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Outback Mojave inverter

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SolarPrep

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I've recently posted a couple of comments regarding whether or not the Outback Skybox is a "discontinued item". )I've been told that by 3 separate reps from companies that sell them online) One of them also told me the Radian was going to be replaced. I've also left messages with Outback themselves, but have not heard back.

Today I see on their website that the new "Mohave" unit is expected in January of 2022. Check out the specs for yourself. Not surprisingly, there is also an associated battery backup system. The Mohave looks to me like it is a melding of the Skybox and the Radian. Quite attractive. I look forward to learning more.
 
Thanks for the info....

Mojave AC Inverter - OutBack Power Inc

The Mojave OGHI8048A comes ready to AC-couple with most grid-tied inverters and 48 VDC batteries on the market today. It’s the easy way to add the economic and resilience benefits of energy storage to existing residential PV systems.
www.outbackpower.com www.outbackpower.com

14.8kwh battery / 11.8kWh Usable

Mojave Energy Storage System - OutBack Power Inc

The Mojave™ platform combines the latest power electronics and control technology with the old-school muscle and practical features that define OutBack Power™.
www.outbackpower.com www.outbackpower.com

Looks like it can take 8k of AC coupled solar but doesn't say if it can DC couple for the battery, or if you can supply your own battery.
 
Yeah, I tried to open that link on the one page that purported to talk about the batteries, but it was non-functional. I did get a response from one dealer who said they expected the unit to sell for about the price of an assembled 8048 Radian. So, should be in the general ballpark of the SolArk.

I'd be surprised if Outback would make it difficult to use your own batteries, because they have a long history of working that way. But they are owned by Enersys, a large battery manufacturer, so who knows?
 
The Radians are at $0.50 per watt which is on par with the cheapest UL listed hybrid inverter out that can AC couple and DC couple....I like mine....

Outback Power Radian Inverter/Chargers

Outback Radian Inverter/Chargers are now compliant with California Rule 21 and Hawaii 14H grid support requirements. Those models have an -01 after them for UL1741-SA.
www.altestore.com www.altestore.com
 
I am surprised how Inverters and charge controllers are coming down in price while panels have mostly been price stagnate and batteries are going up....

Very interesting...they always talked that batteries and panels would continue to drop in price and I don't think that is true anymore.
 
SolarPrep said:
The Mohave looks to me like it is a melding of the Skybox and the Radian.
Click to expand...
The Skybox is an All in One and the Radian needs separate charge controllers and other peripherals.

The Mojave is a battery system that would work with a Radian or a Skybox. I don't see anywhere that suggests it will replace the Skybox or the Radian. I would not conclude the future of the Skybox is ending simply on the decision of one vendor to discontinue selling it.
 
Last edited:
Tecnodave said:
When was Outback aquired by Enersys?
Click to expand...
I don't know the exact date but maybe two years ago. They have moved a lot of staff to Arizona. My only beef with my Skybox is they have not opened their CANBUS communication to work with BMSs. With NEC 2020 requiring UL approved energy storage, there has to be synergy with Enersys.
 
Hedges: Thanks for the link. Well, no surprises there. They want you to buy their expensive batteries.
 
Ampster said:
I don't know the exact date but maybe two years ago. They have moved a lot of staff to Arizona. My only beef with my Skybox is they have not opened their CANBUS communication to work with BMSs. With NEC 2020 requiring UL approved energy storage, there has to be synergy with Enersys.
Click to expand...
Ampster: I'm seeing on sites like "Unbound Solar" that the Skybox is showing up as "discontinued". That could support what I've reported, or maybe they just don't want to sell it any longer. I presume the first. I still think it is an interesting device, and the price is not bad. I'd rather have it than an MPP with no approvals.
 
SolarPrep said:
Hedges: Thanks for the link. Well, no surprises there. They want you to buy their expensive batteries.
Click to expand...

That looks like five different 3rd party vendors for batteries, not their own products.

If new codes require a "UL listed ESS", that is what vendor needs to offer. But maybe battery + BMS qualifies as ESS?
Would be nice to know what protocol and what BMS. SMA Sunny Island for instance works with REC BMS models designed for it. I don't think SMA acknowledges that. The inverter vendor ought to document a protocol they support.
 
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Four years ago I sold a Radian to purchase a Skybox because the Skybox was all All in One and designed from the ground up to be grid interactive. I actually got one of the first Skyboxes when they were available. Six months later it hung during a firmware upgrade and Outback sent me the upper section which has worked fine ever since. New model electronics may be like new model cars in that early editions have kinks to work out. I cannot think of features that might be in the Mojave that are not in the Skybox but time will tell.
EDIT:
Upon investigation on the Outbackpower site I discovered that Mojave is a Lithium battery not an inverter. I am of the opinion that the Radian and the Skybox will be around for a while.
 
Last edited:
Ampster said:
Four years ago I sold a Radian to purchase a Skybox because the Skybox was all All in One and designed from the ground up to be grid interactive. I actually got one of the first Skyboxes when they were available. Six months later it hung during a firmware upgrade and Outback sent me the upper section which has worked fine ever since. New model electronics may be like new model cars in that early editions have kinks to work out. I cannot think of features that might be in the Mohawk that are not in the Skybox but time will tell.
EDIT:
Upon investigation on the Outbackpower site I discovered that Mohawk is a Lithium battery not an inverter. I am of the opinion that the Radian and the Skybox will be around for a while.
Click to expand...
Ampster: The Mojave is an 8k inverter, and there is also an associated battery storage system. (ESS) I have not read anything about a Mohawk. Is that just a typo?
 
Ampster:

Cut and pasted.....

The Mojave™ platform combines the latest power electronics and control technology with the old-school muscle and practical features that define OutBack Power™.

The Mojave inverter continues the impressive legacy of robust off-grid and grid-hybrid performance for which OutBack Power’s FX, FXR and Radian platforms are well known. But it doesn’t stop there. The Mojave inverter does away with external system controllers and includes an integrated wiring compartment for faster, clutter-free installation.

The OGHI8048A comes ready to AC-couple with most grid-tied inverters and 48 VDC batteries on the market today. It’s the easy way to add the economic and resilience benefits of energy storage to existing residential PV systems.

On-grid or off, be ready for anything.
 
Should have finished before posting...

Their site clearly shows the inverter, and the available module for ESS. What can be a bit confusing is having model numbers interspersed between the two descriptions. It appears to me that you don't have to buy the battery system if you just want the inverter.

If the tech guy who told me that Outback was also going to phase out the Radian series is correct, I'd bet that the Mojave uses a similar setup, with 2 modules inside of the new box. With all the crazy crap going on right now in the supply chain, they would likely not want to publicly disclose some of this info so they can continue to sell off stock. Skybox was never a very successful product. I'm not knocking it, because it looks like an interesting piece of gear for certain applications.

After a couple of weeks and several calls and emails on the topic of Skybox, I still have not received any kind of response from Outback. Accordingly, we have shifted our attention to SMA and Schneider for our purchases.
 
SolarPrep said:
Accordingly, we have shifted our attention to SMA and Schneider for our purchases.
Click to expand...

Here is something halfway interesting:

MidNite Solar Inc. Renewable Energy System Electrical Components and E-Panels

MidNite Solar manufactures E-Panels, combiners, charge controllers, pre-wired renewable energy systems, surge protection devices and other quality Renewable Energy System electrical components.
midnitesolar.com midnitesolar.com

"SMA Sunny Island is New Old Stock and comes with a 1 year warranty by MidNite."

Seems they bought up a bunch of Sunny Island from DC Solar liquidation?
They price their E-panel for SMA in the $1300 to $1800 range. Makes a cleaner installation. I never wanted to spend the price for what's included, but with Sunny Island bundled in for $2500 each it becomes more attractive.
This bundle has two SI-6048 and master & slave E-panel, at $8600
Add optional DC-coupling of PV or AC coupling.

(I was going to say this was substantially lower than SI-6048 still on eBay, but I'm seeing prices between $2000 and $2900 at the moment.)
 
Hedges said:
Here is something halfway interesting:

MidNite Solar Inc. Renewable Energy System Electrical Components and E-Panels

MidNite Solar manufactures E-Panels, combiners, charge controllers, pre-wired renewable energy systems, surge protection devices and other quality Renewable Energy System electrical components.
midnitesolar.com midnitesolar.com

"SMA Sunny Island is New Old Stock and comes with a 1 year warranty by MidNite."

Seems they bought up a bunch of Sunny Island from DC Solar liquidation?
They price their E-panel for SMA in the $1300 to $1800 range. Makes a cleaner installation. I never wanted to spend the price for what's included, but with Sunny Island bundled in for $2500 each it becomes more attractive.
This bundle has two SI-6048 and master & slave E-panel, at $8600
Add optional DC-coupling of PV or AC coupling.

(I was going to say this was substantially lower than SI-6048 still on eBay, but I'm seeing prices between $2000 and $2900 at the moment.)
Click to expand...
Hedges: Yes, Midnite bought a whole bunch of units at the auction. If you look on their site, there is a listing of all the multitudinous offerings. You can (in some cases) substitute a bigger charge controller. I have read, but cannot personally attest to a comment that the charge controllers were a stripped down version of their standard offerings. Maybe Robin will chime in if he reads this.

However, stock is getting really low, and many of the options are no longer offered. It is a good deal though. They are kind of slow right now, and after placing an order, wait time is about 3 months. You cannot buy the items separately for the price. But shipping and taxes does add up. It comes in a 300# crate.

It is cheaper to buy them through Solar Biz or Northern AZ Wind.
 
Ampster said:
Yes that was a typo which I fixed. Also thanks for the clarification about it being an Inverter and a battery.
Click to expand...
Ampster: I still like the Skybox, and would seriously consider buying one if I knew for a fact it was not going to be cancelled.
 
From https://enersysservice.force.com/Ou...-Mojave-Inverter-support-external-DC-charging

Mojave clues at best, NOT facts IMHO:
-Not compatible with legacy Outback products (focus on future compatibility)
-Generator sizing: best results gen set capacity should be approximately 16kw.
-Max AC output up to 42A 120/240
-Motor start capacity 10KW transient load service, smart voltage and current response from big loads/surges
-10 year warranty
-Firmware upgrade via internet Wi-Fi or USB
-Capable of battery startup (grid can be used to keep UI on in event of battery disconnect)
-Helios battery, 10 year 46MWH of pass through with 85% daily charging warranty (no connectivity or average SOC exclusions)
-HTML based UI, will connect to OpticsRe by default
-Transformer based design, robust performance, split phase, don’t need auto x former for backup
-AC coupled only (subject to change), can modulate most GT inverters installed since 2017
-DC coupled (not at this time) Stacking (not supported at this time) supports 8-15Kwh suitable for most homes
-CA compliant, Suns spec compliant, CSIP compliant
-60 amp optional breaker for a generator
Click to expand...

Mojave WiFi works in two different capacities.

1. You can connect directly to the Wi-Fi access point Mojave provides, and access the UI
2. Configure the wireless settings in the Mojave UI to connect to your home wireless router, and access the UI that way.

In either case, both are usable at the same time, and if you connect via Mojave wireless access point, Mojave will provide your device with internet access through either the connection to your wireless router or the ethernet connection.
Click to expand...

Legacy Inverter/chargers such as the Radian or FXR were able to support external battery chargers such as FLEXmax or 3rd party charge controllers including DC generators. Mojave Operates similar to SkyBox in terms of external charging compatibility.

Currently, Mojave Inverter/Charger AC Coupled Variant (Model: OGHI8048A) does not support any form of external charging including; Outback legacy FLEXmax series charge controllers, any 3rd party charge controllers, or DC generators.

All battery charging must "go through Mojave" such as a grid-dependent inverter in AC-coupled operation and/or an AC generator.
Click to expand...

AFAIK Radian does not have a transformer, so this would be different ... more like an XW?
No stacking (yet),
No technical documentation (yet).

Skybox was released long before there was much documentation, but the docs slowly appeared. They are quite good in comparison to most out there IMHO.
 
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