Solar Greenhouse
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Greenhouse Solar Monitoring

ByAndy

Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

TL;DR: Set up greenhouse solar monitoring with a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W to track your Renogy solar kit via Bluetooth and automatically send data to Home Assistant via MQTT.

Prerequisites

Step 1: Install Raspberry Pi OS

1. Download and Install Raspberry Pi Imager

2. Flash the SD Card

  • Insert your microSD card
  • Open Raspberry Pi Imager
  • Click “Choose OS” → “Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit)”
  • Click the gear icon (Advanced options)
  • Enable SSH: Check “Enable SSH” and set a password
  • Configure WiFi: Enter your network credentials
  • Set Username: Create a username and password
  • Click “Write” to flash the card

3. Boot the Pi

  • Insert SD card into Pi Zero 2 W
  • Power on and wait 2-3 minutes for first boot
  • Find the Pi’s IP address from your router

Step 2: Initial Pi Setup

1. SSH into the Pi

ssh username@YOUR_PI_IP_ADDRESS

2. Update the System

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

3. Install Required System Packages

sudo apt install python3-full python3-venv bluetooth bluez-tools git -y

4. Enable Bluetooth

sudo systemctl enable bluetooth
sudo systemctl start bluetooth

Step 3: Get Your BT-1 Device Information

1. Scan for your BT-1 device

sudo bluetoothctl

In the bluetoothctl prompt:

power on
agent on
scan on

Look for a device with name like “BT-TH-XXXXXXXX”. Note down:

  • Device Name (e.g., “BT-TH-XXXXXXXX”)
  • MAC Address (e.g., “XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX”)

Exit bluetoothctl:

exit

Step 4: Install Renogy Bluetooth Monitor

1. Clone the repository

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/cyrils/renogy-bt.git
cd renogy-bt

2. Create Python virtual environment

python3 -m venv ~/renogy-env
source ~/renogy-env/bin/activate

3. Install Python dependencies

pip3 install -r requirements.txt

Step 5: Configure the Solar Monitor

1. Edit the configuration file

nano config.ini

2. Update with your settings

INI
adapter = hci0
mac_addr = YOUR_BT1_MAC_ADDRESS
alias = YOUR_BT1_DEVICE_NAME
type = RNG_CTRL

[pvoutput]

enabled = false

[mqtt]

server = YOUR_HOME_ASSISTANT_IP port = 1883 user = YOUR_MQTT_USERNAME password = YOUR_MQTT_PASSWORD topic = solar/state

Replace:

  • YOUR_BT1_MAC_ADDRESS with your BT-1 MAC address
  • YOUR_BT1_DEVICE_NAME with your BT-1 device name
  • YOUR_HOME_ASSISTANT_IP with your Home Assistant IP address
  • YOUR_MQTT_USERNAME and YOUR_MQTT_PASSWORD with your MQTT credentials

3. Test the configuration

python3 example.py config.ini

You should see:

  • Connection to your BT-1 device
  • Solar data readings
  • No errors

Step 6: Set Up Automatic Data Collection

1. Create a cron job for periodic data collection

crontab -e

2. Add this line for data collection every 5 minutes

*/5 * * * * cd /home/USERNAME/renogy-bt && /home/USERNAME/renogy-env/bin/python3 example.py config.ini

Replace USERNAME with your actual username.

3. Verify the cron job

crontab -l

Step 7: Configure Home Assistant for Greenhouse Solar Monitoring

1. Test MQTT data reception

  • In Home Assistant, go to Settings → Devices & Services → MQTT → Configure
  • Click “Listen to a topic”
  • Enter topic: solar/state
  • You should see JSON data with solar readings

2. Add sensors to Home Assistant

Edit your Home Assistant configuration.yaml and add this MQTT sensor configuration:

mqtt:
  sensor:
    - name: "Solar Power"
      state_topic: "solar/state"
      device_class: "power"
      unit_of_measurement: "W"
      value_template: "{{ value_json.pv_power }}"
      unique_id: "solar_power"
      device:
        identifiers: ["greenhouse_solar"]
        name: "Greenhouse Solar"
        model: "RNG-CTRL-WND30"
        manufacturer: "Renogy"
        
    - name: "Solar Voltage"
      state_topic: "solar/state"
      device_class: "voltage"
      unit_of_measurement: "V"
      value_template: "{{ value_json.pv_voltage }}"
      unique_id: "solar_voltage"
      device:
        identifiers: ["greenhouse_solar"]
        name: "Greenhouse Solar"
        model: "RNG-CTRL-WND30"
        manufacturer: "Renogy"
        
    - name: "Battery SOC"
      state_topic: "solar/state"
      device_class: "battery"
      unit_of_measurement: "%"
      value_template: "{{ value_json.battery_percentage }}"
      unique_id: "battery_soc"
      device:
        identifiers: ["greenhouse_solar"]
        name: "Greenhouse Solar"
        model: "RNG-CTRL-WND30"
        manufacturer: "Renogy"
        
    - name: "Battery Voltage"
      state_topic: "solar/state"
      device_class: "voltage"
      unit_of_measurement: "V"
      value_template: "{{ value_json.battery_voltage }}"
      unique_id: "battery_voltage"
      device:
        identifiers: ["greenhouse_solar"]
        name: "Greenhouse Solar"
        model: "RNG-CTRL-WND30"
        manufacturer: "Renogy"
        
    - name: "Daily Solar Generation"
      state_topic: "solar/state"
      device_class: "energy"
      unit_of_measurement: "Wh"
      value_template: "{{ value_json.power_generation_today }}"
      unique_id: "daily_generation"
      device:
        identifiers: ["greenhouse_solar"]
        name: "Greenhouse Solar"
        model: "RNG-CTRL-WND30"
        manufacturer: "Renogy"
        
    - name: "Controller Temperature"
      state_topic: "solar/state"
      device_class: "temperature"
      unit_of_measurement: "°F"
      value_template: "{{ value_json.controller_temperature }}"
      unique_id: "controller_temp"
      device:
        identifiers: ["greenhouse_solar"]
        name: "Greenhouse Solar"
        model: "RNG-CTRL-WND30"
        manufacturer: "Renogy"
        
    - name: "Battery Temperature"
      state_topic: "solar/state"
      device_class: "temperature"
      unit_of_measurement: "°F"
      value_template: "{{ value_json.battery_temperature }}"
      unique_id: "battery_temp"
      device:
        identifiers: ["greenhouse_solar"]
        name: "Greenhouse Solar"
        model: "RNG-CTRL-WND30"
        manufacturer: "Renogy"
        
    - name: "Charging Status"
      state_topic: "solar/state"
      value_template: "{{ value_json.charging_status }}"
      unique_id: "charging_status"
      device:
        identifiers: ["greenhouse_solar"]
        name: "Greenhouse Solar"
        model: "RNG-CTRL-WND30"
        manufacturer: "Renogy"
        
    - name: "Charging Amp Hours Today"
      state_topic: "solar/state"
      unit_of_measurement: "Ah"
      value_template: "{{ value_json.charging_amp_hours_today }}"
      unique_id: "charging_ah_today"
      device:
        identifiers: ["greenhouse_solar"]
        name: "Greenhouse Solar"
        model: "RNG-CTRL-WND30"
        manufacturer: "Renogy"
        
    - name: "Total Power Generation"
      state_topic: "solar/state"
      device_class: "energy"
      unit_of_measurement: "Wh"
      value_template: "{{ value_json.power_generation_total }}"
      unique_id: "total_generation"
      device:
        identifiers: ["greenhouse_solar"]
        name: "Greenhouse Solar"
        model: "RNG-CTRL-WND30"
        manufacturer: "Renogy"

3. Restart Home Assistant

4. Verify sensors

  • Go to Settings → Devices & Services → Devices
  • Look for “Greenhouse Solar” device with 10 entities
  • All sensors should be enabled and showing data

Step 8: Final Verification

1. Test system reboot

sudo reboot

2. After reboot, verify everything works

  • Wait 10 minutes after reboot
  • Check Home Assistant sensors are updating
  • Verify MQTT data is flowing

Your Complete Greenhouse Solar Monitoring System

Your setup will now:

  • ✅ Automatically connect to your Renogy BT-1 device every 5 minutes
  • ✅ Read all solar system data (power, voltage, temperature, etc.)
  • ✅ Send data to Home Assistant via MQTT
  • ✅ Display 10+ organized sensors under “Greenhouse Solar” device
  • ✅ Survive reboots and run continuously
  • ✅ Monitor: Solar power/voltage, battery status, temperatures, daily/total generation

Useful Links:
GitHub Config Files – Sanitized configuration files from this tutorial
renogy-bt – Python library for Renogy BT devices

Hardware:
Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W: Seeed Studio
Renogy 100W Solar Kit: AliExpress, Amazon
Renogy BT-1 Bluetooth Module: AliExpress, Amazon
Home Assistant Green: ameriDroid, Seeed Studio

Related Posts:
Greenhouse Temperature Sensor – Monitor greenhouse conditions with ESPHome

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