I'll assume you have an off-grid Battery & Bypass/standby grid-assisted inverter and not a grid-tied inverter that can send power back to the utility grid. Most off-grid inverters can provide a 200% overload for a short period of time, not continuously. Your limitation is the input circuit breaker. If you have a 5kW inverter, it better be protected by the breaker rating specified by the manufacturer, and not twice that value.
I was under the impression that the skybox didn’t need to use pass thru for the grid to help supply the homes loads. Doesn’t the AC input simply also work as an output. The inverter can supply the max output it can to the main panel working as a grid tie inverter and the grid continues to supply power to the main panel at the same time if the homes loads are more than the inverter can supply
Both the AC in and AC out are bidirectional. My configuration is with a critical loads panel powered by the AC output and that is how the grid can pass through to support house loads on that panel.
Ah got ya. A critical loads panel (with only must have loads) can still be installed with the configuration I’m referring to. That way when the power goes out the critical things still get offgrid power from the inverter. This enables the user to have a much smaller inverter/battery bank that only needs to cover the must haves for rare power outages. Of course the battery is still used to zero the electric bill because it’s used to supply the main panel under normal grid tie operation. The critical panel gets its power from the main panel (cable from main panel to critical panel not pass thru) which is supplied by the inverters grid tie output and grid at the same time if inverter can’t supply enough
What you're describing is the basic Grid-tied PV system with a battery backup. The inverter powers as much of the house as it can, and the grid provides the rest. The battery only gets used when needed and at night to minimize the utility bill.
That’s correct. I feel as if this type of setup is best for anyone who will keep a grid connection. The Cts limit the output of the inverter to only what the main panels loads need. when there’s clouds or at night or simply not enough pv power available the battery is added to the pv grid tie output and supplied to the main panel if needed.
Doesn't the utility allow you to send the excess power back to them for credits? Why throttle it back if there's good sunlight and the battery is charged? Those credits add up over 30 years.
In my area the utility does allow backfeed into the grid but they won’t pay/credit anything for it. Other areas that do get credit are seeing more charges on their bills or they get paid/credit next to nothing.
I would guess Amps alternating current.
Does that mean I can use 5kw generated by the solar panels / inverter and on top of that 8.4kw from the grid through passthrough, so a total of 13.4kw?
It is not clear from the tag. Are there breakers on the AC out or AC in ports
