminium cables:
-the reduced rated currents for aluminium cables
-the connection conditions listed below
Always follow the cable manufacturer instructions when using aluminium cables.
14

When designing cable cross-sections, take local regulations into account.
Connection conditions:
1Carefully clean the oxide layer from the bare end of the cable by scraping it,
e.g. with a knife
IMPORTANT! Do not use brushes, files or emery paper, as the aluminium
particles get trapped and can be transferred to other conductors.
2Once the oxide layer is removed, rub the end of the cable with a neutral
grease, such as non-acidic and non-alkaline Vaseline
3Immediately connect the cable end to the terminal
IMPORTANT!Repeat the procedure if the cable has been disconnected and is to
be re-connected.
AC terminals
Fronius Symo Fronius Eco
PE Ground conductor / earthing
L1-L3 Phase conductor
N Neutral conductor
Max. cross-section of each conductor cable:
16 mm²
Min. cross-section of each conductor cable:
in accordance with the fuse rating on the AC side, but at least 2.5 mm²
The AC cables can be connected to the AC terminals without ferrules.
IMPORTANT! When using ferrules for AC cables with a cross-section of 16 mm²,
the ferrules must be crimped with a right-angled cross-section.
The use of ferrules with insulating collars is only permitted up to a max. cable
cross-section of 10 mm².
For a power category of 10-12 kW, an M32 PG gland (ø 7-15 mm) is fitted.
For a power category of 15-17.5 kW, an M32 PG gland is fitted (ø 18-25 mm) and
an M32 PG gland (ø 7-15 mm) supplied.
From a power category of 20 kW upwards, an M32 PG gland (ø 18-25 mm) is fit-
ted.
15
EN

Cross section of
the AC cable
When using an M32 metric screw joint (reducer removed):
Cable diameter 11 - 21 mm
(with a cable diameter of 11 mm the strain-relief force is reduced from 100 N to
a maximum of 80 N)
With cable diameters greater than 21 mm, the M32 screw joint must be replaced
by an M32 screw joint with a larger clamping area - item number: 42,0407,0780 –
strain-relief device M32x1.5 clamping area 18–25.
Connecting the
inverter to the
public grid (AC)
Note!
-Form loops with the AC cables when connecting them to the AC terminals.
-When securing the AC cables using a metric screw joint, ensure that the
loops do not protrude beyond the connection area.
Otherwise, under certain circumstances it may no longer be possible to close the
inverter.
Note!
-Make sure that the grid's neutral conductor is grounded. This may not be the
case for IT grids (insulated grids with no earthing); it will then not be possible
to use the inverter.
-The neutral conductor must be connected in order to operate the inverter. A
neutral conductor that is too small may adversely affect the inverter feeding
energy into the grid. The neutral conductor must have an amperage of at
least 1 A.
IMPORTANT! The PE ground conductor of the AC cable must be laid in such a
way that it is the last to be disconnected in the event that the strain-relief device
should fail.
This can be ensured, for example, by making it somewhat longer and by laying it
in a loop.
min. 80°C / 176 °F
1
Fronius Symo
2
16

Fronius Eco
3With the Fronius Eco, the three phases
and the neutral conductor must be
passed through a ferrite ring. The fer-
rite ring is supplied with the inverter.
The ground conductor (PE) must not
be passed through the ferrite ring.
4The fastening screw must also be
tightened for an unassigned ground
conductor (PE) connection.
Note! Observe the torque values
marked on the side underneath the
terminals.
If AC cables are laid over the shaft of
the DC main switch or across the con-
nection block of the DC main switch,
they may be damaged when the invert-
er is swung in or they may even prevent
the inverter from being fully swung in.
IMPORTANT! Do not lay AC cables
over the shaft of the DC main switch
or across the connection block of the
DC main switch.
If overlength AC or DC cables are to be laid in loops in the connection area, at-
tach the cables with cable ties to the eyelets provided on the top and bottom of
the connection block.
17
EN

Fronius Symo Fronius Eco
Maximum fuse
rating on altern-
ating current
side
Inverter Phases AC output
Maximum output overcur-
rent protection
Fronius Symo 10.0-3-M 3 10,000 W C 80 A
Fronius Symo 12.0-3-M 3 12,000 W C 80 A
Fronius Symo 12.5-3-M 3 12,500 W C 80 A
Fronius Symo 15.0-3-M 3 15,000 W C 80 A
Fronius Symo 17.5-3-M 3 17,500 W C 80 A
Fronius Symo 20.0-3-M 3 20,000 W C 80 A
Fronius Eco 25.0-3-M 3 25,000 W C 80 A
Fronius Eco 27.0-3-M 3 27,000 W C 80 A
Note!
Local regulations, the electricity retailer or other factors may require a residual-
current protective device in the AC connection lead.
A type A residual-current circuit breaker with a trip current of at least 100 mA is
generally sufficient in this case. In particular cases, and depending on local
factors, however, the type A residual-current circuit breaker may trip at the
18

wrong time. For this reason, Fronius recommends that a residual-current circuit
breaker that is suitable for frequency converters should be used.
19
EN

String fuses
Fronius Eco -
string fuses WARNING!
Danger from voltage at the fuse holders.
This may result in an electric shock. The fuse holders are live when voltage is
present on the DC connection of the inverter, even when the DC switch is
switched off.
▶Make sure that the DC side is de-energised before carrying out any work on
the inverter fuse holder.
String fuses are used in the Fronius Eco to provide additional protection for the
solar modules.
The short circuit current Isc and the maximum series string fuse data (e.g. max-
imum series fuse rating) specified in the module data sheet of the respective PV
module are crucial in affording the PV modules the correct fuse protection. The
maximum string fuse rating per terminal is 20 A. The maximum MPP current
(nominal current, operating current) Imax is 15 A per string.
The national regulations regarding fuse protection must be observed. The elec-
trical engineer carrying out the installation is responsible for the correct choice
of string fuses.
Inputs 1.1 - 1.3 and 2.1 - 2.3 are connected in parallel inside the device. This must
be taken into account when providing the fuse protection.
Note! To avoid the risk of a fire, only replace faulty fuses with new ones of the
same type and rating.
As an option, the inverter can be supplied with the following fuses:
-6 x 15 A string fuses on the DC+ input and 6 x metal pins on the DC- input.
The string fuses installed have a nominal voltage of 1000 V and measure
10x38 mm in size.
-12 x metal pins
20