30kw of inverter/s needed off grid what do you recommend ???

[motomarc]

This project is 54 panels 400watt bi facial on a 21x60 roof over 100ft from house 6 gauge wire 100%.

the peak power kw use was almost 30kw. So I want to make sure that power is available if needed.

the home has 2x200amp meters and breaker panels.

I am needing inverter suggestions and recommendations on how to supply this much power to the home.

They want to get it off grid 100% and have battery backup as well. I can't imagine how many we will need enough to supply a 30kw load if needed and

They are suing the local power company!!
the local company been messing them around will not change the meter. The meter is not reading correctly.

I give this customer credit they bought a sense for both panels and it's saying they're using less than half what our local company says and charges them for.

thank you all for your help & advice.

 

[BentleyJ]

If they are in a law suit with the utility company I would suggest getting a second opinion on usage such as purchasing an Emporia Vue 3 to compare with the Sense which has had some negative reviews.

One Sol-Ark 15K per 200A breaker panel would be the simplest solution. Value priced Alternative would be the EG4 18kpv
If you want some redundancy consider a pair of 8K inverters per 200A panel but that gets more complicated.

I would think that 1 large inverter per breaker panel is enough. If one inverter needs service, you can always get an extension cord and a make temp interconnect between panels if there are any critical loads.

 

[1201]

3 srne asp 10kw units- about $3500 total. I don't think there is currently a better off grid value

 

[Hedges]

Peak power 30kW - is that daytime? Night time?

How many kWh in the day? How many kWh at night?

Have to design a system which meets needs.
Avoiding multiple large loads at same time could help a lot, e.g. don't enable well pump while A/C is running.

I use SMA, which is AC coupled battery inverter and GT PV inverter. Offgrid, PV inverter can be 2x wattage of battery inverter.
2x SI for 11.5kW from battery, <several> SB for up to 24kW from PV. Or twice that many for 23kW from battery, 48kW from PV.
That could supply 23kW continuous at night, as much as 71kW during the day (depending on sun.) $45k msrp (batteries and PV panels not included) but deals can be had around 1/4 as much, like $12k +/- for the bigger system, $6k +/- for one half that size.

It sounds like their need could be met from $3500 to $35,000 or so.
Differences in quality, performance, support. (and highest priced products don't necessarily have most responsive support.)

 

[wpns]

If they are in a law suit with the utility company I would suggest getting a second opinion on usage such as purchasing an Emporia Vue 3 to compare with the Sense which has had some negative reviews.

One Sol-Ark 15K per 200A breaker panel would be the simplest solution. Value priced Alternative would be the EG4 18kpv
If you want some redundancy consider a pair of 8K inverters per 200A panel but that gets more complicated.

I would think that 1 large inverter per breaker panel is enough. If one inverter needs service, you can always get an extension cord and a make temp interconnect between panels if there are any critical loads.

I'll second the zeroth step of a proper energy audit, until you know what your peak load (KW) and daily average energy (KWHR) is you can't really design a useful system. Of course, the Sense may not correct for apparent power, but that's OK, as your inverters will have to supply KVA anyway. For a system that size you are going to have multiple inverters in parallel, so you want some margin and redundancy, there are a lot of options out there.
I'm a big fan of EG4 18Kpv and Powerpro batteries, as they are modular enough that plugging in more inverters and batteries is pretty straightforward if you planned ahead.

 

[motomarc]

Peak power 30kW - is that daytime? Night time?

How many kWh in the day? How many kWh at night?

Have to design a system which meets needs.
Avoiding multiple large loads at same time could help a lot, e.g. don't enable well pump while A/C is running.

I use SMA, which is AC coupled battery inverter and GT PV inverter. Offgrid, PV inverter can be 2x wattage of battery inverter.
2x SI for 11.5kW from battery, <several> SB for up to 24kW from PV. Or twice that many for 23kW from battery, 48kW from PV.
That could supply 23kW continuous at night, as much as 71kW during the day (depending on sun.) $45k msrp (batteries and PV panels not included) but deals can be had around 1/4 as much, like $12k +/- for the bigger system, $6k +/- for one half that size.

It sounds like their need could be met from $3500 to $35,000 or so.
Differences in quality, performance, support. (and highest priced products don't necessarily have most responsive support.)

I will have to ask on that I would assume daytime.
that was in 1, 15 minute period in a years time it hit 28kw use.
we haven't gotten to how much battery backup he wants yet. I would say over 60kwh.
I need to see his sense and how much power is truly being used on a daily or weekly basis.

thank you for your input.

 

[wpns]

that was in 1, 15 minute period in a years time it hit 28kw use

If that's from a demand meter that the PoCo installed, then that doesn't tell the whole tale, peak could well be significantly higher. If that's from the Sense, then you need to know if that's the peak in that 15-min period, or if it was 28KW sustained for 15 minutes.

Also need to know his budget, current power bill, and acceptable payback time in order to know if he's looking for a budget solution to tame a crazy power bill or if money is no object and he wants days of backup power without manual load management. My Favorite Wife is not a big fan of manual load management!

Either way I'd personally want (3) 18Kpv inverters for a bit of margin, as much battery as his wallet will stand, and as many solar panels as he has roof(?) to install them.

 

[Hedges]

I will have to ask on that I would assume daytime.
that was in 1, 15 minute period in a years time it hit 28kw use.
we haven't gotten to how much battery backup he wants yet. I would say over 60kwh.
I need to see his sense and how much power is truly being used on a daily or weekly basis.

thank you for your input.

60 kWh / 12kWh per PowerPro = 5 batteries.
$3500 x 5 = $17,500 for off the shelf, nicely packaged batteries.

Now, does he really care if he buys the cheapest $3500 inverter solution, or a $45,000 inverter system from SMA, the company that invented grid-tie inverters and AC coupling?

Remember, haven't bought PV panels yet.

Or, consider Rosie the Inverter from Midnight, who's management and engineers are pioneers of the off-grid world?

I suggest checking out the Midnight batteries too. Think they may have both 12kWh and 5kWh products, not sure if either/both are priced and available yet?

Several other premium brands too.

Oh, power audit - don't for get "motor starting surge", which is typically 5x rated operating current. May be marked as "LRA" on motors.

 

[kromc5]

I have run sustained 27+kw with no issues on 3-Eg4 18Kpv. However, more information is needed depending on what is being used and the start requirements. Depending on the location and whether they want to stay positive on the DC side, they will need more panels.