Battery concern All-in-One MPP 2424LV vs. Component System

[SoFar]

I'm looking to setup a small off grid system and was leaning towards the Lv2424 but now I'm thinking about doing a component system because the 2420 needs a certain amount of battery power to turn on the system.

I plan to use two lead acid batteries for now and change to Lithium Iron later. The whole purpose of Lithium Iron was I could use 100% of my batteries and run them pretty much all the way down. But with the All-In-One if I did that I would not be able to get the unit to turn back on with my Solar panels. If I had a component system, I wouldn't have that problem?

Plus, on a component system I could run the inverter without batteries (in a pinch) and I wouldn't be able to do that with a MPP system?.

Doesn't the all-in-one minimize the power usage i could utilize from my batteries as opposed to a component system?

 

[DThames]

While some new inverters (Growatt makes one) can run without a battery, I am not sure how you would do that with most inverters. You would likely need several panels in parallel and some type of voltage regulation to load the panels enough that the inverter would not do a high battery input trip. A 12v panel will output 18v or more and most 12v inverters will trip about 16v.

 

[OnGrid]

While some new inverters (Growatt makes one) can run without a battery, I am not sure how you would do that with most inverters. You would likely need several panels in parallel and some type of voltage regulation to load the panels enough that the inverter would not do a high battery input trip. A 12v panel will output 18v or more and most 12v inverters will trip about 16v.

The Growatt 24V can't do that only the 48v. He's asking about a 12 or 24 volt system (two batteries).

 

[MichaelK]

I plan to use two lead acid batteries for now and change to Lithium Iron later. The whole purpose of Lithium Iron was I could use 100% of my batteries and run them pretty much all the way down. But with the All-In-One if I did that I would not be able to get the unit to turn back on with my Solar panels. If I had a component system, I wouldn't have that problem?

Don't kid yourself that it's OK to drain Li batteries to zero. Maybe the fly by night Chinese manufacturers will say so, but the reputable American suppliers like BattleBorn that honor their warranties don't recommend draining their batteries lower than 20%. Battery life drops to a fifth of normal with complete draining. It's also a standard recommendation not to completely charge Li batteries all the way to 100%. I've seen recommendations between 90 - 95% charged.

So, in reality, you are comparing a 70-75% battery to a traditional 50% battery. Keep in mind that an added benefit of a larger battery is lower ripple current, which in the long run may be damaging to your inverter. So, depending on your circumstances and your pocketbook, you might be better off with a larger lead-acid battery as compared to a smaller Li battery.

BTW, even with components, the charge controller is also powered by the battery, so if you drain the battery low enough that the controller shuts down, you're still stuck.