backup generator specs... [RE-wrenches]

[John Raynes]

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Ditto to what William said.  If you're not installing an SW, that "great 
deal" won't look so great if he's also looking at a $200-300 generator 
start module (and your time to wire it all up and configure the 3-wire 
start settings).

My impression is that most wrenches don't want to supply the 
generator.  I'm definitely in that camp.

My recommendations are to make sure that the generator is sized large 
enough to handle the full battery AC charge amps capacity of the inverter, 
plus typical daytime inverter loads, plus some margin.  My experience has 
been that most non-inverter style generators will start to slow down enough 
to cause the inverter to drop the connection due to low frequency, a good 
bit before the generator has reached max power.  And that's after de-rating 
the capacity by about 4% for every 1000' elevation above seal level 
(somebody correct me if my percentage estimate is wrong).  That last one's 
probably not a big issue in No. Texas though.

John Raynes
RE Solar
Torrey, UT



At 11:17 AM 1/12/2007 -0800, you wrote:


>Jim:
>
>For starters (pun intended), two wire start.
>
>William Miller
>
>
>At 08:21 AM 1/12/2007, you wrote:
>
>>A customer, building a small 1kW PV off-grid weekend home, insists that
>>he can get a better deal on a backup generator than I and insists that I
>>won't get to make that choice. So wanting to at least have some
>>oversight in what he buys, told him I would forward some technical info
>>to him since all generators are not created equally inverter friendly.
>>Where can I find a list of specs, on the www, relating to the do's and
>>dont's of generator selection? Combing thru the archives of the Wrenches
>>site was really slow and cumbersome and only turned up specific genset
>>related issues.
>>Come to think of it, I could use an update on the subject with so many
>>different brands currently on the market and the fact that I rarely do
>>off-grid installs.
>>
>>Thanks as always
>>Jim Duncan
>>North Texas Renewable Energy Inc
>>Fort Worth, Texas
>
>
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