SMA SUNNY CENTRAL 250U User manual

SCUS-BE-BUS111113 |98-4000613 |Version 1.3
US
Central Inverter
SUNNY CENTRAL 250U / 500U / 500HE-US / 500HE-CA
User Manual

SMA America, LLC
User Manual SCUS-BE-BUS111113 3
Copyright © 2011 SMA America,LLC. 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,LLC.
Neither SMA America,LLC nor SMA Solar Technology Canada Inc. 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,LLC nor
its distributors or dealers nor SMA Solar Technology Canada Inc. 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,LLC and SMA Solar Technology Canada Inc. reserve 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.
All trademarks are recognized even if these are not marked separately. Missing designations do not
mean that a product or brand is not a registered trademark.
The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and
any use of such marks by SMA America,LLC and SMA Solar Technology Canada Inc. is under
license.
SMA America, LLC
3801 N. Havana Street
Denver, CO 80239 U.S.A.
SMA Solar Technology Canada Inc.
2425 Matheson Blvd E, 8th Floor
Mississauga, ON L4W 5K5 Canada

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IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS
This manual contains important instructions for Sunny Central 250U, Sunny Central 500U, Sunny
Central 500HE-US and Sunny Central 500HE-CA photovoltaic (PV) inverters, that shall be followed
during installation and maintenance of the inverter.
The Sunny Central 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 Central. To reduce the risk of personal injury and to ensure the safe installation
and operation of the Sunny Central, you must carefully read and follow all instructions, cautions and
warnings in this Installation Guide.
Warnings in this document
A Warning describes a hazard to equipment or personnel. It calls attention to a 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 or
personal injury.
DANGER
DANGER indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, will result in death or
serious injury.
WARNING
WARNING indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in death or
serious injury.
CAUTION
CAUTION indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in minor or
moderate injury.
NOTICE
NOTICE indicates a situation that can result in property damage if not avoided.

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Other Symbols
In addition to the safety and hazard symbols described on the previous pages, the following symbol
is also used in this Installation Guide:
Markings on this Product
The following symbols are used as markings on this product with the following meanings.
Information
This symbol accompanies notes that call attention to supplementary information that you
should know and use to ensure optimal operation of the system.
Warning regarding dangerous voltage
The product works with high voltages. All work on the product must only be performed
as described in it‘s documentation.
Electric arc hazards
The product has large electrical potential differences between its conductors. Arc flashes
can occur through air when high-voltage current flows. Do not work on the product
during operation.
Beware of hot surface
The product can become hot during operation. Do not touch the product during
operation.
Observe the operating instructions
Read the documentation of the product before performing any work. Follow all safety
precautions and instructions as described in the documentation.
UL1741 is the standard applied by Underwriters Laboratories to the
SunnyCental500HE-US to certify that it meets the requirements of the
NationalElectricalCode®, the Canadian Electrical Code® CSA C22.1 and
IEEE‑929‑2000. IEEE 929-2000 provides recommendations regarding the proper
equipment and functionality necessary to ensure compatible operation when power
generation is connected to the utility grid.
DC current
Earth Ground

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General Warnings
General Warnings
All electrical installations must be done in accordance with the local and
NationalElectrical Code® ANSI/NFPA 70 or the Canadian Electrical Code®
CSAC22.1. This document does not and is not intended to replace any local, state,
provincial, federal or national laws, regulation or codes applicable to the installation and
use of the SMA inverter, including without limitation applicable electrical safety codes. All
installations must conform with the laws, regulations, codes and standards applicable in
the jurisdiction of installation. SMA assumes no responsibility for the compliance or
noncompliance with such laws or codes in connection with the installation of the SMA
inverter.
Before installing or using the Sunny Central, read all of the instructions, cautions, and
warnings on the Sunny Central, the PV array, in this Installation Guide and in User Manual.
Before connecting the Sunny Central to the electrical utility grid, contact the local 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. Wiring of the PV-arrays shall only be performed by qualified
personnel.

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Table of Contents
1 Information on this Manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.1 Target Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.2 Validity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2 Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3 Description of the Sunny Central . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.1 Design of the Sunny Central . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.2 Location of the Safety Instructions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.3 Identifying the Sunny Central . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.4 Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.5 Elements for Sunny Central Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.5.1 Sunny Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.6 Optional Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4 Operating the Sunny Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4.1 Functions of the Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4.2 Description of Display Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.3 Navigating through the Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
4.4 Switching the display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
4.5 Menu Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
4.5.1 Description of Menu Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4.6 Changing Date and Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4.6.1 Changing Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4.6.2 Changing Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4.7 Display Firmware Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
5 Spot Values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
6 Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
6.1 Description of Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

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6.2 Changing Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
7 Error Diagnosis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
7.1 Diagnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
7.1.1 PV Generator Fault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
7.1.2 Sunny Central Fault. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
7.1.3 Grid Fault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
7.1.4 Display Fault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
7.1.5 Acknowledge Error at the Sunny Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
7.1.6 Acknowledge the Error with the Sunny WebBox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
8 Appendix - Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
9 Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

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1 Information on this Manual
This document describes the operation, maintenance and failure correction of the Sunny Central
250U, Sunny Central 500U and Sunny Central 500HE-US. This manual does not cover any details
concerning PV modules. Information concerning the PV modules is available from the manufacturer of
the PV modules.
1.1 Target Group
This manual is for the installer, the maintenance personnel and the operator of a Sunny Central 250U,
Sunny Central 500U and Sunny Central 500HE-US. The installer, the maintenance personnel and the
operator of the Sunny Central have to be qualified personnel. Qualified personnel has received
training and has demonstrated skills and knowledge in the construction and operation of the device.
Qualified personnel is trained to deal with the dangers and hazards involved in installing electric
devices.
1.2 Validity
This manual applies for the Sunny Central 250U, Sunny Central 500U, Sunny Central 500HE-US and
Sunny Central 500HE-CA from the BFR firmware version 1.030 and the DSP firmware version 1.030.
In this manual the Sunny Central 250U, Sunny Central 500U, Sunny Central 500HE-US and Sunny
Central 500HE-CA are referred to as "Sunny Central".

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2 Safety Instructions
DANGER
High voltages are present in the live components of the medium voltage grid.
Death resulting from burning and electric shock.
• Do not touch the live components of the medium voltage grid or the inverter.
• Pay close attention to all safety precaution measures regarding the medium voltage
grid.
WARNING
Failure to follow the manual, the operating instructions and the safety precautions may lead
to severe injury from electric shock.
• All work on the Sunny Central may only be done as described in this manual.
• Pay attention to all safety instructions.
• Follow all operating instructions.
• If problems occur when performing the work described here, contact SMA America.
WARNING
Operating a damaged Sunny Central may cause severe injury from electric shock.
• The Sunny Central may only be used when it is technically faultless and safe to
operate.
• Operate the Sunny Central only if there are no visible damages.
• Regularly check the Sunny Central for visible damage.
• Ensure that all external safety features are freely accessible at all times, and that they
are regularly tested for correct functionality.
Storage of handbooks
This documentation must be kept in the immediate vicinity of the Sunny Central. It must be
accessible to service and maintenance personnel at any time.
Do not store this documentation or other papers in the Sunny Central.

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3 Description of the Sunny Central
The Sunny Central is a PV inverter that converts the DC energy from PV modules to AC energy. This
energy is then fed to the public grid. The Sunny Central is designed for indoor and outdoor
installation.
Principle of a PV Power System with a Sunny Central 250U or Sunny Central
500U
Position Description
APV modules
B DC distribution with DC fuses (e.g., Sunny Central String-Monitor)
CDC disconnect
DSunny Central
EAC fuse
F AC disconnect
GPublic grid
AB
CD F
G
E
StopStart

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Principle of a PV Power System with a Sunny Central 500HE-US
Position Description
APV modules
B DC distribution with DC fuses (e.g., Sunny Central String-Monitor)
CDC disconnect
DSunny Central
E Transformer
FPublic grid

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3.1 Design of the Sunny Central
Sunny Central 250U
Sunny Central 500U
Position Cabinet Description
A Magnetics Cabinet The Sunny Central's transformer is contained in the
Magnetics Cabinet.
B Control Cabinet The Control Cabinet contains the system control, the
Sunny Display, the stop/start switch and the stacks for
converting direct current to alternating current.
C Interface Cabinet All AC, DC and data cables are connected in the Interface
Cabinet.
A B C

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Sunny Central 500HE-US
3.2 Location of the Safety Instructions
Sunny Central 250U
The figure to the right shows the location of the safety
instructions on the Sunny Central 250U.
Position Cabinet Description
A Power Cabinet The power cabinet contains the power unit for converting
direct current to alternating current.
B Control and Interface
Cabinet
All AC, DC and communication cables are connected in
the control and interface cabinet. The control and
interface cabinet contains:
• system control
• Sunny Display
• stop/start switch
• optional communication devices
Position Description
A Wall of the Magnetics Cabinet
General warnings
B Door of the Control Cabinet and
Interface Cabinet
Warning regarding high voltages in the
Sunny Central.
AB

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Sunny Central 500U
The figure to the right shows the location of the safety
instructions on the Sunny Central 500U.
Sunny Central 500HE-US
The figure to the right shows the location of the safety
instructions on the Sunny Central 500HE-US.
Position Description
A Wall of the Magnetics Cabinet
General warnings
B Door of the Control Cabinet and
Interface Cabinet
Warning regarding high voltages in the
Sunny Central.
Position Description
A Warning regarding high voltages in the
Sunny Central.
B Warning regarding hazardous
voltage.
C Notice regarding operation of the
Sunny Central without transformer.
ABB

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3.3 Identifying the Sunny Central
You can identify the Sunny Central using the type plate
(see figure at right, example for a typeplate of the Sunny
Central 500U). The type plate is located in the Interface
Cabinet.
3.4 Firmware
You can use the display to call up the firmware version of
the Sunny Central and of the display (see Section
4.7”Display Firmware Version” (page24)).
Position Description
A Type description of the Sunny Central
B Serial number of the Sunny Central
CDate of manufacture

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3.5 Elements for Sunny Central Operation
3.5.1 Sunny Display
There is a display on the front side of the Sunny Central. The
display shows the current values of the PV power system. See
Section 4”Operating the Sunny Display” (page18).
3.6 Optional Accessories
The Sunny Central can be equipped with various communication and data acquisition devices.
Sunny WebBox
The Sunny WebBox collects the data from the Sunny Central continuously. To read the data, the
Sunny WebBox can be connected to a laptop or PC. The data can be processed with Sunny Portal,
for example.
Sunny SensorBox
The Sunny SensorBox and the sensors enable you to acquire environmental data of your PV power
system which are relevant for performance evaluation. For this purpose, the Sunny SensorBox is
equipped as standard with an integrated irradiation sensor and an external module temperature
sensor. The Sunny SensorBox delivers the sensor data via an RS485 interface to the SMA
communication devices (e.g. Sunny WebBox).
Power Metering (not for Sunny Central 500HE-US)
The Shark power meter and iLon device are a revenue grade metering system. They allow the output
generation of the inverter to be monitored and recorded. This information is sent via the internet to a
network that can process the data into a utility bill.

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4 Operating the Sunny Display
4.1 Functions of the Buttons
The display can be operated with a pushbutton and a knob.
Pushbutton
If an error occurs during operation, the pushbutton is backlit red. The display indicates the error with
a number and a description in the text line.
Knob
The knob can be pressed or turned to the left or the right.
•Turn:
– Moves up and down in the menu
– Entering values (decrease, increase)
•Press
– Open/close menu
– Select/cancel function
–Select value
– Confirm entry
– Activation of the background illumination
Position Description
A Pushbutton
BKnob

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4.2 Description of Display Symbols
The following figure is an example for the Sunny Central 250U.
Postion Description
A Tapping
The background illumination is switched on by tapping on the housing cover.
B Open switch: The Sunny Central is not feeding the grid (e.g., at night).
Closed switch: The Sunny Central is feeding the grid.
CPower
This displays the power which the Sunny Central is feeding into the grid. The display
is updated every 5 seconds.
DDay
The energy fed into the grid on this day is displayed here. This is the energy
generated from the moment the Sunny Central begins to operate to the moment of
the reading. The display is updated every 5 seconds.
ETotal
This displays the total energy which the Sunny Central has fed into the grid during
its operating time. The display is updated every 5 seconds.
FText line
The text line shows the menu and a plain text error description.
For example, if there is an error, the cause of the error is shown in the text line. In
addition, the display shows the respective error number in position G, I or K.

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GEvent number grid
If there is a failure in the AC grid, an error number will be shown in this position. In
addition, a plain text message will be shown in the text line (position F). See Section
7”Error Diagnosis” (page33).
H Grid voltage, grid frequency, grid current
Changing display between:
• Grid voltage
•Grid frequency
• Grid current (average over all three phases)
The display changes between the values every 2 seconds.
I Event number Sunny Central
If there is an error in the Sunny Central, an error number will be shown in this
position. In addition, a plain text message will be shown in the text line (position F).
See Section 7”Error Diagnosis” (page33).
J PV voltage, PV current
This displays the PV voltage and PV current in alternation. The display changes
between the values every 2 seconds.
K Event number PV generator
If there is a failure in the PV generator, an error number will be shown in this
position. In addition, a message in plain text will be shown in the text line (position
F). See Section 7”Error Diagnosis” (page33).
LErrors
This symbol is illuminated if an error occurs. Contact the SMA Serviceline, see
Section 9”Contact” (page44).
MErrors
This symbol is illuminated if an error occurs. In Section 7”Error Diagnosis”
(page33) it is described how this error can be rectified.
N Graphic display of the output power of the Sunny Central
The output power of the Sunny Central is shown in a chart in the display. The daily
graph is displayed by default. Also see Section 4.4”Switching the display”
(page21).
The column for the current hour is adjusted every five seconds.
Postion Description