EcoFlow’s STREAM series balcony PV plus storage systems can now be integrated with everHome’s EcoTracker IR, a plug-in meter reader
This feature, which works on a device-to-device connectivity, enhances communication speed and reliability compared to the smart meter
According to the company, this feature is currently available in Germany
Balcony PV plus storage systems provider EcoFlow recently announced that its STREAM series balcony PV system can be integrated with the everHome EcoTracker IR, a plug-in reader for a digital electricity meter. everHome is a Germany-based manufacturer of smart home ecosystems compatible with third-party devices.
The STREAM series system typically combines plug-in batteries, either STREAM Ultra X, STREAM Ultra, or STREAM AC Pro, with the PV array, STREAM microinverter, and a smart meter. Afterward, the company’s energy management system, available as an app installed on a prosumer’s device, monitors and controls energy flow and consumption in real time. Here, the smart meter, a bidirectional device, measures solar generation and consumption and detects grid imports and exports. It can also restrict unwanted feed-in to the grid (zero export), helping in maximizing captive solar harvesting. These complex operations are processed via a wireless communication network that is typically linked to the manufacturer’s or grid operator’s cloud dashboards.
In this context, everHome’s plug-in reader, when integrated with EcoFlow’s balcony PV system, eliminates the need for a smart meter. Unlike cloud-based remote communication, which depends on internet reliability, it relies on device-to-device local connectivity. It enables faster and more reliable communication without grid exports. As a result, this latest feature helps harvest more solar energy by charging and discharging based on the prosumer’s actual load profile.
Arne Herkelmann, Product Manager Europe at EcoFlow, summarized the essence of this new feature by saying this integration “… offers users another way to connect real-time meter data of the household with generation and storage in one system.” He added, “This provides more transparency, smarter charging and discharging behavior, and a much easier way to increase self-consumption” without a smart meter.
According to the company’s press release, this live functionality is currently available in Germany.