The Sunny Island 5048U
SMA America, LLC
16
SI5048U-TUS121440
Technical Description
2 The Sunny Island 5048U
2.1 Properties
The Sunny Island is a bidirectional inverter (battery inverter and charger) for off-grid power systems.
The Sunny Island supplies loads on the off-grid side and charges battery banks with the energy from
grid-feeding units connected on the AC side.
The comfortable support of AC and DC coupling, as well as the expandability of the systems formed
with the Sunny Island guarantee highest flexibility. In addition, innovative technology allows the
Sunny Island to achieve a maximum efficiency of more than 95 %. Optimized for partial load
operation, it impresses with low open-circuit and standby consumption. Due to the high overload
capabilities and the integrated output management, there is no need to oversize the Sunny Island.
The operation of up to 3 devices in a 1‑phase parallel system, of 3 devices in a 3‑phase system or of
up to 4 devices in a double split‑phase system enables the Sunny Island to establish off‑grid power
supply systems with a power of between 2 kW ... 20 kW. In Multicluster systems, powers of up to as
much as 100 kW are possible. Thanks to its sophisticated generator management, the Sunny Island
can control connected diesel generators in a particularly low‑stress and fuel‑saving manner. It can also
be integrated into the public grid. The Sunny Island can also deactivate loads automatically if the
battery does not provide sufficient electrical energy.
The critical component in off-grid power systems, the battery, is monitored diligently and utilized
optimally. The intelligent battery management records the battery's charge level precisely. This makes
possible an improved utilization of the battery capacity, which also means that smaller and thus more
cost-effective batteries can be used without affecting performance.
In order to prevent premature aging caused by incorrect charging and frequent deep discharge, the
Sunny Island has an intelligent charge control and reliable deep discharge protection. Because of
these functions the battery service life can be greatly extended in comparison with simpler devices.
Despite its complex functioning, the Sunny Island is easy to configure. All the settings required for
operation can be quickly and easily programmed in a few steps using the ”Quick Configuration
Guide”. By employing the concept of central operation referred to as ”Single Point of Operation”, the
system/cluster parameters are only set on the master device, and all other devices adopt the
configuration automatically. The easy-to-understand menu navigation allows quick access to all
important data, even while the system is running. An SD card provides uncomplicated system control,
and thus facilitates any service work.
The Sunny Island monitors the set voltage and frequency limits on the grid and generator. If these limits
are not observed, it disconnects from the external source without interruption and changes to off-grid
operation. The Sunny Island also has an integrated anti-islanding feature which will stop the
production of electricity when the grid goes down.
Saving Data and Events
Always use the SD card to save data and events. In case of a failure SMA can thus help
you quickly.
