Control modes¶

The control mode decides what the published setpoint is based on: the DP schedule, the live grid meter, or a mix of both. Change it with the Control Mode select entity, or from an automation.

The default is Hybrid.

Which one should I use?¶

Mode	Follows the DP schedule	Reacts to the live meter	Use when
`zero_grid`	no	yes	You only care about self-consumption, not arbitrage
`follow_schedule`	exactly	no	You want the strictly cost-optimal plan
`hybrid`	for arbitrage	for self-consumption	Recommended default — robust to forecast error
`hybrid_plus`	for arbitrage	price-aware self-consumption	You want Hybrid, but not at the cost of exporting surplus that is worth more now
`manual`	no	no	Testing, or driving the battery from your own logic

flowchart TD
    Q1{"Do you want price<br/>arbitrage at all?"}
    Q1 -->|No, self-consumption only| ZG["<b>zero_grid</b>"]
    Q1 -->|Yes| Q2{"Do you want real-time<br/>correction for forecast error?"}
    Q2 -->|"No — trust the plan"| FS["<b>follow_schedule</b><br/>lowest cost if forecasts hold"]
    Q2 -->|Yes| Q3{"May PV surplus be exported<br/>when storing it is worth less?"}
    Q3 -->|"No — always capture surplus"| HY["<b>hybrid</b><br/>recommended default"]
    Q3 -->|"Yes — follow the price"| HP["<b>hybrid_plus</b>"]

    style HY fill:#0f766e22,stroke:#0f766e

manual is deliberately not in the tree — use it for testing, or when your own logic drives the battery and you only want the optimizer's numbers for reference.

Zero Grid¶

Minimize grid exchange in real time using the battery. The optimizer still runs and still publishes its schedule, but the controller ignores it: the setpoint follows the measured grid power, updated roughly every 5 seconds.

No arbitrage happens in this mode. It is self-consumption only.

Follow Schedule¶

Execute the DP-optimized schedule exactly.

When the commitment filter keeps an active charge/discharge locked within the same price period, that lock applies to the published controller setpoint too, not just to the diagnostic optimal_power value. So the setpoint can stay put while optimal_power would suggest a change — this is deliberate, and prevents chattering inside a period.

This is the mode that produces the lowest cost if your forecasts are correct. It has no real-time correction, so a consumption spike the forecast did not anticipate is simply imported from the grid.

Hybrid (recommended)¶

DP schedule for arbitrage, zero-grid for self-consumption.

When the DP schedule says idle and no discharge is planned soon, Hybrid still opportunistically captures PV surplus into the battery via zero-grid — even if the feed-in price is currently positive and exporting that surplus would be more profitable.

That is a deliberate trade: a small amount of arbitrage profit is given up in exchange for resilience. Keeping headroom filled means the battery can absorb real-time consumption spikes — a cloud passing over the panels while a large appliance switches on — instead of pulling from the grid.

Hybrid is recommended for robustness, not for maximum arbitrage profit

If you want surplus capture to follow the price forecast instead, use Hybrid+. For the strictly cost-optimal schedule with no opportunistic charging at all, use Follow Schedule.

Hybrid+¶

Like Hybrid, but consults the price forecast before storing PV surplus.

When the shadow price says the battery can be filled more cheaply later — for example during a midday PV peak at low prices — the surplus is exported at the current feed-in price instead of charged, and the battery charges later from the cheaper surplus.

When little future surplus is forecast, stored energy stays valuable (it displaces grid import, or serves expensive evening hours), so the surplus is captured immediately — identical to Hybrid.

In short: exporting only wins when the battery would fill up anyway, or when the stored energy has little future value.

Manual¶

Target power is set via number.battery_controller_manual_power_setpoint.

Positive is discharge, negative is charge. The optimizer keeps running and its sensors keep updating, so you can compare your own logic against what the DP would have done.

A note on mode and SoC drift¶

Hybrid and Hybrid+ can diverge from the DP plan whenever zero-grid takes over. The optimizer notices this on the next run: the actual SoC no longer matches what the previous plan assumed, and because the whole horizon is re-solved from scratch, the new plan can look meaningfully different.

That is expected behaviour, not a bug — see the learning period for why rolling-horizon DP behaves this way.

Next: connecting your inverter.