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Sunny Portal - A Guide for SchoolsSunny Portal is the website used by SMA to enable owners of solar power plants around the world to view the operation of their solar power plant.

Under the National Solar Schools Program, it is mandatory for schools to be able to view and download data for their plant’s electricity generation (green data) and their school’s electricity consumption (black data).

Once your school’s Data Collection, Storage and Visualisation System (DCSVS) has been setup with the appropriate hardware and connections you can:

1. Register your Webbox (datalogger) with Sunny Portal

2. Login and setup Sunny Portal, customise Sunny Portal to your school’s requirements and make your school’s data publicly available on Sunny Portal

3. Search for your school’s site on Sunny Portal

4. View your school’s data on Sunny Portala. green datab. black datac. other tabsd. download data from Sunny Portal.

REGISTER FOR THE USE OF SUNNY PORTAL1. YouneedtologintoyourWebboxtoregisterittoSunnyPortal.PleaseconsultyourI.T.stafforthesolarinstallationcompany

for the Webbox I.P. address in your school’s network

2. Once you have logged in to the Webbox, proceed to the Webbox tab -> Info tab, then click on the “Register” button

3. If your status is “OK”, Sunny Portal will send your password to the registered email address

4. Ifthestatusis“Failed,noresponsefromSunnyPortal”,pleaseconsultyourI.T.staff.

Use of Sunny Portal to view schools’ green and black data

Once your school’s Data Collection, Storage and Visualisation System (DCSVS) has been set up with the appropriate hardware and connections you can:

Register your Webbox (datalogger) to Sunny Portal

Login and setup Sunny Portal and customise Sunny Portal to your school’s requirements

View your school’s data on Sunny Portal

Register for the use of Sunny Portal

You would need to login to your Webbox to register it to Sunny Portal, please consult with your I.T staff or the solar installation company for the Webbox I.P address in your school’s network.

Once you have logged in to the Webbox, proceed to the Webbox tab -> Info tab, then click on the Register button.

Your status should be “OK” and Sunny Portal will send the password to the registered email address.

If the status is “Failed, no response from Sunny Portal”, please consult with your I.T staff.

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SUNNY PORTAL SETUPOnce logged into Sunny Portal, you will see the menu tab on the left hand side. As a Plant Administrator you can customise the webpage. Guidance with setting up Sunny Portal is available here. Click on ‘Downloads’ then ‘Technical information’. This document can be used to guide you through the setup process. The pages described below are all default template pages except Consumption and Sensors.

1. PLANT NAME; shown at right as “Sample School” but this can be edited in Configurationtab->PlantPropertiestab

2. Plant Profile; shows location, system size and photo of site

3. Energy and Power; displaysthesolargeneration(greendata)indifferentformatsincluding; Day / Month / Year / Total

4. Annual Comparison; allows comparison with the amount of electricity generated in previous months

5. Plant Monitoring; once activated, shows the last connection time of your Webbox to Sunny Portal

6. System Logbook; displays any faults and warnings messages

7. Analysis; allows detailed comparison with the amount of electricity generated historically

8. Plant overview; page that displays overall generation and corresponding savings in dollars and CO2 reduction

9. Energy and power; shows the generation from the solar system (green data). Power is shown in daily graph (kW) and Energy is shown in monthly graph (kWh). Energy is the accumulated power over time (Power X Time) and power is the instantaneous power at a particular point in time

i.e. An electric water kettle has a power rating of 2kW. If it runs for 2 hours, it would have consumed 4kWh of energy

10. Specific yield; graph displays energy generated divided by your system size. This allowsplantsofdifferentsizestobecomparedusingthesameunit

i.e.IfSchool1hasa10kWsystemandSchool2hasa7kWsystem,itisdifficulttocomparethesystemssinceSchool1wouldhaveagreater output due to its larger size. By having the same units based on kWh/kW, a uniform comparison can be made

11. Consumption; this is your school’s consumption of electricity from the electricity grid (black data). If this tab is not visible, please download the document called ‘Sunny Portal – Displaying the energy consumption in Sunny Portal’ which is available from SMA on the Sunny Portal website

12. Reports;allowsdailyormonthlyreportstobeconfiguredandsenttoallocatedemailaddresses

13. Devices; shows all inverters that are connected to the system

14. Sensors; shows weather data from the rooftop weather station including; solar irradiance, ambient temperature, module temperature and/orwindspeed,ifthesesensorshavebeeninstalled.Ifyoudonotseethistab,proceedtoConfigurationtab->Visualizationtab-> Select the icon that is marked for Sensor.

Sunny Portal Setup

Once logged into Sunny Portal, you would see the menu tab on the left hand side, as a Plant Administrator you can customise the webpage. The pages describe below are all default template pages except Consumption and Sensors

PLANT NAME, currently shown “Sample School” but this can be edited in Configuration tab -> Plant Properties tab

Plant Profile, shows location, system size and photo of site

Energy and Power, displays the solar generation (green data) in different format including Day / Month / Year / Total

Annual Comparison, allows comparison to generations in previous months

Plant Monitoring, once activated shows the last connection time of Webbox to Sunny Portal

System Logbook, displays any faults and warnings messages

Analysis, allows detailed comparison to historical generations

Plant overview, page that displays overall generation and corresponding savings in dollars and CO2 reduction

Energy and power, shows the generation from the solar system (green data). Power is shown in daily graph (kW) and Energy is shown in monthly graph (kWh). Energy is the accumulated power over time (Power X Time) and power is the instantaneous power at a particular point in time.

(i.e. An electric water kettle consumes 2kW power. If it runs for 2 hours, it would have consumed 4kWh of energy)

Specific yield, displays graph by dividing with your system size, to allow plants comparison based on the same unit.

(i.e. If School1 has a 10kW system and School2 has a 7kW system, it is difficult to compare both systems together as School1 would have a greater output. By having the same units based on per kW, it allows a uniform comparison.)

Consumption, this is your school’s consumption of electricity from the electricity grid (black data), if this tab is not visible, please download the document called ‘Sunny Portal – Displaying the energy consumption in Sunny Portal’ which is available from SMA website at: http://www.sma-australia.com.au/en_AU/products/monitoring-systems/sunny-portal.html. Click on ‘Downloads’ then ‘Technical information’. This document can be used to guide you through the setup process.

Reports, allows reports to be configured to send daily or monthly reports to allocated email addresses.

Devices, shows all inverters that are connected to the system

Sensors, shows weather data from the rooftop weather station including solar irradiance, ambient temperature, module temperature and/or wind speed. If you do not see this tab, kindly proceed to Configuration tab -> Visualization tab -> Select the icon that is marked for Sensor

Sunny Portal Setup

Once logged into Sunny Portal, you would see the menu tab on the left hand side, as a Plant Administrator you can customise the webpage. The pages describe below are all default template pages except Consumption and Sensors

PLANT NAME, currently shown “Sample School” but this can be edited in Configuration tab -> Plant Properties tab

Plant Profile, shows location, system size and photo of site

Energy and Power, displays the solar generation (green data) in different format including Day / Month / Year / Total

Annual Comparison, allows comparison to generations in previous months

Plant Monitoring, once activated shows the last connection time of Webbox to Sunny Portal

System Logbook, displays any faults and warnings messages

Analysis, allows detailed comparison to historical generations

Plant overview, page that displays overall generation and corresponding savings in dollars and CO2 reduction

Energy and power, shows the generation from the solar system (green data). Power is shown in daily graph (kW) and Energy is shown in monthly graph (kWh). Energy is the accumulated power over time (Power X Time) and power is the instantaneous power at a particular point in time.

(i.e. An electric water kettle consumes 2kW power. If it runs for 2 hours, it would have consumed 4kWh of energy)

Specific yield, displays graph by dividing with your system size, to allow plants comparison based on the same unit.

(i.e. If School1 has a 10kW system and School2 has a 7kW system, it is difficult to compare both systems together as School1 would have a greater output. By having the same units based on per kW, it allows a uniform comparison.)

Consumption, this is your school’s consumption of electricity from the electricity grid (black data), if this tab is not visible, please download the document called ‘Sunny Portal – Displaying the energy consumption in Sunny Portal’ which is available from SMA website at: http://www.sma-australia.com.au/en_AU/products/monitoring-systems/sunny-portal.html. Click on ‘Downloads’ then ‘Technical information’. This document can be used to guide you through the setup process.

Reports, allows reports to be configured to send daily or monthly reports to allocated email addresses.

Devices, shows all inverters that are connected to the system

Sensors, shows weather data from the rooftop weather station including solar irradiance, ambient temperature, module temperature and/or wind speed. If you do not see this tab, kindly proceed to Configuration tab -> Visualization tab -> Select the icon that is marked for Sensor

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MAKE YOUR SCHOOL’S DATA PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE ON SUNNY PORTAL PleaseconsultyourI.T.stafforPrincipalbeforeactivatingthisfeatureassomedatamaybeconfidential.

SunnyPortalallowsyoutoenablepublicaccessibilitytoyoursite.Allpagesareprivatebydefault.Ifyouwouldliketomakeaspecificpagepublic,selectthepagethenthePageConfigurationtab->checktheboxfor“Alsoreleasepageonwww.sunnyportal.com”andsavethechange

SEARCH FOR YOUR SCHOOL’S SITE ON SUNNY PORTAL1. Go to http://www.sunnyportal.com and select ‘Publicly available plants’. This will open up a site listing all of SMA’s publicly available

plants worldwide.

2. Select ‘Australia’, enter either Plant Name (school name) / Zip Code (post code) / City (suburb).

NotethatSunnyPortal’ssearchengineisveryspecific,youmustincludetheplantname,zipcodeortownnameexactly as you set them up in Sunny Portal.

Make your school’s data publically on Sunny Portal

Please consult with your I.T staff or principal before activating this feature as some data may be confidential.

Sunny Portal allows you to enable the site to be searched publicly, all pages are private by default. If you would like to make a specific page public, select the page then Page Configuration tab -> check the box for “Also release page on www.sunnyportal.com” and save the change.

Search your school’s site on Sunny Portal

Go to http://www.sunnyportal.com and select ‘Publicly available plants’. This will open up a site listing all of SMA’s publicly available plants in the world.

Select ‘Australia’, enter either Plant Name (school name) / Zip Code (post code) / City (suburb)

Note that Sunny Portal’s search engine is very specific, you must include the plant name, zip code or town name exactly as you set them up when you set Sunny Portal up.

Make your school’s data publically on Sunny Portal

Please consult with your I.T staff or principal before activating this feature as some data may be confidential.

Sunny Portal allows you to enable the site to be searched publicly, all pages are private by default. If you would like to make a specific page public, select the page then Page Configuration tab -> check the box for “Also release page on www.sunnyportal.com” and save the change.

Search your school’s site on Sunny Portal

Go to http://www.sunnyportal.com and select ‘Publicly available plants’. This will open up a site listing all of SMA’s publicly available plants in the world.

Select ‘Australia’, enter either Plant Name (school name) / Zip Code (post code) / City (suburb)

Note that Sunny Portal’s search engine is very specific, you must include the plant name, zip code or town name exactly as you set them up when you set Sunny Portal up.

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GREEN DATA1. To view your school’s green data click on the ‘Energy and Power’ tab found on the left hand side menu

a. Note that you can select to view either the daily, monthly, yearly or total electricity production from the solar power system

b. Usethedropdownmenusunderthecharttoselectdifferentperiodsforwhichyouwishtoviewdata

c. Note that the Month, Year and Total views are bar charts. If you click on the chart it will open in a larger view. You can then hover the mouseovereachcolumninthecharttoreadofftheamountofelectricitygeneratedinthatperiod.

2. Interpreting the chart

a. The horizontal axis is either time (for Day view) or Date, Month or Year for the other viewsb. The vertical axis is energy produced by the solar power system (called the ‘yield’) and is measured in kWh

3. If you can’t see any charts or data on this tab you should contact SMA on their Service Line to discuss. The number is 1800 762 287.

Green Data

To view your school’s green data click on the ‘Energy and Power’ tab in the left hand menu

Note that you can select to view either the daily, monthly, yearly or total electricity production from

the solar power system.

Use the drop down menus underneath the chart to select different periods for which you wish to view data

Note that the Month, Year and Total views are bar charts. If you click on the chart it will open in a larger view. Then you can hover the mouse over each column in the chart to read off the amount of electricity generated in that period.

Interpreting the chart

The horizontal axis is either time (for Day view) or Date, Month or Year for the other views

The vertical axis is energy produced by the solar power system (called the ‘yield’) and is measured in kWh

If you can’t see any charts or data on this tab you should contact SMA on their service hot line to discuss. The number is 1800 762 287

Green Data

To view your school’s green data click on the ‘Energy and Power’ tab in the left hand menu

Note that you can select to view either the daily, monthly, yearly or total electricity production from

the solar power system.

Use the drop down menus underneath the chart to select different periods for which you wish to view data

Note that the Month, Year and Total views are bar charts. If you click on the chart it will open in a larger view. Then you can hover the mouse over each column in the chart to read off the amount of electricity generated in that period.

Interpreting the chart

The horizontal axis is either time (for Day view) or Date, Month or Year for the other views

The vertical axis is energy produced by the solar power system (called the ‘yield’) and is measured in kWh

If you can’t see any charts or data on this tab you should contact SMA on their service hot line to discuss. The number is 1800 762 287

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BLACK DATA1. To view your school’s black data click on the ‘Consumption’ tab on the left hand side menu

2. The top chart shows the power ‘today’. As data is transferred to Sunny Portal the chart will change (that the vertical axis is labelled in kW)

3. The other chart shows energy consumption over the nominated period (note that the vertical axis is labelled in kWh)

4. Both charts are generated from data which has been sent from the School Meter Box to Sunny Portal via the Sunny Webbox

5. Usethedropdownmenusunderthecharttoselectdifferentperiods for which you wish to view data

6. If you can’t see any charts or data on this tab you should contact SMA on 1800 762 287

7. This tab can be used to view your consumption at, generally, 30 minute intervals every day, including weekends and school holidays. You should be able to note any occasions during which the consumption is greater than you would expect.Youcanthenexploreyourschooltofindoutwhatelectricalitemshavebeenleftonandthenswitchthemoff.Thefinancialandenergysavingscouldbehugelysignificant.

OTHER TABSWhen you setup Sunny Portal you have the opportunity to activate and name tabs which suit your purpose. In this example the green and black data tabs are called ‘Energy and Power’ and ‘Consumption’.

In the example used in this document you can see other tabs including:

1. Annual Comparison;thiswillshowachartandtablewithgreendatadisplayedforthedifferentyearsthatthesystemhasbeenoperating

2. Generation and Consumption; this will show green and black data on the same chart. This is particularly useful in the context of the magnitude of the school’s consumption compared with how much electricity is generated by the solar power system

3. Weather data; this will show a chart of temperature variations and solar radiation (insolation) data if your sensor box has been configuredtomeasuresolarradiationaswellastemperature.

DOWNLOADING DATA• To download data in .csv form for use in spreadsheet applications simply move your mouse to the

icon located at the bottom right corner of the graph that you would like to download the data and select the download icon (second from left).

Black Data

To view your school’s black data click on the ‘Consumption’ tab in the left hand menu

One chart shows the power ‘today’. As data is transferred to Sunny Portal the chart will change (note that the vertical axis is labelled in kW).

The other chart shows energy consumption over the nominated period (note that the vertical axis is labelled in kWh).

Both charts are generated from data which has been sent from the School Meter Box to Sunny Portal via the Sunny Webbox.

Use the drop down menus underneath the chart to select different periods for which you wish to view data.

If you can’t see any charts or data on this tab you should contact SMA on 1800 762 287.

This tab can be used to view your consumption at, generally, 30 minute intervals every day, including weekends and school holidays. You should be able to

note any occasions during which the consumption is greater than you would expect. You can then explore your school to find out what electrical items have been left on and switch them off. The financial and energy savings could be significant.

Other tabs

When you set Sunny Portal up you have the opportunity to activate and name tabs which suit your purpose. In this example the green and black data tabs are called ‘Energy and Power’ and ‘Consumption’. You may use other names to mean the same things and to display the same sort of data.

In the example used in this document you can see other tabs including:

Annual Comparison; this will show a chart and table with green data over the different years that the system has been operating.

Generation and Consumption; this will show the green and black data on the same chart. This is particularly useful in the context of the magnitude of the school’s consumption compared with how much electricity is generated by the solar power system.

Weather data; this will show a chart of temperature variations and solar radiation (insolation) data i

Downloading Data

To download data in .csv form for use in spreadsheet applications simply move your mouse to the icon located at the bottom right hand corner of the graph that you would like to download the data, select the download icon (second from left).

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