SMA Sunny Boy 1100U User manual

Photovoltaic, Grid-Tied
String Inverter
Sunny Boy 1100U
Installation Guide
SOLARTECHNOLOGY

Installation Guide
SB1100U-11:SE1604 SMA America i
Copyright © 2003 SMA America, Inc. All rights reserved.
No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photographic,
magnetic, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of SMA America, Inc.
SMA America makes no representations, express or implied, with respect to this
documentation or any of the equipment and/or software it may describe, including
(with no limitation) any implied warranties of utility, merchantability, or fitness for
any particular purpose. All such warranties are expressly disclaimed. Neither SMA
America nor its distributors or dealers shall be liable for any indirect, incidental, or
consequential damages under any circumstances.
(The exclusion of implied warranties may not apply in all cases under some
statutes, and thus the above exclusion may not apply.)
Specifications are subject to change without notice. Every attempt has been made
to make this document complete, accurate, and up-to-date. Readers are cautioned,
however, that SMA America reserves the right to make changes without notice and
shall not be responsible for any damages, including indirect, incidental or
consequential damages, caused by reliance on the material presented, including,
but not limited to, omissions, typographical errors, arithmetical errors, or listing
errors in the content material.
SMA America, Incorporated
12438-C Loma Rica Drive
Grass Valley, California 95945
Tel [phone]
Fax [phone]
www.sma-america.com
Revision History
Rev. No. Date By Reason
0.1 Sept. 2, 2003 Mike Brazil Alpha draft
0.2 Oct. 16, 2003 Mike Brazil Beta draft
0.3 Nov. 12, 2003 Jeffrey Philpott Preliminary Release
1.0 March 22, 2004 Gerald Salisbury First official version

Installation Guide
ii SMA America SB1100U-11:SE1604
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS
This manual contains important instructions for the Sunny Boy 1100U that must be
followed during installation and maintenance of the inverter.
The Sunny Boy is designed and tested according to international safety requirements,
but as with all electrical and electronic equipment, certain precautions must be observed
when installing and/or operating the Sunny Boy. To reduce the risk of personal injury
and to ensure the safe installation and operation of the Sunny Boy, you must carefully
read and follow all instructions, cautions, and warnings in this Installation Guide.
Safety and Hazard Symbols
This symbol is used to call attention to important information that you
must have when installing and/or operating the Sunny Boy. Failure to
read and follow instructions marked with this symbol could result in
injury or death and/or damage to the equipment.
This symbol appears beside instructions and warnings that deal
with dangerous voltages that can injure or kill people who come
in contact with them.
This symbol appears beside instructions and cautions that deal
with equipment components that can be damaged by static
electricity.
This symbol appears beside instructions, cautions, and warnings that
deal with portions of the equipment that can operate at temperatures
high enough to cause burns.
This symbol appears beside instructions, cautions, and warnings that
deal with portions of the equipment that can operate at temperatures
high enough to start a fire.

Installation Guide
SB1100U-11:SE1604 SMA America iii
Cautions and Warnings
WARNING: A Warning describes a hazard to personnel. It
calls attention to a procedure or practice, which, if not correct-
ly performed or adhered to, could result in personal injury.
CAUTION: A Caution describes a hazard to equipment. It calls
attention to an operating procedure or practice, which, if not
correctly performed or adhered to, could result in damage to or
destruction of part or all of the SMA equipment and/or other
equipment connected to the SMA equipment.
Warnings and Cautions may also be accompanied by one or more of the safety and
hazard symbols described above to indicate the type of hazard described therein.
All electrical installations must be done in accordance with
the local and National Electrical Code ANSI/NFPA 70.
The Sunny Boy contains no user-serviceable parts. Always
return the unit to an SMA authorized Service Center for
repairs and maintenance.
Before installing or using the Sunny Boy, read all of the
instructions, cautions, and warnings on the Sunny Boy, the
PV array, and in this Installation Guide.
You must not connect the Sunny Boy to the electrical utility
grid until you have received prior approval from the utility
company. This connection must be made only by qualified
personnel.
PV arrays produce electrical energy when exposed to light
and thus can create an electrical shock hazard.
Completely cover the surface of all PV-arrays with opaque
(dark) material before wiring them.
The Sunny Boy has a heat sink on its top surface to help
cool the internal components. This heat sink can reach
temperatures as high as 158° F (70° C). To avoid the risk
of burns, never touch the Sunny Boy’s heat sink while the
unit is in operation.

Installation Guide
iv SMA America SB1100U-11:SE1604
Other Symbols
In addition to the safety and hazard symbols described on the previous pages, the
following two symbols are also used in this Installation Guide:
Note: This symbol accompanies notes that call attention to sup-
plementary information that you should know and use to ensure
optimal operation of the system.
Example: This symbol accompanies examples that are included
to help you understand certain topics.
Warranty
All Sunny Boy inverters sold in the USA have a five-year warranty, as indicated on the
warranty card included in the Sunny Boy shipping container. For warranty coverage, or
if you have questions about the Sunny Boy warranty, contact SMA America at the
address, telephone number, or Web site listed on page i (to send E-mail, see the Contact
section of the SMA America Web site).

SB1100U-11:SE1604 SMA America v
Contents
Revision History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Safety and Hazard Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
Cautions and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Other Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Warranty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
1 Introduction
Product Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Installation Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
2 Unpacking and Inspection
3 Mounting the Sunny Boy
Choosing a Mounting Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Dimensions and Recommended Clearances . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Mounting Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
4 Wiring and Connecting the Sunny Boy
Sunny Boy 1100U Internal Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Opening the Sunny Boy 1100U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Locating Internal Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Wiring the AC Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
AC Connection Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Connecting the AC Wires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Wiring the DC Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9
DC Connection Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9
Connecting the DC Wires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Connecting Communication Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
RS-232 Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
RS-485 Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16
Replacing the Cover. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18
5 Commissioning the Sunny Boy
6 Displays and Messages
Fault Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Communication Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
7 Troubleshooting

vi SMA America SB1100U-11:SE1604

SB1100U-11:SE1604 SMA America 1-1
Section 1:
Introduction
This installation guide provides all the information needed to mount, wire, and
commission a Sunny Boy 1100U grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) inverter.
Note: To help avoid problems during the installation,
familiarize yourself with the installation process by reading
the entire Installation Guide before starting the installation.
WARNING: Lethal voltages are present at various points
in a PV system. For safety reasons, it is recommended that
only trained professionals attempt to install this equip-
ment.
Product Overview
The SMA Sunny Boy 1100U string inverter is designed for use in grid-tied PV generating
plants. It accepts DC voltage inputs from PV arrays of up to 400 V DC.
A grid-feeding inverter takes the DC output of the PV array, converts it to AC, adjusts
the output voltage to match the local utility-grid voltage, and feeds the AC output to both
the house wiring and the utility grid. In its most basic form, a PV system therefore consists
of three basic components: the PV module (or array of panels), the inverter, and the
utility grid. The AC voltage supplied by the PV system is used first by household devices
(appliances, lights, etc.), and any unconsumed power is then fed through the house’s
power meter into the utility grid as shown in Figure 1-1 (page 1-1).
Figure 1-1 Sunny Boy 1100U Installed in a Utility Interactive PV System
PVArray Sunny Boy 1100U Utility Grid
Meter

Introduction Installation Overview
1-2 SMA America SB1100U-11:SE1604
When the PV system is not producing enough power to meed the demands of all the
electrical loads in the household, additional power is drawn from the utility grid to make
up the difference. When the PV system is producing more power than is consumed by
household devices, the surplus power turns the house’s power meter backwards as it
passes into the utility grid to be used by other electrical consumers, thus producing utility
credits for the power added to the utility grid.
Note: Policies vary from one utility company to another. Consult
with a representative of the local utility company before
planning and installing a PV system.
Installation Overview
This section provides a high-level overview of the installation process so you have an
idea what to expect as you proceed through the rest of the Installation Guide.
The installation process is broken down into the following tasks:
Section 2: Unpacking and Inspection
This section provides instructions and information for unpacking the Sunny Boy,
inspecting it for shipping damage, and if necessary, returning a damaged Sunny Boy.
Section 3: Mounting the Sunny Boy
This section includes guidelines to help you select the best mounting location, cautions
and warnings that you should follow to avoid injury and/or equipment damage, and
step-by-step instructions for mounting a Sunny Boy 1100U inverter.
Section 4: Wiring and Connecting the Sunny Boy
This section includes guidelines for selecting the correct wire sizes, cautions and
warnings that you should follow to avoid injury and/or equipment damage, and step-
by-step instructions for wiring a Sunny Boy to a PV array, household electrical circuits,
and the utility grid. Procedures are also included for connecting optional data-
communication cables to the Sunny Boy.
Section 5: Commissioning the Sunny Boy
Commissioning involves applying DC input power to the Sunny Boy, observing the LED
indicators on the cover, and resolving any problems that occur.
Section 6: Displays and Messages
This section provides tips and procedures for resolving problems that can occur during
installation.