Charge a battery from solar - Amps AI Documentation

Amps doesn’t link devices together or act on its own. To charge a battery when the sun is out, poll the inverter yourself and push a charge to the battery when production crosses your threshold.

1. Check the battery supports it

curl https://api.amps.ai/battery/device_bat456 \
  -H "x-api-key: $AMPS_API_KEY"

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "id": "device_bat456",
    "state": { "status": "idle", "level": 42, "currentMode": "auto.balance" },
    "commands": {
      "charge": {
        "parameters": {
          "target": { "unit": "percent", "min": 0, "max": 100 },
          "power": { "unit": "kw", "min": 0, "max": 1000 }
        },
        "execution": ["immediate", "scheduled", "windowed"]
      }
    },
    "conflictStrategies": ["cancel_and_replace", "queue_after"]
  }
}

2. Read production

curl https://api.amps.ai/solar-inverter/device_abc123 \
  -H "x-api-key: $AMPS_API_KEY"

{ "success": true, "data": { "state": { "status": "producing", "currentPower": 3.4 } } }

currentPower is total output, not surplus. Amps doesn’t see household consumption, so subtract your own estimate if you have one.

3. Send the charge

If output is above your threshold, charge the battery and cap the rate near the output:

curl -X POST https://api.amps.ai/battery/device_bat456 \
  -H "x-api-key: $AMPS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "action": {
      "command": "charge",
      "parameters": {
        "target": { "value": 90, "unit": "percent" },
        "power": { "value": 3, "unit": "kw" }
      }
    },
    "onConflict": "cancel_and_replace"
  }'

{ "success": true, "data": { "id": "action_qVEFrQ3kYE", "command": "charge", "state": "acknowledged" } }

cancel_and_replace replaces whatever the battery was last told to do. See Conflicts. When production drops, push auto.balance to hand control back to the battery.

4. Confirm

Check GET /actions/action_qVEFrQ3kYE for completed, then repeat from step 2 on your poll interval. See Push.

Next steps

Monitor production

Polling and freshness for inverters.

Battery cookbook

More ways to control a battery.