[RE-wrenches] 120 volt grid tie inverter

Tue Nov 16 11:20:38 PST 2010

The KACO blueplanet 1502xi inverter has a minimum MPPT voltage of 125Vdc 
but cannot be connected to a battery.

I would not recommend hooking a battery up to the input of just any grid 
tie inverter unless it was designed for it.
The current from a battery is significantly higher than that of a PV 
array and can damage the inverter or cause it to fail in a way which 
could be unsafe.

Sincere regards,
Richard Scott
KACO New Energy

On 11/16/2010 10:34 AM, Peter Parrish wrote:
> Bob,
>
> So he is grid-tied. But his household loads are all 100 Vdc? I wonder how he
> charges his battery bank...If it is PV with a charge controller (or wind),
> then I think he can export to the grid and get both a rebate from his
> utility and a Federal Tax credit. I assume that he is not interested in
> powering the 20 HP motor for his sawmill! If he is charging his batteries
> some other way (small hydro) I don't know about the incentives.
>
> But it looks like he is staring at a fully charged battery bank with
> generation to spare and is thinking "Why not sell this juice to my utility
> company? Fair question. I have no direct experience with the SB700, but it
> has been around for eons, and presumably is rock solid and can MPPT at 100 V
> all day long. The Fronius inverters only work down to 150 V. The Exeltech
> inverters that I am familiar with work down to 200 V. There must be lower
> voltage, grid tied inverters out there but the "battery backup" versions
> assume 24 Vdc or 48 Vdc battery banks. So, with the exception of the SB700,
> there seems to be a gap between 48 V (maybe 60 Vdc) and 150 Vdc.
>
> - Peter
>
> Peter T. Parrish, Ph.D., President
> California Solar Engineering, Inc.
> 820 Cynthia Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90065
> CA Lic. 854779, NABCEP Cert. 031806-26
> peter.parrish at calsolareng.com
> Ph 323-258-8883, Mobile 323-839-6108, Fax 323-258-8885
>
>   
> ________________________________________
> From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
> [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of bob ellison
> Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 5:23 AM
> To: 'RE-wrenches'
> Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] 120 volt grid tie inverter
>
> Peter,
> The fellow is living with a 120 volt DC battery bank, using it to power his
> place and a 20 HP motor on his sawmill.
> He wants to reduce the electric bill further than he already has.
>
> So we are looking for an inverter that will take 120 volt DC nominal from
> the panels / batteries and send it to the grid.
>
> I am supposed to meet him tomorrow and hope to have more info afterwards.
>
> Thanks,
> Bob Ellison
>
> From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
> [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Peter
> Parrish
> Sent: Monday, November 15, 2010 8:38 PM
> To: glenn.burt at glbcc.com; 'RE-wrenches'
> Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] 120 volt grid tie inverter
>
> Bob,
>
> Do you mean they have a nominal 120 Vdc input? Or do you mean that they want
> a 120 Vac (RMS) output? If the former, what output voltage do you want? If
> the latter, what is their nominal dc input voltage (better yet the range of
> DC input voltages over a range of typical temperatures and irradiance
> values)?
>
> - Peter
>
>                                                      
> Peter T. Parrish, Ph.D., President
> California Solar Engineering, Inc.
> 820 Cynthia Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90065
> CA Lic. 854779, NABCEP Cert. 031806-26
> peter.parrish at calsolareng.com 
> Ph 323-258-8883, Mobile 323-839-6108, Fax 323-258-8885
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
> [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Glenn Burt
> Sent: Monday, November 15, 2010 5:29 PM
> To: 'RE-wrenches'
> Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] 120 volt grid tie inverter
>
> I think there is still an SMA 700W inverter available that uses 120VAC.
> -Glenn
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
> [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Bob Ellison
> Sent: Monday, November 15, 2010 11:14 AM
> To: RE-wrenches
> Subject: [RE-wrenches] 120 volt grid tie inverter
>
> I have a customer who wants to grid tie a 120 volt dc system
> Does anyone know of an inverter that can do this?
>
> Thanks
> Bob ellison
>
>
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