Smarter Solar: Catch Power’s 6-Channel Catch Control Released

In this age of lower feed-in tariffs, solar energy self-consumption is king. The new multi-phase 6 Channel Catch Control hardware and software aims to have you wearing the crown.

Maximising self-consumption basically means running appliances when the sun is shining. A cheap way to do this without having to manually switch things on and off is with a timer switch. But while the switch might “know” what time it is, it won’t be aware of prevailing weather conditions.

There are other options, but coordinating a bunch of gizmos and gadgets including hard-wired appliances to do your bidding can get pretty complicated and frustrating with some of the solutions available, particularly if you don’t like to spend a lot of time fiddling.

A smart, flexible and more user-friendly way to control your appliances is with Catch Power’s Australian designed and manufactured Catch Control. Previously known as the Catch Solar Relay, this small device is installed in a home’s switchboard. SQ founder Finn reviewed Catch Control early this year and considers it the “Swiss army knife of solar” – that article is well worth reading.

New 6-Channel Catch Control And Software Available

Not resting on its laurels, the Catch Power team have recently taken the device to another level with release of the new multi-phase¹ 6 Channel Catch Control hardware, which can act as a central orchestration device across multiple brands. As the name suggests, it provides six independent channels providing precise control of inverters, batteries, EV chargers, and individual circuit control.

The device can control loads via contactor, EV chargers via OCPP, air conditioners via DRED and everything else by TCP and RTU. The installer’s interface is via Bluetooth and all communications occur through Wi-Fi.

The company has also expanded and updated its software services following its acquisition of Solar Analytics. There’s a configuration app, a new version of its owner app called Monocle and a variety of functions available; including Load Control, Plan Optimiser, Battery Calculator and True Performance monitoring.

Here are a few brief examples of some of the many ways the 6 Channel Catch Control and software can be used:

• It can be configured to send surplus solar energy to an electric hot water system, rather than exporting it to the grid for what may be a pittance.
• Solar households with electric vehicles can use their cheap-as-chips solar energy for charging – and ensure they are only using solar.
• You can also set a scheduler to turn on a charger when mains electricity rates are low, and manually trigger charging remotely.
• Preserve a home battery’s capacity for overnight use and not allow it to be used for EV charging.
• Manage regulatory dynamic control rules on solar, batteries and electric vehicles.
• Participate in wholesale trading (e.g. Amber Energy). It can take over buying and selling energy for you (for the very brave), or you can control it yourself if preferred (still some bravery required).
• The Plan Optimiser tool compares your actual production and consumption data to all available electricity plans and calculates how much you could save by switching.
• Voltage, frequency and demand control.

The company says it will soon release a white paper showing combined maximum average *extra* savings for a solar owner of more than $1,000 per year, which has been based on analysis of their fifty-thousand-strong customer base.

“Catch Power’s software allows users to ensure they are using the most solar possible, on the best energy deals and loads are automatically scheduled.”

How Much Does The 6-Channel Catch Control Cost?

The original Catch Control (formerly Relay) hardware is still available and costs $447.00 + whatever for installation (it must be installed by a licensed electrician). The 6 Channel version is much pricier at $955.50 + installation. But if the savings detailed in the white paper can be achieved, that would mean a hardware simple payback of around a year.

Both devices have Solar Analytics integrated, access to which is provided at no cost. The “inverter” version of Solar Analytics (which is what I use) costs $6/month, $60/year, $250 for 5 years or $450 for 10 years. I’m on the annual plan and think it’s money well spent – so, to have that free with Catch Control is a very nice inclusion.

Catch Power states the company is “100% focused exclusively on the residential segment because that’s where we believe the greatest need is, especially for solar, EV and load control”.

You can learn more about Catch Control here. The Catch Control and Monocle App owner’s guide is here.

Original Source: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/six-channel-catch-control-mb3007/