SMA SUNNY BOY 3000TL Single Tracker User manual

SB30-50TL-21-IA-en-20 | IMEN-SBXTL-21 | Version 2.0
EN
PV Inverter
SUNNY BOY 3000TL / 3600TL / 4000TL / 5000TL
Installation Manual

SMA Solar Technology AG Table of Contents
Installation Manual SB30-50TL-21-IA-en-20 3
Table of Contents
1 Information on this Manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.1 Validity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.2 Target Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.3 Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.4 Symbols Used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2 Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.1 Intended Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.2 Qualification of Skilled Persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.3 Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3 Product Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.1 Sunny Boy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.2 Symbols on the Inverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.3 Type label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.4 Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.5 Electronic Solar Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.6 Bluetooth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
3.7 Slot for Communication Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
3.8 Slot for Multi-Function Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3.9 SMA OptiTrac Global Peak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3.10 Grid Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.11 Varistors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.12 SMA Grid Guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4 Unpacking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4.1 Scope of delivery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
5 Mounting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
5.1 Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
5.2 Selecting the Mounting Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
5.3 Mounting the Inverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

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4 SB30-50TL-21-IA-en-20 Installation Manual
6 Electrical Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
6.1 Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
6.2 Overview of the Connection Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
6.3 Connection to the Electricity Mains (AC). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
6.3.1 Conditions for the AC Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
6.3.2 Connecting the Inverter to the Electricity Mains (AC) . . . . . . . . . . . 36
6.3.3 Additional Earthing of the Enclosure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
6.4 Connecting the PV Array (DC). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
6.4.1 Conditions for DC Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
6.4.2 Assembling the DC Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
6.4.3 Disassembling the DC Plug Connector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
6.4.4 Connecting the PV Array (DC). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
6.5 Setting the Country Standard and Display Language . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
6.5.1 Checking the Country Standard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
6.5.2 Setting the Country Standard and Language using the
Rotary Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
6.6 Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
6.6.1 Interface for Wireline Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
6.6.2 Setting the Bluetooth NetID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
7 Commissioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
7.1 Commissioning the Inverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
7.2 Display Messages during the Start-up Phase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
7.3 Self-test (Applies to Italy Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
7.3.1 Starting the Self-Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
7.3.2 Abortion of the Self-Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
7.3.3 Restarting the Self-Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
8 Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
8.1 Changing the Plant Time and Plant Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
8.2 Activating and Setting SMA OptiTrac Global Peak . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

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Installation Manual SB30-50TL-21-IA-en-20 5
9 Opening and Closing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
9.1 Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
9.2 Disconnecting the Inverter from Voltage Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
9.3 Closing the Inverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
10 Maintenance and Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
10.1 Cleaning the Inverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
10.2 Checking Heat Dissipation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
10.3 Checking the Electronic Solar Switch for Wear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
11 Slot for SD Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
12 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
12.1 LED Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
12.2 Event Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
12.3 Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
12.4 DC Current after AC-side Disconnection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
12.5 Checking the PV Array for Earth Faults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
12.6 Checking the Function of the Varistors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
13 Decommissioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
13.1 Dismantling the Inverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
13.2 Replacing the Enclosure Lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
13.3 Packing the Inverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
13.4 Storing the Inverter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
13.5 Disposing of the Inverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
14 Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
14.1 Sunny Boy 3000TL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
14.2 Sunny Boy 3600TL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
14.3 Sunny Boy 4000TL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
14.4 Sunny Boy 5000TL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
15 Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
16 Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Table of Contents SMA Solar Technology AG
6 SB30-50TL-21-IA-en-20 Installation Manual

SMA Solar Technology AG 1 Information on this Manual
Installation Manual SB30-50TL-21-IA-en-20 7
1 Information on this Manual
1.1 Validity
This manual applies to the following device types:
• Sunny Boy 3000TL (SB 3000TL-21)
• Sunny Boy 3600TL (SB 3600TL-21)
• Sunny Boy 4000TL (SB 4000TL-21)
• Sunny Boy 5000TL (SB 5000TL-21)
1.2 Target Group
This manual is intended for skilled persons. Only qualified personnel with the appropriate skills are
allowed to perform the tasks set forth in this manual (see Section2.2 "Qualification of Skilled Persons",
page11).
1.3 Additional Information
For further information, see www.SMA-Solar.com:
Document title Document type
Miniature Circuit-breaker Technical information
Measured Values and Parameters Technical description
SMA Bluetooth ‒ SMA Bluetooth® Wireless Technology in Practice Technical information
SMA Bluetooth® Wireless Technology Technical description
Multi-function relay and OptiTrac Global Peak Technical description
Module Technology Technical information
Capacitive Leakage Currents Technical information

1 Information on this Manual SMA Solar Technology AG
8 SB30-50TL-21-IA-en-20 Installation Manual
1.4 Symbols Used
The following types of safety precautions and general information are used in this manual:
Nomenclature
The following nomenclature is used in this manual:
DANGER indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, will result in death or serious injury.
WARNING indicates a safety precaution which, if not avoided, could result in death or serious
injury.
CAUTION indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in minor or moderate
injury.
NOTICE indicates a situation which, if not avoided, could result in property damage.
Information
Information provides tips that are valuable for effective installation and operation of the
product.
☑ This symbol indicates the result of an action.
Complete designation Designation in this manual
Sunny Boy 3000TL / 3600TL / 4000TL / 5000TL Inverter
Electronic Solar Switch ESS
SMA Bluetooth® Wireless Technology Bluetooth

SMA Solar Technology AG 1 Information on this Manual
Installation Manual SB30-50TL-21-IA-en-20 9
Abbreviations
Abbreviation Designation Explanation
AC Alternating Current ‒
DC Direct Current ‒
EC European Community ‒
LED Light-Emitting Diode ‒
MPP Maximum Power Point ‒
NetID Network Identification Identification number for
SMA Bluetooth network
MSL Mean Sea Level ‒
PE Protective Earth Protective conductor
PV Photovoltaics ‒
AF Width Across Flats The distance between two parallel
flat surfaces ("flats") of a screw
head.
VDE Verband der Elektrotechnik
Elektronik Informationstechnik e.V.
Association for Electrical, Electronic
and Information Technologies

2 Safety SMA Solar Technology AG
10 SB30-50TL-21-IA-en-20 Installation Manual
2 Safety
2.1 Intended Use
The Sunny Boy is a PV inverter, which converts the direct current of the PV array to grid-compliant
alternating current and feeds it into the electricity grid.
Principle of a PV plant with this Sunny Boy
The Sunny Boy is suitable for indoor and outdoor use.
The Sunny Boy may only be operated with PV arrays (PV modules and cabling) of protection class II.
The PV modules must be suitable for use with the Sunny Boy and must have been released by the
module manufacturer.
PV modules with large capacities to earth may only be used if their coupling capacity does not exceed
1,400 nF.
Alternative uses, modifications to the Sunny Boy or the installation of component parts not expressly
recommended or sold by SMA Solar Technology AG are not permitted.
Persons with limited physical or mental abilities may only work on the Sunny Boy after due instruction
and under constant supervision. Children are forbidden to play with the Sunny Boy. Ensure that the
Sunny Boy is kept out of reach of children.

SMA Solar Technology AG 2 Safety
Installation Manual SB30-50TL-21-IA-en-20 11
Only use the Sunny Boy in accordance with the information provided in the enclosed documentation.
Any other use may result in personal injury or property damage.
• Do not mount the inverter on flammable construction materials.
• Do not mount the inverter in areas where highly flammable materials are stored.
• Do not mount the inverter in a potentially explosive atmosphere.
The enclosed documentation is an integral part of this product.
• Read and follow the documentation to to ensure the correct and optimum use of the Sunny Boy.
• Keep the documentation in a convenient place for future reference.
2.2 Qualification of Skilled Persons
The tasks described in this manual may be performed by skilled persons only. Skilled persons must
have the following qualifications:
• Knowledge of how an inverter works and is operated
• 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 manual and all the specified safety precautions

2 Safety SMA Solar Technology AG
12 SB30-50TL-21-IA-en-20 Installation Manual
2.3 Safety Precautions
Danger to life due to high voltages in the inverter
High voltages which may cause electric shocks are present in the conductive parts of the inverter.
Prior to performing any work on the inverter, disconnect the inverter on the AC and DC sides
(see Section9.2 "Disconnecting the Inverter from Voltage Sources", page63).
Risk of burns due to electric arc
To prevent arcing when disconnecting DC connectors, the ESS and DC connectors must be removed
from the inverter before performing any work on the PV array.
• Before starting work on the PV array, always disconnect the inverter on the AC and DC sides
(see Section9.2 "Disconnecting the Inverter from Voltage Sources", page63).
• Attach the enclosed warning label "Risk of burns from electric arc" so that it is clearly visible
on the external AC disconnection device.
Risk of burns due to hot enclosure parts
Some parts of the enclosure may become hot during operation.
• Do not touch any parts other than the lower enclosure lid of the inverter during operation.
Earthing of the PV array
Comply with local regulations for the earthing of the modules and the PV array.
SMA Solar Technology AG recommends connecting the array frame and other electrically
conductive surfaces so that there is continuous conduction, and earthing them in order to ensure
maximum protection for property and persons.

SMA Solar Technology AG 3 Product Description
Installation Manual SB30-50TL-21-IA-en-20 13
3 Product Description
3.1 Sunny Boy
The Sunny Boy is a PV inverter, which converts the direct current of the PV array to grid-compliant
alternating current and feeds it into the electricity grid.
Item Description
AType label
BLEDs
CDisplay
DElectronic Solar Switch
ELower enclosure lid
FUpper enclosure lid

3 Product Description SMA Solar Technology AG
14 SB30-50TL-21-IA-en-20 Installation Manual
3.2 Symbols on the Inverter
Symbol Description Explanation
Inverter This symbol defines the function of the green LED.
It indicates the operating state of the inverter.
Observe the
documentation.
This symbol defines the function of the red LED. It
indicates a fault or disturbance. Please read the
manual to find information on how to remedy the
fault or disturbance.
Bluetooth This symbol defines the function of the blue LED.
It indicates that communication via Bluetooth is
activated.
QR Code® for
SMA Bonus Program
For information on the SMA Bonus Program, see
www.SMA-Bonus.com.
Danger Observe the connection requirements for a
second protective conductor (see Section6.3.1
"Conditions for the AC Connection", page33).
Danger to life due to
high voltages in the
inverter
The capacitors in the inverter may be charged
with very high voltages.
• Disconnect the inverter from voltage
sources (see Section 9.2) and wait
5 minutes before opening the upper lid, in
order to allow time for the capacitors to
discharge.

SMA Solar Technology AG 3 Product Description
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3.3 Type label
The type label uniquely identifies the inverter. The type label is located on the right-hand side of the
enclosure.
The information on the type label is intended to help you use the inverter safely and receive targeted
customer support from the SMA Service Line. The type label must remain permanently attached to the
inverter.
Item Explanation
AInverter device type
BInverter manufacture date (year-month-day)
CDevice-specific characteristics
DField for additional information, e.g. details of country-specific standards
EInverter serial number

3 Product Description SMA Solar Technology AG
16 SB30-50TL-21-IA-en-20 Installation Manual
Symbols on the Type Label
Symbol Description Explanation
Danger to life due to high
voltages
The product operates at high voltages. All
work on the product must be carried out by
skilled persons only.
Risk of burns from hot
surfaces
The product can become hot during
operation. Avoid contact during operation.
Allow the product to cool down sufficiently
before carrying out any work. Wear
personal protective equipment such as
safety gloves.
Observe the
documentation
Observe all documentation that is supplied
with the product.
Without transformer The product does not have a transformer.
DC Direct current
AC Alternating current
Degree of protection The product is protected against dust
intrusion and water jets from any angle.
Outdoor The product is suitable for outdoor
installation.
WEEE designation Do not dispose of the product together with
the household waste, but only in accordance
with the locally applicable regulations for
the disposal of electronic waste.
CE marking The product complies with the requirements
of the applicable EC directives.
Device class ID The product is equipped with a wireless
component and complies with Device
Class 2.
RAL quality mark for solar
products
The product complies with the requirements
of the German Institute for Quality
Assurance and Certification.

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3.4 Display
The display shows the current operating data of the inverter (e.g. status, power, input voltage) as well
as faults and disturbances.
Certified safety The product is VDE-tested and complies with
the requirements of the German Equipment
and Product Safety Act.
C-Tick The product complies with the requirements
of the applicable Australian EMC standards.
Item Description Explanation
APower Displays the current power
BDay Displays the amount of energy fed in so far today
CTotal Total amount of energy fed in until now
DActive functions The symbols indicate which communication or power
regulation functions are enabled.
EPhase assignment Shows assignment of the inverter to a phase. It is also
used to indicate external power limitation.
FElectricity grid event
number
Event number of a disturbance in the electricity grid
Symbol Description Explanation
kVAr
kVArh
kWh
MVArh
MWh
kW
kWh
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
K
L
M
I
t/hday

3 Product Description SMA Solar Technology AG
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Symbols on the Display
GOutput voltage/output
current
The display alternately shows the output voltage and
the output current of the inverter.
HInverter event number Event number of a device disturbance
IInput voltage/input current The display alternately shows the input voltage and
the input current at one input of the inverter.
KPV array event number Event number of a disturbance in the PV array
LText line The text line shows event messages.
MPower and yield curve The diagram shows the changes in power over the
last 16 feed-in hours or the energy yields over the last
16 days. Tap the display once to switch between
views.
Symbol Designation Explanation
Tapping You can operate the display by tapping it:
• Single tap: the backlight switches on or the
display scrolls to the next display message.
• Double tap: the display shows, in
succession, the firmware version, the
inverter serial number or designation, the
Bluetooth NetID, the configured country
standard and the display language.
Telephone receiver Device disturbance present. Contact the
SMA Service Line.
Spanner Disturbance which can be resolved on-site.
Bluetooth Bluetooth communication is enabled.
Bluetooth connection Bluetooth connection to other devices is active.
Multi-function relay The multi-function relay is active.
Item Description Explanation

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Temperature symbol The power of the inverter is limited due to
excessive temperature.
Power limitation The external active power limitation via plant
control is active
PV array This symbol represents a PV array with strings
connected to two inputs on the inverter. The left
half of the symbol stands for input A and the right
half for input B. Whichever half is darker
indicates the input to which the current values
refer. The display switches between the inputs
every 10 seconds.
Inverter ‒
Grid relay If the grid relay is closed, the inverter feeds
power into the grid. If the grid relay is open, the
inverter is disconnected from the grid.
Electricity grid ‒
Symbol Designation Explanation

3 Product Description SMA Solar Technology AG
20 SB30-50TL-21-IA-en-20 Installation Manual
3.5 Electronic Solar Switch
The ESS is a DC switch-disconnector. The ESS prevents the formation of electric arcs when the
DC connector is pulled.
When plugged in, the ESS forms a conductive link between the PV array and the inverter. Removing
the ESS interrupts the electric circuit and allows you to disconnect the DC connectors from the inverter
safely.
Item Description Explanation
APlug ‒
BSafety precautions
sticker
• Never operate the inverter without the lower enclosure
lid in place.
• Observe all documentation that accompanies the
inverter.
CESS sticker • If the ESS is plugged in, the DC electric circuit
remains closed.
• To interrupt the DC electric circuit, you first need to
perform steps 1 and 2.
• Remove the ESS.
• Remove all DC connectors.
B
A
C