EcoFlow Delta PRO deep-dive review
_Stated Goal of Project_
The stated goal of the project is to build a simple, noob-friendly plug-n-play solution, to power a small flat/house located in Barcelona (Spain) that will run on PV (photo-voltaic) power for most of the time but can fall-back to electrical grid in bad weather conditions or when the battery is depleted.
The “all-in-one” solution will have to be extremely dependable, take full daily cycling and be able to withstand constant charging/discharging in a highly stressful environment with close to no maintenance.
I recently took this picture at the Camp Nou (FCB/Barça) while attending a champions league match.
After careful review of available options, I have chosen the Ecoflow DeltaPro as the key central element for the following reasons:
- Greatly Reduces the project’s complexity by integrating the Batteries, BMS, Charging/Discharging, Pure Sine Wave AC Inverter, DC, MPPT charge controller, intuitive app, industry standard protections, all around management and solid track record company.
- Plug-n-play simplicity that allows anyone to hook-up and handle this device.
- Robust build quality in an elegant compact design.
Internals (check teardown video) look very clean well thought which gives me confidence in the quality of the design & manufacturing. - Lots of output options (AC/USB/USBC-100W/CAR/ANDERSON).
- Implementation of new and improved LFP (Lithium-Ferro-Phosphate) battery technology that gives me peace of mind as it allows me to cycle it daily without having to worry about maintenance.
- Multiple modular expansion options like extra batteries, DC generator, Smart Panel, etc.
- Integrated MPPT solar charge controller with up to 1.600W/h charging capacity.
- Integrated AC charge controller in the DeltaPRO so there’s no need for external charging bricks + extra cables.
- Configurable AC charging speed from 200W to 2.900W via simple app setting.
- Well thought mobility options with integrated wheels & handles.
- Availability of an APP to control the device at any time (BT/WIFI) and anywhere (4G) in the world.
- I managed to get it at an unbeatable “SEB” Kickstarter campaign price. 🙂
- The continued stellar help & support from Gloria Yang that made me perceive Ecoflow as a TOP brand which gave me the confidence to keep investing in future Ecoflow products.
Specifications of PV arrays powering the DeltaPRO:
- A1 = 3 x LONGi 72HBD-540M Bifacial 540W connected in series for a total of 1.620W @ 148V/13A.
- A2 = 3 x LONGI 72HPH-540M Monofacial 540W connected in series for a total of 1.620W @ 148V/13A.
- Both arrays A1 + A2 connected in parallel for a theoretical total of 26A via independent AWG10 cables (10m + 15m).
- Both arrays have all required protections in place and can be toggled independently via switch breakers (A1|A2|A1+A2).
- Both arrays never ever reached 150V even with outside temperature as low as 3c (which is very cold for Barcelona city).
- Sweet spot/optimum performance achieved at 126V/13A per array.
- DeltaPRO is over-paneled 2:1 as it can reach a theoretical maximum of 1.6KW for a 3.2KW PV total.
- Placement of both arrays is sub-optimal as in the months of December/January there are cast shadows from a south facing high wall. From February on, I’m seeing increasing production that exceeds 8KW/day with a projected total production of > 16 KW/day, limited only by the DeltaPRO as the array could easily produce 25+ KW/day.
- I’m testing sunlight conditions with a prosumer weather station that has recorded readings as high as 1.027W/m2 for the first half of March! :O
As of this writing, the DeltaPRO has been running 24/7 for more than two months and over 58 charge cycles powering an isolated room via an ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) with a winter daily consumption of 3 to 6 KW and a projected summer one of > 12 KW.
_Delivery – Unboxing – First Impressions_
On the 11th of January 2022 I received a beautifully packed pristine looking DeltaPRO on top of a half-pallet that had been sent a few days before from the Czech Republic by Stablecam via DACHSER. I want to commend Stablecam employees for doing a great job packing & shipping such a huge amount of DeltaPROs all over Europe and also thank Andrew & Jon for always being helpful and answering all my questions ,-)
If you buy the unit, I recommend getting a trolley and a buddy to help out as this is a big & heavy item with a 56 Kg (way-bill) declared weight.
The DeltaPRO is nicely packed with very thick cardboard and heavy duty foam padding on the bottom and top parts of the unit but the middle section could use some kind of protection as I’ve seen some DeltaPROs (mainly NA & not on half-pallet) suffer substantial package damage with breached cardboard; yes the DeltaPRO is really tough but no one likes to receive it in a smashed package.
If you are alone and want to take out the DeltaPRO from the box, I recommend following these instructions to avoid having to lift the DeltaPRO as it is a heavy unit:
- Open up the top side of the DeltaPRO box (cut the tape as usual).
- Spread the sides of the box open and slowly flip the box to it’s side then to it’s bottom.
- Don’t worry as having the DeltaPRO upside down won’t affect it at all as everything in the DeltaPRO is solid.
- Now that you have the DeltaPRO box upside down, pull the box up and you should see the DeltaPRO .
- Take the top facing foam protection out and slowly flip the DeltaPRO to the upright position.
PS: I first saw these instructions at Ecoflow FB forum but I’m unable to find the specific post to link to so I’d be grateful if someone does! 🙂
I want to congratulate Ecoflow design team for their forward thinking and attention to detail as the DeltaPRO has a compact, elegant and functional design:
- The DeltaPRO has two sturdy wheels and an integrated sliding telescopic handle to effortlessly move it around like you would do with you typical wheeled luggage suitcase… GENIUS! 🙂
- It has three small heavy duty rubber pegs on the bottom of the DeltaPRO to lift it from the ground so it won’t slide over when you’re plugging/unplugging cables.
- The front LCD panel with auto brightness (or manual control if you prefer) presents relevant information in big letters that is intuitive & easy to understand by anyone.
- The front panel has only two buttons which ensures people won’t get overwhelmed with too many options when they operate the unit for the first time.
- All extra connections and buttons/functionality hidden behind flappy doors.
NOTE: When gathering information for the project to decide which device to choose, all the YT videos I saw showed the flappy door hanging and not closing properly so I thought it looked very ugly and cheaply designed but once I got the unit I instantly realized that it is correctly designed; you just need to line up the notches to their correct position and press the door until you hear a clicking sound so it sits flush.
My DeltaPRO, manufactured on 2021-10-30 with a gross weight of 48.10 Kg, reached me with FW 0.1.0.0 and 30% remaining capacity (so 0% lost in 2 months).
I turned on the unit and did a brief initial test of AC OUT/IN, MPPT & USB to check that nothing was broken.
Next I downloaded/installed/configured/connected the Ecoflow APP to the DeltaPRO and renamed it to MiTHRiL 😀
Hi, very nice review I am interested.
When will you post the extra-battery review?
Hi Jo.
I currently don’t have the Ecoflow DeltaPRO Smart Extra Battery so I can’t test it 🙁 … but do keep an eye at this review for updates and maybe in the near future I’ll be able to test it.
Thank you for your time and comment.
I am interestet but I will wait when you post that device bugs are fixed.
Hi Locutus,
I’m sure Ecoflow will fix these issues fast!
I’ll update this post with all my findings and strike all bugs when they will be fixed.
Thank you for your time and comment.
Very nice review, thanks. I’m interested in how you wired the Ecoflow to the Transfer Switch and your electrical grid – will you write an article about that topic? I think a lot of European users would be interested in a detailed description with pictures. Looks really amazing so far! Best wishes
Hi Ralf,
This is part of a series of articles for the Spanish market where there’s a lot of interest for this kind of “easy” DIY solutions.
I will be writing about my detailed setup with the ATS and solar panels in an upcoming article.
Stay tuned! 🙂
Thank you for your time and comment.
Thanks, I’ll definitely stay tuned. In Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark the interest for diy solutions is also pretty high, even though we don’t have so much Sun as you guys in Spain. Looking forward to read more of your articles, best wishes!
Yeah we are spoiled here 🙂
Thanks for the wishes and likewise!
Thank you for such detailed review. Would you mind sharing the script you have to pull the data from the DeltaPRO ? Many thanks
Hi, you’re most welcome!
I’ll share it once I have the time to clean it up and put it on github with proper instructions.
Thank you for your time and comment.
This is super amazing. I’ve been dying to get data _out_ of my DP, but the best I’ve got is the puny REST API. Can you pull back the curtain on how you’re pulling these DP values into software?
Hi Scott; thank you for your time and comment and apologies for the delay in replying.
I’ve been asked by Ecoflow not to release my program or related information…
Maybe if we all keep asking Ecoflow to release a proper API and/or a service so we can automate everything around the DeltaPRO that is easy enough so anyone can make use of it they will end up hearing us and implementing it?
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I too have just suffered an exploding Delta Pro. It was in pass through mode and just went BANG with smoke issuing from the fan grilles. Firmware version was 0.3.6. I don’t know where version “85” or “89” went to!
Awaiting a response from Ecoflow.
Have you noticed MPPT charging stopping if you over power the input? was trying to maximize solar charging input and I am afraid I may have friend the MPPT. Is there a way to reset the MPPT? or does anyone have schematics so I can take it apart and fix it? thank you so much!
Ouch! Hopefully it turns out to be nothing!
First thing I can say is to NOT OPEN the DP yourself but to go to the FB forum and ask for help from an EF employees.
I never went above 147V (VOC) even with +5C in winter so I personally don’t know what would happen if you get above it and actually don’t want to find out…
Let’s go back to basics, step by step:
The easiest thing to do is to try to smell for burnt electronics (very pungent so for sure you would smell it).
Select only ONE PV panel, hook it to the MC4 cable that came with the DP (do not connect the cable to the DP) and user tester to see if you get a voltage reading from it.
If you get a voltage reading from the one panel, you can connect it to the DP and check if there’s a small voltage drop (example: unhooked 20V, hooked:18V).
If you have a voltage drop, try to connect and disconnect at least 4 times the panel from the DP (Nothing else connected to the DP, no input or output).
Also make sure you haven’t set any charging/discharging limits: it should be 0% to 100%.
In the most recent FW, from my testing it seems they’ve introduced a counter where the MPPT controller would not engage until the fourth connect/disconnect, especially when the DP is near full.
Also do not design your PV array to go above 125V when under full load or you would hit the internal limiter and stay at 1.285W (and your internal temps will shoot very high).
To reset the onboard ESP-M (computer) you have to disconnect everything from the DP, hold the power button (big gold round button) for 15 seconds. You should see “OFF” on the LCD for a brief moment but keep holding that button until you count 15 seconds.
Once done, hold the same button for one second and let go. If you don’t see the WIFI icon when the LCD lights up it means that you succeeded in resetting the computer. Among other things, it will reset the fuel-gauge.
Let us know how it goes and again, DO NOT OPEN THE DP! (and ask for help over FB)
Brilliant review! Thank you.
Can you share details of your improved cooling solution? I am afraid the noise from the stock version is a deal breaker for me.
Also, what made you choose the Ecoflow delta pro over the Bluetti ac300/B300?
Thank you and cheers from Denmark🙏
Hi Nikolaj & thank you for your comment.
If you check the comments section of the youtube video you will have a rough idea of what I did.
I chose EF because I managed to get a unit for 1.999$ (Super Early Bird) which was a great price and to me it looked nicer and more well rounded but of course I would have loved to check the Bluetti brand and compare them.
Have a great week!
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