Grid-Tie Inverters with Batteries [RE-wrenches]

[Allan Sindelar]

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Wrenches,
Having read all of the other responses to date, let me offer a slightly
different perspective. In the Santa Fe region we have reliable grid power
from PNM, primarily coal-fired with long-term purchase contracts
(environmental consequences not included in this post) at about $.08/kwhr
base residential rate, and no state incentives yet. So our typical client
has "green" as his or her primary motivation, not economics. The
maintenance-free aspect of the Sunny Boy batteryless systems has a major
appeal to this client type. We make it clear up front that if the utility is
down, so are they, but for the green client, pointing out that this is no
different than before they added solar is usually sufficient.

We ask for "primary motivation" as one of our top initial questions of a
lead. If it's "to reduce my electric bill" we give them some good handouts
on efficiency improvements and gently show them the door. If it's "clean
solar power" and "power during outages" doesn't come up in the initial
answer, we encourage batteryless grid-tie. To date, only if "power during
outages" comes up as a primary response do batteries figure into the
equation and our design recommendations.

The Outback GT option has only been available for a few months, and we're
having trouble getting product promptly anyway. We have been waiting for
good field reports and a track record before designing around the Beacon M5,
having been burned once with AEI. Up to now, if someone has asked for GT
with battery backup, we have told them to wait for awhile, as the current
technology (SW/GTI or, previously, AEI M5000) is inefficient and cumbersome,
and the next generation (GTFX) is just around the corner. Now with the
Outback we're ready to offer GT with backup (and long lead times).

Also, b'less GT is easy to add to most homes' existing wiring. Adding
batteries requires a fair amount of field rewiring to allow a second
critical loads breaker panel. We can do it, but it's more labor and is hard
to work into a  fixed price proposal, which most customers prefer.

My $.02...
Allan at Positive Energy

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joel Davidson" <joeldavidson at earthlink.net>

I've often said that if we did our grid-tied PV system now, we would use a
batteryless inverter instead of our SW4048 with batteries because today's
batteryless systems cost less and produce more energy. However, the new
grid/battery inverters have me thinking about the value of grid-tie PV with
battery backup.

Just how often do power outages really happen? We have had only 3 grid
outages since June 1998 totaling 45 hours. Two outages were energy crisis
rolling blackouts and one was a neighborhood pole-mounted transformer that
burned out.

Those of you with batteryless PV, how many grid/PV outages have you had in
how many years? What about your customers? Do you think the new grid-tie
inverters with batteries are worth the extra system cost?
Joel Davidson

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