U.S. source for NEP microinverters?

Can anyone provide a link to a vendor here in the states that sells NEP microinverters? I'm interested in a unit with 110 v output, like the BDM 600 LV. https://northernep.com/products/microinverters/bdm-600-lv The folks at NEP forwarded my request to someone in China who stopped responding when I told him I only wanted one or two units. Signature Solar sells the NEP BDM-600, but only in 220 v output.

Thanks.

I'm guessing you were on Alibaba? Most sellers there only do B2B sales with MOQ's that are beyond most homeowners. (but you probably knew that already )

NEP is a US based company so that's odd they sent you to China??? Did you find this list of US distributors?

You can buy generic no name micro's on AliExpress one at time if you want to try that route. I'm getting ready to buy a batch of 1600 watt micro inverters from Alibaba that can handle four 535 watt panels each. Wish me luck....

OzSolar said:

I'm guessing you were on Alibaba? Most sellers there only do B2B sales with MOQ's that are beyond most homeowners. (but you probably knew that already )

NEP is a US based company so that's odd they sent you to China??? Did you find this list of US distributors?

You can buy generic no name micro's on AliExpress one at time if you want to try that route.

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OzSolar said:

I'm getting ready to buy a batch of 1600 watt micro inverters from Alibaba that can handle four 535 watt panels each. Wish me luck....

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Which ones?

fafrd said:

Which ones?

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These. Any input? I've seen no mention of arc fault, rapid shutdown or ac coupling but I've not looked. None of which I need for my current application but certainly not something to ignore. I will say that the supplier is very responsive and has been able to answer all of my questions.

OzSolar said:

I'm guessing you were on Alibaba? Most sellers there only do B2B sales with MOQ's that are beyond most homeowners. (but you probably knew that already )

NEP is a US based company so that's odd they sent you to China??? Did you find this list of US distributors?

You can buy generic no name micro's on AliExpress one at time if you want to try that route. I'm getting ready to buy a batch of 1600 watt micro inverters from Alibaba that can handle four 535 watt panels each. Wish me luck....

Click to expand...

Thanks for the response, OzSolar. Alibaba has 110v NEP inverters but their vendors charge a hefty premium for small lots and for shipping. I've sent messages to a couple of NEP's US distributors but they haven't responded yet.

Let us know how those generic inverters work for you. They're for sale all over the internet but I've stayed away from them because some reviewers report they overheat and throttle output. I might take my chances on one anyway if I can't find a name brand 110v unit.

SkyBlue said:

Thanks for the response, OzSolar. Alibaba has 110v NEP inverters but their vendors charge a hefty premium for small lots and for shipping. I've sent messages to a couple of NEP's US distributors but they haven't responded yet.

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SkyBlue said:

Let us know how those generic inverters work for you. They're for sale all over the internet but I've stayed away from them because some reviewers report they overheat and throttle output. I might take my chances on one anyway if I can't find a name brand 110v unit.

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Links?

I’ve been eyeing these for a whole as well but could never find an efficiency spec.

Watts input x (100% - Efficiency) = the amount of heat the inverter generates, so a reputation for overheating probably corresponds to poor efficiency…

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OzSolar said:

These. Any input?

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OzSolar said:

I've seen no mention of arc fault

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Me neither but I’m not sure how much of a concern that is with low-voltage single-panel ‘strings’.

OzSolar said:

, rapid shutdown

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Pretty certain that any ‘grid-tied’ inverter is rapid-shutdown by definition (grid signal goes away and output get cut off).

OzSolar said:

or ac coupling

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Any grid-tied inverter supports AC-coupling (by definition). Do you mean ‘frequency shift’ (throttling-back output when off-grid by increasing ‘grid’ frequency)?

OzSolar said:

but I've not looked. None of which I need for my current application but certainly not something to ignore. I will say that the supplier is very responsive and has been able to answer all of my questions.

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The key missing spec that has caused me to hold off is efficiency - perhaps you can ask you supplier for power efficiency (how many Watts of DC input power needed t generate 1000W or 500W of AC output power?).

Also, I assume you know these inverters can be purchased through Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07N...d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9kZXRhaWwp13NParams

With Amazon, if you get the vendor to indicate a Power Efficiency % either in an email or in an ‘Answer’ to a question you ask on Amazon, if the inverter fails to deliver the stated efficiency you can return it for a full refund.

In my experience, the premium of purchasing a first sample of any unknoen Chinese product through Amazon is generally money very well-spent…

[EDIT: no need to ask a question as that vendor indicates a power efficiency of 91.2%:



That’s actually better than I expected.

If you can get 1000W of AC output power from 1096.5W of DC input power, that’s only 96.5W of heat being generated.

Not as good as the 95.5% efficiency of the NEP Microinverters, but closer to them then the 80% Power Efficiency of the GTIL inverters…]

fafrd said:

Links?

I’ve been eyeing these for a whole as well but could never find an efficiency spec.

Watts input x (100% - Efficiency) = the amount of heat the inverter generates, so a reputation for overheating probably corresponds to poor efficiency…

Click to expand...

Edit: I'd like to see some of those links as well. I've not seen any mention of overheating in my limited research.

fafrd said:

[EDIT: no need to ask a question as that vendor indicates a power efficiency of 91.4%:

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A first blush that amazon unit does not appear to be even close to the same one. 1600 watts 240v IE1547 and above 95% efficiency from memory. I'm currently on my Chromebook and the spec sheet they sent is on my desktop.

OzSolar said:

Just click on hyperlink in the first word of my post.

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I meant about the overheating (highlighted that subject in bold, but forgot to break up the quote so you’d see it).

Here is is again:

‘some reviewers report they overheat and throttle output.’

OzSolar said:

A first blush that amazon unit does not appear to be even close to the same one. 1600 watts 240v IE1547 and above 95% efficiency from memory. I'm currently on my Chromebook and the spec sheet they sent is on my desktop.

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The 1600W 240VAC may not be available through an Amazon vendor yet, but these are all manufactured by the same supplier.

Since this thread was about the BDM600LV. (120VAC) I thought we were only discussing 120VAC Microinverters.

Here is the 1400W model: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0B9...d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9kZXRhaWwp13NParams

That one includes no specifications for power efficiency but this 1200W 120VAC model includes the same 91.2% Power Efficiency specification: https://m.vevor.com/grid-tie-solar-...gIV2RetBh1SaA47EAQYAyABEgJ-WvD_BwE#_goodsSpec

OzSolar said:

A first blush that amazon unit does not appear to be even close to the same one. 1600 watts 240v IE1547 and above 95% efficiency from memory. I'm currently on my Chromebook and the spec sheet they sent is on my desktop.

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And here is your 1600W model: https://www.amazon.com/BHDK-Waterpr...cphy=9032082&hvtargid=pla-1661447735641&psc=1

Both 120VAC as well as 240VAC and claiming a Power Efficiency of 95%.

$350 is not cheap but since the power efficiency spec is almost certainly inflated, this provides a zero-risk way to check one of these out at no cost (test it to power efficiency is off by more than 10% meaning <94.5% then return it to Amazon for a full refund).

This is the black 600W 120VAC model: https://www.amazon.com/Inverter-Sol...7f-ae6a-2922c5de8841&pd_rd_i=B08L696GK5&psc=1

This one has a specification on Amazon that reads:

‘Inverter Efficiency: 95 (%)’

This specification leaves less wiggle room than a ‘Max Power Efficiency’ specification and for $160, this seems like a pretty good replacement for the BDM600LV…

fafrd said:

And here is your 1600W model: https://www.amazon.com/BHDK-Waterproof-Identification-high‑Accuracy-Photovoltaic/dp/B0949GNDHC/ref=asc_df_B0949GNDHC/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=598229505786&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3788118524139032008&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032082&hvtargid=pla-1661447735641&psc=1

Both 120VAC as well as 240VAC and claiming a Power Efficiency of 95%.

$350 is not cheap but since the power efficiency spec is almost certainly inflated, this provides a zero-risk way to check one of these out at no cost (test it to power efficiency is off by more than 10% meaning <94.5% then return it to Amazon for a full refund).

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Why do people want to do 120v micro inverters? It's serious question. Are people aiming to backfeed a 15 amp wall plug or?

On a not so serious matter I'd rather have the 1400 micro inverter so I can take it tent camping. No such pictures on the 1600.

I totally get buying it from Amazon so I can return but I'm not following the need to document not meeting specs. I return A LOT of things to Amazon and most of the time I'm not even required to say why.

When I get a chance I'll take close look at the spec sheet on the 1600 they sent me. It very well may the same thing.

fafrd said:

Since this thread was about the BDM600LV. (120VAC) I thought we were only discussing 120VAC Microinverters.

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Skyblue, sorry about hijacking the thread. I wasn't trying to.

Read the Customer Reviews for a confirmation of the overheating issue discussed earlier in the thread: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07V...1&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9kZXRhaWwy

‘So far the 800w worth of panels and this inverter have failed to reach 600w of output. The module seems to clip off around 580w and it will not output anything for 20 minutes or so. Then it will slowly start climbing, stay stable for a little while, then shut down again.’

These may not be worth wasting any time with…

OzSolar said:

Why do people want to do 120v micro inverters? It's serious question. Are people aiming to backfeed a 15 amp wall plug or?

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In my case, I’m looking at using a Victron Multiplus II as the heart of a 120VAC DC-coupled backup power system.

The Victron can use and control 120VAC grid-tied solar inverters connected to its AC -output (but not 240VAC inverters)…

OzSolar said:

On a not so serious matter I'd rather have the 1400 micro inverter so I can take it tent camping. No such pictures on the 1600.

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Yeah, we’ll there is that…

OzSolar said:

I totally get buying it from Amazon so I can return but I'm not following the need to document not meeting specs. I return A LOT of things to Amazon and most of the time I'm not even required to say why.

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Check the rules carefully (and even speak to Amazon about your return rights).

They are not the same when purchasing products from China as they are for products ‘shipped by Amazon’…

Better than buying through AliExpress, but nothing like Amazon’s standard return rights.

OzSolar said:

When I get a chance I'll take close look at the spec sheet on the 1600 they sent me. It very well may the same thing.

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All these inverters are for sure from the same manufacturer (and perform the same).

The only question is how specifications were represented.

These are at least honest about having 80% Peak Efficiency: https://www.amazon.com/Inverter-Sta...1f-0e50bef84fc1&pd_rd_i=B08LKBJ24C&th=1&psc=1

Rated for 1300W, getting 500 or 600W out of one of these is only 38-46% of max rating (or 48-58% if that max rating refers to max input power rather than max output power).

If you need ~600W of 120VAC power, these have been around for several years now and are at least likely to deliver as advertised at least up to ~half of claimed maximum output levels (which is still not bad for $140, at least if you don’t require roof mounting…).

Regarding these "no name" inverters overheating and clipping power output, reviewers of some of the units offered on Amazon report this problem, and lots of the reviewers on Alibaba do as well. But I've been looking at the smaller units (400-800 watts) so I don't know if this is a problem with some of the four panel units.

SkyBlue said:

Regarding these "no name" inverters overheating and clipping power output, reviewers of some of the units offered on Amazon report this problem, and lots of the reviewers on Alibaba do as well. But I've been looking at the smaller units (400-800 watts) so I don't know if this is a problem with some of the four panel units.

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I'm not seeing hardly any reviews but I've limited my searching to the 1600. ugh.... what a rabbit hole...

What about derating any of them by 25% or more in hopes of staying away from thermal clipping? EG: Using a 600 watt unit for a 400 watt module or 3 panels instead of 4? That's just a working theory I have at them moment but I'm not going to keep trying to push this rope uphill much longer.

The Alibaba vendor (probably not the factory??) has a MOQ of 2. I've got six 535 watt modules so works out that that I would use three instead per microinverter. Of course I could end up two door stops that cost me $560.