Welcome to AusNet Flexible Export 

Here are the installation and commissioning steps to enable Flexible Export with AusNet using a SwitchDin Droplet ONE communication gateway device - what to do before installation day, how to connect and mount the Droplet, and how to configure the inverter settings.

Click on this menu to access the relevant section:

1. Prerequisites and equipment
2. Wire your Droplet
3. Configure your inverter
4. Commission your Droplet
5. Useful information for your customer
   
   

Prerequisites and equipment

Let's look at what you need to do before installing your first Smart Connect Solar.
Become a SwitchDin accredited installer 
Download our commissioning app: Stormcloud
Open the Droplet box
Ensure the Internet is available
When to commission your Droplet?

Become a SwitchDin accredited installer

Before installing your first Droplet, you must complete our training. Please visit this link to register for our online Academy. The session should take you around 20 minutes. Your access to our software to commission your Droplet will request proof of certification. 

Download our commissioning app: Stormcloud

After completing your training, you will need to register for Stormcloud on the SwitchDin website and download the Stormcloud App on your mobile or tablet in Google Play or the Apple App Store. This app is required to configure and commission the Droplet during every installation.

Procure a Droplet ONE

Once your AusNet Flexible Export program application has been approved, you will need to procure a Droplet ONE from our distributed partner: Supply Partner, unless you are retrofitting an existing site equipped with a SwitchDin Droplet.
Visit their website, call them at +61 7 3122 7584, or email at sales@supplypartners.com.au

What's in the Droplet box?

The Droplet box should contain the following items:

1 * SwitchDin Droplet One with a mounted Din rail
1 * Power Supply
Before installation, inspect the contents of the box to ensure that all parts are present and there are no signs of physical damage. If any parts are missing or visibly damaged, contact the SwitchDin helpdesk via email: at support@switchdin.com, or call: +61 2 4786 0426.

Internet Availability

Confirm internet availability with your customer; as part of the installation, a hard-wired LAN connection is highly recommended from the Droplet to the customer's modem or router; you may be required to install a data switch if there are no spare ethernet ports available on the modem/router. You also have the option to use the home's Wi-Fi.

When to commission the Droplet?

Commissioning of the Droplet must be carried out during daylight hours to ensure solar power generation controls can be tested as part of the commissioning process.

Wire your Droplet

Once you have completed the installation of your solar system, mount your Droplet on a Din rail within a secure enclosure if possible. Avoid direct exposure to the sun.
Identify each port of the Droplet
Internet connection options
Connect the inverter to the Droplet

Let's look at the specific components of a Droplet ONE

Connect the inverter to the Droplet

Option 1: Connect your inverter the Wi-Fi, no cabling is required.
Option 2: Start from any available USB port on the Droplet and connect to the inverter using the USB/ETH adaptor + RJ 45 cable, or a USB/RS485 adaptor + a set of wires, depending on the brand/model/type.
Option 3: To use the Ethernet port of your droplet for a direct connection to the inverter, you will need to call SwitchDin support +61 2 4786 0426 or open a ticket at support@switchdin.com to reconfigure the Ethernet port as a DHCP server.  

Use the following table to identify your options and RS485 pin connection details from this article

Configure your inverter

To enable your Droplet to communicate with the inverter, a few settings are required after wiring the inverter directly to the Droplet. These settings include, where applicable:

- Ensuring your inverter is connected to the internet (LAN or Wifi)
- Enabling the right data format and transmission method, on the right port (ex: TCP Modbus on Port 502)
- Setting the Maximum Grid Feed-in Power if/when control or internet is lost
- Prioritizing the controlling priorities
- Setting the Regional setting to Australia A

Once these settings are completed, please send photographs as evidence to AusNet. 

To access the necessary steps on the inverter interface, click on the brand of the inverter you have and follow the instructions provided by the OEM - Manufacturers:
Fimer: Download the guide for your specific inverter model
Fronius: Download the guide for your specific inverter model
SMA: Download the guide for a Sunny Boy, Download a guide for a Tripower

Commission your Droplet

To commission a Droplet, you will use SwitchDin's application, called Stormcloud, and follow these steps.
Sign in to Stormcloud
Create a portfolio
Create a unit
Add the Droplet to the unit you have created
Connect the Droplet to the Internet
Update firmware
Manage Devices
Select the AusNet Flexible Export program

Stormcloud Application

Open the Stormcloud application and sign in.

Please follow this link if you are creating your user account. You will need to ensure you have permissions on this account opened by SwitchDin.

Your username is an email address. 

If two-factor authentication has been enforced, you will receive a passcode valid for 300 seconds in your email inbox to finish logging in to the SwitchDin portal.

Create a portfolio

On first signing into the application, you can create a folder regrouping all the sites where you install Droplets. We call this folder a portfolio. As an installer, feel free to use the name of your business or your area.

Create a unit

Tap on your portfolio to create your first unit. Tap on 'Create' in the top right corner.

In the Unit Name field, we recommend you follow this naming convention:
Street address or significant place name - Town - Inverter size (kW)

For example:

1. 12 Test Road - Onslow - 5kW
2. Broome Test School - Broome - 25kW

Then enter the address in the Street Address field and tap Create New Unit.

Add your Droplet to the unit you have created

Start the Installer application from the top left menu bar of your mobile application.
Select 'I have a droplet to install'
Scan the QR code on the Droplet or manually enter the serial number (located below the bar code on the Droplet). If you cannot reach the QR code or serial number on the Droplet, it can also be found on the packaging.

Connect the Droplet to the Internet

Then select  'Connect via WiFi' or 'Connect via Ethernet' depending on the internet connection option you have chosen. Turn off mobile data to ensure personal hotspot is off.

Update firmware

Select 'Manage Devices' and tap at the top of the screen to download the latest firmware update if available. Depending on the quality of the Internet connection, allow a few minutes.

Manage Devices

Tap on Add device, tap on the droplet you want to select, then tap on 'Discovery'.
Tap on 'Manage Devices'

Tap the settings button to configure the inverter and select Yes in the pop-up.

Optional: If you have connected a smart meter, you will configure it here; instructions for this are included in installation guides on the SwitchDin website.

Select the AusNet Flexible Export Program

Now that a device has been added to the Droplet, you will be prompted with the option to select the export program for your customer from a drop-down menu. This selection will launch a wizard application that will establish communication with the control and monitoring system of AusNet after you enter the NMI of the unit.