Inverters for GT with Batteries [RE-wrenches]

[EH Roy]

Allan,

I agree there is no real satisfying choice for a grid-tied battery-based
inverter and with the recent blackout, there is more interest. That's why we
all keep asking Chris when the OutBack will be ready - because that's our
best shot. Sorry you keep getting hounded with that question, Chris, but it
is because OutBack is the best shot and because wrenches want to support
you. We know it isn't a trivial solution and appreciate the fact that your
team is working the problem properly.

If a customer just wouldn't wait a few months, I'd probably go (reluctantly)
with the known quantity - the SW. But the customer would be well informed of
the predicament and of the ramifications of the decision.

E. H. Roy
Solar Works Inc.
64 Main Street
Montpelier, VT 05602
802 223-7804 x306
ehroy at solar-works.com




-----Original Message-----
From: Allan Sindelar [mailto:allan at positiveenergysolar.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2003 6:27 PM
To: New wrenches posting
Subject: Inverters for GT with Batteries [RE-wrenches]


Fellow Wrenches,
When we discuss grid-tie with potential clients, we start by asking about
their motivation. Green, outages, lower utility bills, or whatever, as a
basic design question to determine battery-based or batteryless. I'm amazed
how different these two approaches are for us.

A battery-based intertied lead came up yesterday, and the initial site visit
is tomorrow. We do relatively few of these, and planning the basic design,
we realized that we couldn't come up with a good inverter to base a system
around. Help us, here: what else is worth using that we haven't thought of:

The SW Xantrex works OK, but with all the old problems: volatile memory,
lack of silent sell, mod-sine waveform, noisy external GTI, yadda, yadda.
Usable old standby, but not a first choice.

The SWPlus is off-grid only, and vaporware at this point, plus all the
limitations that Bob-O identified a couple of weeks ago.

The Outback FX would be the units of choice, except that the intertie option
isn't ready.

The Beacon MM-5 is as yet unproven as being more debugged than the AEI MM-5,
and it's from a new company with no track record in our industry, and who
isn't supporting the GC-1000s.

SMA's battery-based unit isn't here yet.

Exeltech keeps advertising its GX series in Home Power, but has anyone
actually used one? I haven't heard anything here.

What am I missing? I'm sure to ruffle some feathers here, but it seems to me
that either I'm way too picky or we need to tell customers to wait a few
months until an inverter that does all the things we want it to is
available, listed, and functional?

Allan at Positive Energy

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