[RE-wrenches] EG4 Equipment

[Jason Szumlanski]

Beyond the listing issues, there are also the NFPA 855 maximum energy
storage limitations to consider that battery manufacturers and distributors
are not considering in their marketing, leading consumers to conclusions
that won't work. I have a client who purchased three full racks of EG4 LL
as a kit and intended to put them in a garage. That's 5.12kWh x 3 x 6 =
92.16 kWh. That exceeds the 80kWh limit. I had to break the news and tell
them to return three of the batteries.

It seems pretty strange for Tesla to be putting out a 13.5kWh Powerwall 3
(13.5 x 3 > 40kWh and 13.5 x 6 > 80kWh). The EG4 PowerPro at 14.3kWh
suffers from the same capacity issues. At least Enphase has its head out of
the sand and offers options at precisely 40kWh and 80kWh capacity ratings.

Manufacturers seem to have a cavalier attitude toward these issues and make
it the designer/installer's issue to deal with. Meanwhile, they are losing
sales when they make a battery that puts them at 42.9kWh for a 3-pack.
Strange...

Jason Szumlanski
Principal Solar Designer | Florida Solar Design Group
NABCEP Certified Solar Professional (PVIP)
Florida State Certified Solar Contractor CVC56956
Florida Certified Electrical Contractor EC13013208


On Fri, Feb 16, 2024 at 9:34 PM Dan Fink via RE-wrenches <
re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:

> The issue I'm having with EG4 specifically and Signature Solar in general
> is a scattershot approach to UL and NRTL listings. Those listings may not
> be important to various DIY folks of varying levels of "git-er-done," but
> listings are critical for my business. Some products they sell are Listed
> per NEC, some are not, and some EG4 are listed, some are not. I recently
> contacted Signature Solar regarding their EG4 rack mount ESS modules and
> did not receive a satisfactory response, unfortunately a new off-grid
> client had already purchased an entire rack of them before consulting with
> me. Our county AHJ is very strict. I can't risk recommending or installing
> a system that would fail inspection. Here in Colorado they often even cross
> check the altitude ratings on all inverters. (sorry Schneider XW-Pro that I
> like so much, limit on your spec sheet is 2000m altitude)
>
> Signature Solar provided the usual NRTL stamp for UL 1741SA etc etc on the
> EG4 rack batteries, then also a UL 9540A testing certificate that they said
> should be sufficient, and it disturbed me that they did not seem to
> understand that UL 9540A is NOT a listing - it's a fire-resistance test
> that an ESS manufacturer can use as a document to help obtain their actual
> UL9540 listing, and also gain exemptions to spacing and other
> requirements....but from my understanding it's NOT an actual UL or NRTL
> listing to UL 9540. When I inquired about that, Signature Solar stopped
> communicating with me.
>
> I'm pretty sure my understanding of UL 9540 listing vs. 9540A testing is
> correct, but I would appreciate any input before again gently confronting
> both AHJs and manufacturers.
>
> Dan Fink
> Owner, Buckville Energy Consulting LLC
> IREC Certified Instructor for PV and Small Wind Installation
> NABCEP Certified PV System Inspector
> NABCEP PV Associate
> d <dan.fink at greendustrialtraining.com>anbob88 at gmail.com
> 970-672-4342
>
>>
>>
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