SMA POWER REDUCER BOX User manual

REDUCERBOX-BA-en-16 | 98-0018716 | Version 1.6
EN
Device for Power Control of PV Plants
POWER REDUCER BOX
User Manual

SMA Solar Technology AG Table of Contents
User Manual REDUCERBOX-BA-en-16 3
Table of Contents
1 Information on this Document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2 Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.1 Intended Use. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.2 Supported Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.3 Qualification of Skilled Persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.4 Safety Precautions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.5 Operating Instructions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3 Scope of Delivery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4 Product Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4.1 Power Reducer Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4.2 Type Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4.3 LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4.4 Sunny Portal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4.5 System Requirements of the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
5 The Power Reducer Box User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
5.1 User Groups and User Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
5.2 Overview of the Login Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
5.3 Overview of the User Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
5.4 Main menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
5.5 Context menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
5.6 Status Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
5.7 Events Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Table of Contents SMA Solar Technology AG
4 REDUCERBOX-BA-en-16 User Manual
6 Mounting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
6.1 Requirements for the Mounting Location. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
6.2 Mounting the Power Reducer Box on the Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
6.3 Mounting the Power Reducer Box on a Top-Hat Rail . . . . . . . . 26
7 Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
7.1 Overview of the Connection Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
7.2 Connecting the Power Reducer Box to the Ripple Control
Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
7.3 Lengthening the Connection Cable. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
8 Commissioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
8.1 Integrating the Power Reducer Box into the Local Network . . . 31
8.1.1 Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
8.1.2 Connecting the Power Reducer Box to the Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
8.1.3 Setting the Computer to the Standard Network Settings of the
Power Reducer Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
8.1.4 Setting up a Proxy Exception Rule in Internet Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
8.1.5 Setting the Power Reducer Box to Local Network Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
8.1.6 Resetting the Computer to Previous Network Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
8.1.7 Connecting the Power Reducer Box to the Local Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
8.2 Sunny WebBox Registration in the Power Reducer Box . . . . . . 38
8.2.1 Registering the Sunny WebBox. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
8.2.2 Editing/Removing a Sunny WebBox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
8.3 Configuring Operating Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
8.3.1 Setting Active Power Limitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
8.3.2 Setting the Reactive Power Setpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
8.3.3 Setting the Cos Phi Setpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
8.3.4 Configuring Combined Operating Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
8.3.5 Setting General System Statuses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
8.4 Configuring and Activating "Fallback" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

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User Manual REDUCERBOX-BA-en-16 5
9 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
9.1 Logging In or Out of the Power Reducer Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
9.2 Accessing the Power Reducer Box via Sunny Portal. . . . . . . . . 48
9.3 Filtering and Displaying Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
9.4 Downloading Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
9.5 Saving Events to an SD Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
10 Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
10.1 Sunny Portal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
10.1.1 Registering the Power Reducer Box in Sunny Portal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
10.1.2 Removing a Power Reducer Box Registered in Sunny Portal from a Plant . . 52
10.1.3 Deactivating Data Transmission to the Sunny Portal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
10.2 Changing your Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
10.3 Resetting your Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
10.4 Setting the Date and Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
10.5 Setting Protocol Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
10.6 Firmware Update for the Power Reducer Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
10.6.1 Configuring an Automatic Firmware Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
10.6.2 Performing a Manual Firmware Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
10.6.3 Updating the Firmware via an SD Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
10.7 Resetting the Power Reducer Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
10.8 Information on the "prb.cfg" File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
11 Decommissioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
11.1 Switching the Power Reducer Box Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
11.2 Disassembling the Power Reducer Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
11.3 Packing the Power Reducer Box for Transportation . . . . . . . . . 58
11.4 Disposing of the Power Reducer Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Table of Contents SMA Solar Technology AG
6 REDUCERBOX-BA-en-16 User Manual
12 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
12.1 Status Displays of the LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
12.2 Explanation of the LEDs at the Ethernet Terminal . . . . . . . . . . . 62
12.3 General Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
12.4 Error Messages in Connection with Sunny Portal . . . . . . . . . . . 65
12.4.1 Error Messages in the Events Logbook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
12.4.2 Errors During Registration in Sunny Portal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
13 Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
13.1 Power Reducer Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
13.2 Plug-in Power Supply (CINCON, TRG30R 120) . . . . . . . . . . . 74
14 Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
15 Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

SMA Solar Technology AG 1 Information on this Document
User Manual REDUCERBOX-BA-en-16 7
1 Information on this Document
Validity
This manual is valid for the device type PRB.GR1 from hardware version C2 and from
firmware version 1.7.0.
Target Group
This document is intended for skilled persons and end users. Some of the tasks described in this
document may only be performed by skilled persons with the appropriate qualifications
(see Section 2.3"Qualification of Skilled Persons",page11). These tasks are identified by an
information note.
Additional Information
Links to additional information can be found at www.SMA-Solar.com.
Symbols
Document title Document type
Reactive Power and Grid Integration Technical information
Symbol Explanation
Indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, will result in death
or serious injury
Indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in death
or serious injury
Indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in minor
or moderate injury
Indicates a situation which, if not avoided, could result in property damage
Information that is important for a specific topic or goal, but is not
safety-relevant
☐ Indicates an essential requirement for achieving a specific goal
☑ Desired result
✖ A problem that might occur

1 Information on this Document SMA Solar Technology AG
8 REDUCERBOX-BA-en-16 User Manual
Typography
Nomenclature
Abbreviations
Typography Explanation Example
"Light" • Display messages
• Elements on a user interface
• Connections
• Elements to be selected
• Elements to be entered
• The value can be read off in the
"Energy" field.
•Select "Settings".
•Enter the value 10 in the Minutes
field.
> • Connects several elements
that are to be selected
•Select "Settings > Date".
[Button/Key] • Button or key to be selected or
pressed
•Select [Next].
Full designation Designation in this document
Electronic Solar Switch ESS
SMA Bluetooth® Wireless Technology Bluetooth
SMA inverter Inverter
Sunny WebBox and Sunny WebBox with
Bluetooth® Wireless Technology
Sunny WebBox
Abbreviation Designation Explanation
AC Alternating Current ‒
CSV Comma Separated Values File format
DC Direct Current ‒
DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol Protocol for the dynamic assignment of
IP configurations
IP Internet Protocol ‒
LED Light-Emitting Diode ‒
PV Photovoltaics ‒
XML Extensible Markup Language ‒

SMA Solar Technology AG 2 Safety
User Manual REDUCERBOX-BA-en-16 9
2Safety
2.1 Intended Use
The Power Reducer Box is for PV plants that have to implement network operator setpoints for active
power limitation and reactive power operation under grid management. The Power Reducer Box
complies with the requirements of the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) for feed-in
management and the requirements of the medium-voltage directive for grid management set out by
the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW).
The network operator can use the Power Reducer Box to temporarily and remotely limit the feed-in
capacity of the PV plant in the case of a grid overload. The Power Reducer Box translates the control
commands of the network operator and transmits them to the Sunny WebBox. The Sunny WebBox
forwards the control commands to the inverter.
The Power Reducer Box primarily performs the following tasks:
• Active power limitation and reactive power setpoint
• Recording all control commands of the network operator
• Control of up to 2,500 SMA inverters via Sunny WebBoxes
• Data transfer to the Sunny Portal Internet portal for visualisation and optimal notification to the
plant operator
The Power Reducer Box is designed for indoor use only.
The Power Reducer Box is only to be operated using the supplied plug-in power supply and in the
voltage range intended for this.
The Power Reducer Box must only be used with supported products.
For safety reasons, it is not permitted to modify the product or install components that are not explicitly
recommended or distributed by SMA Solar Technology AG for this product. Only use the
Power Reducer Box in accordance with the information provided in the enclosed documentation.
Any other use may result in personal injury or property damage.
The enclosed documentation is is intregal of this product.
• Read and adhere to the documentation.
• Keep the documentation in a convenient place for future reference.

2 Safety SMA Solar Technology AG
10 REDUCERBOX-BA-en-16 User Manual
2.2 Supported Products
SMA products
Inverters:
You will find an up-to-date list of the inverters supported by the Power Reducer Box in the user
interface of the Power Reducer Box ("Status configuration > Compatibility list") or at
www.SMA-Solar.com. If you have further questions on supported inverters, contact the
SMA Service Line.
Additional products:
• Sunny WebBox from firmware version 1.45*
• Sunny WebBox with Bluetooth firmware version 1.04 or later**
• Sunny Portal
• SMA Update-Portal
* Requirements: the transmission protocol of your plant must be set to SMA-NET and the Sunny WebBoxes must not be
operated in DHCP mode.
** The Sunny WebBoxes must not be operated in DHCP mode.
Products from other manufacturers
Digital signal sources:
• Signal sources with digital relay contacts
Routers and network switches:
• Routers and network switches for Ethernet with 10 Mbit/s or fast Ethernet with 100 Mbit/s
data transfer speed
Plug-in power supply units:
• Input voltage: 100 V … 240 V AC, 50/60 Hz
• Typical power consumption: 4 W
• Maximum power consumption: 12 W
SD cards:
• SD cards with 2 GB memory capacity

SMA Solar Technology AG 2 Safety
User Manual REDUCERBOX-BA-en-16 11
2.3 Qualification of Skilled Persons
Some of the tasks described in this document may only be performed by skilled persons. These tasks
are identified by an information note. Skilled persons must have the following skills:
• Training in how to deal with the dangers and risks associated with installing and using electrical
devices and plants
• Training in the installation and commissioning of electrical devices and plants
• Knowledge of all applicable standards and directives
• Knowledge of and adherence to this document and all safety precautions
2.4 Safety Precautions
Safety-Relevant Parameters
Safety-relevant operating parameters of the inverters in your plant can be changed using the
Power Reducer Box. These parameters may normally only be changed after consultation with the
power supply company into whose electricity grid you are feeding.
• If you have any doubts, contact your power supply company.
Electrostatic Discharge
By touching electronic components, you may cause damage to or destroy the Power Reducer Box
through electrostatic discharge.
• Earth yourself before touching any components.
Data Security
You can connect the Power Reducer Box to the Internet. When accessing via the Internet, there is the
risk that unauthorised users may access and manipulate the data or devices in your plant.
• Take suitable protective measures (e.g. set up a firewall, close network ports that are not
required, only enable remote access via the VPN tunnel).
• After logging in for the first time, change the default password. Select a number-letter
combination with at least eight characters for your password (see Section 10.2"Changing your
Password",page53).
• Keep the password secret and prevent unauthorised persons from accessing it.

2 Safety SMA Solar Technology AG
12 REDUCERBOX-BA-en-16 User Manual
2.5 Operating Instructions
Inverters Not Supported in the PV Plant
Inverters that are not supported do not implement the parameters via the Power Reducer Box.
The setpoint of the network operator can however be achieved. For this the status configuration of the
Power Reducer Box must be adjusted so that the output of the supported inverters is more strongly
controlled.
• If the network operator requires an active power limitation of 0%, the unsupported inverters must
be disconnected via a suitable switching unit.
• If in doubt, contact your network operator or the SMA Service Line before you commission the
Power Reducer Box.
No DCHP Mode in the Registered Sunny WebBoxes
In the event of changing IP addresses of the Sunny WebBoxes (e.g. in DHCP networks) the
Power Reducer Box does not function correctly. Reset all Sunny WebBoxes to be registered by the
Power Reducer Box to static IP addresses.
Data Traffic via the RPC Interface
Limitation commands from the Power Reducer Box are sent via the Sunny WebBox RPC interface.
Avoid additional data traffic via the Sunny WebBox RPC interface so as not to compromise the speed
of the limitation commands.

SMA Solar Technology AG 3 Scope of Delivery
User Manual REDUCERBOX-BA-en-16 13
3Scope of Delivery
Check the scope of delivery for completeness and any externally visible damage.
Contact your specialist dealer if the delivery is incomplete or damaged.
Figure1: Components included in scope of delivery
Item Quantity Description
A1Power Reducer Box
B 1 Plug-in power supply with 4 adapters
C 1 Red Ethernet cable (patch cable)
D 1 Blue Ethernet cable (crossover cable)
E2Screw
F 2 Wall plug
G 1 User manual and commissioning checklist
H 1 Pre-terminated cable (length: 2.5 m) with 7-pole plug

4 Product Description SMA Solar Technology AG
14 REDUCERBOX-BA-en-16 User Manual
4 Product Description
4.1 Power Reducer Box
The Power Reducer Box is for PV plants that have to implement network operator setpoints for active
power limitation and reactive power operation under grid management. The network operator can
use the Power Reducer Box to temporarily and remotely limit the feed-in capacity of the PV plant in
the case of a grid overload. The Power Reducer Box translates the control commands of the network
operator and transmits them to the Sunny WebBox. The Sunny WebBox forwards the control
commands to the inverter.
The Power Reducer Box primarily performs the following tasks:
• Active power limitation and reactive power setpoint
• Recording all control commands of the network operator
• Control of up to 2,500 SMA inverters via Sunny WebBoxes
• Data transfer to the Sunny Portal Internet portal for visualisation and optimal notification to the
plant operator
Four digital states (e.g. a ripple control receiver) can be imported with the Power Reducer Box and
the inverters can be set according to the specifications of the network operator. The four inputs can
be freely configured via the integrated user interface on the Power Reducer Box. If a signal from the
ripple control receiver is present, the Power Reducer Box analyses the signal and relays an instruction
via the Ethernet network to the registered Sunny WebBoxes. The Sunny WebBoxes contacted transfer
the instruction to the connected inverters.
Events are recorded in the internal memory of the Power Reducer Box. It is also possible to save events
onto an SD card or to download events via the user interface.
The Power Reducer Box sends the event data to the Sunny Portal. The Sunny Portal can display the
sent data and inform the user of this by e-mail in the event of applied power limitations.
The Power Reducer Box can automatically update its firmware via the SMA Update-Portal if a new
update is available. For this purpose, the Power Reducer Box must have an Internet connection.

SMA Solar Technology AG 4 Product Description
User Manual REDUCERBOX-BA-en-16 15
Figure2: Principle of implementing grid management with the Power Reducer Box and the Sunny WebBox
Figure3: Principle of implementing grid management with the Power Reducer Box and the Sunny WebBox with
Bluetooth

4 Product Description SMA Solar Technology AG
16 REDUCERBOX-BA-en-16 User Manual
Operating Mode
• Active power limitation
• Reactive power setpoint with active power output
Connecting the Power Reducer Box to the local network
The diagram for the principle of implementing grid management does not replace the exact
terminal assignment for connecting the Power Reducer Box to the local network. The exact
terminal assignment can be found in Section 8.1.7"Connecting the Power Reducer Box to the
Local Network",page36.

SMA Solar Technology AG 4 Product Description
User Manual REDUCERBOX-BA-en-16 17
4.2 Type Label
The type label provides unique identification of the Power Reducer Box. The type label is located on
the back of the Power Reducer Box.
Figure4: Information on the type label
You will require the information on the type label to use the device safely and for customer support
from the SMA Service Line. The type label must be permanently attached to the Power Reducer Box.
Symbols on the Type Label
Item Explanation
A Device type
B Serial number
C Device-specific characteristics
Symbol Description Explanation
Indoor The product is only suitable for indoor
installation.
C-Tick The product complies with the requirements
of the applicable Australian EMC standards.
CE marking The product complies with the requirements
of the applicable EC directives.
WEEE designation Only dispose of the product in accordance
with the locally applicable disposal
regulations for electronic waste and not with
household waste.

4 Product Description SMA Solar Technology AG
18 REDUCERBOX-BA-en-16 User Manual
4.3 LEDs
Figure5: LED overview
4.4 Sunny Portal
The Power Reducer Box can send data to the Sunny Portal Internet portal (www.SunnyPortal.com).
This data includes for example status information, system statuses and events. The sent data is
displayed graphically in the Sunny Portal.
Events such as changes to the requirements of the network operator, changes to the status
configuration or disturbances can be saved in the Sunny Portal plant logbook. In addition,
the Sunny Portal can inform the user of actual events via e-mail (see Sunny Portal for Sunny WebBox
user manual).
LED Meaning
POWER COMMAND Validity of the setpoint
POWER STATUS Status of the power limitation
WEBBOXCOM Communication with Sunny WebBox
NETCOM Activity in the Ethernet network
SD CARD Status of the SD card
SYSTEM Operational readiness
POWER Power supply
Currentness of the data in Sunny Portal
The Power Reducer Box sends data to the Sunny Portal as soon as events occur or settings are
made via the user interface. The data in Sunny Portal can be displayed with a time delay,
depending on your Internet connection and the processing of data in Sunny Portal.

SMA Solar Technology AG 4 Product Description
User Manual REDUCERBOX-BA-en-16 19
4.5 System Requirements of the Computer
Supported Internet browsers:
• Microsoft Internet Explorer from version 8
• Mozilla Firefox from version 3.6
• Google Chrome from version 23.0
• Apple Safari from version 5.1.7
• Opera from version 12
Recommended screen resolution:
• At least 1,024 pixels x 768 pixels

5 The Power Reducer Box User Interface SMA Solar Technology AG
20 REDUCERBOX-BA-en-16 User Manual
5 The Power Reducer Box User Interface
5.1 User Groups and User Rights
The Power Reducer Box differentiates between three user groups:
•User
• Installer
•Service
In order to prevent two users effecting contradictory settings at the same time, only one user can ever
be logged on to the Power Reducer Box at one time.
In addition to the rights of the "User" user group, the "Installer" user group has the following rights:
• Changing the status configuration
• Registering and editing Sunny WebBoxes in the Power Reducer Box
• Resetting the "User" user group password
"Service" user group
The "Service" user group is exclusively restricted to SMA service employees.