Fangpusun Xtender Questions

[ChangeMachine]

I'm checking out the Fangpusun Xtender XTM and XTH series based inverters. I'm still an idiot about all of the tech specs, so I'm hoping people would be so generous as to educate me. Perhaps @the_colorist since you've shown some interest in them. If you can break away from the beach for a sec.

Question: The specs don't mention MPPT. Does that mean it's just inefficient at charging batteries without a dedicated MPPT charge controller?

Thanks, y'all.

 

[the_colorist]

LOL. No time for the beach here.

So the first thing to realize about the XTM/XTH inverters is that they are/do one thing and do it well: They are bi-directional battery inverters. Nothing more, nothing less. Just like SMA Sunny Island inverters.

Some would call them inverter/chargers but in my mind an inverter charger is not the same as a grid-forming bi-directional battery inverter as units generally marketed as inverter/chargers don't have software or hardware ability to frequency shift, therefore modulating and controlling the power output an AC-Coupled network.

Your PV would be handled by another device. Either a DC-Coupled charge controller charging the batteries directly OR an AC-Coupled PV inverter(s) such as a string inverter (SMA Sunny Boy, SolarEdge HDWave, Deye) or a micro-inverter (Deye has a line of them, Enphase is also a popular brand, etc).

The real beauty of the XTM/XTH inverters is in the granularity of the information communicated via frequency shift when used in micro-grid/AC-Coupled applications. More so IMHO than even the SMA inverters. Studer really thought this one through. I recommend reading Studer's manual to get the full concept of what these inverters are capable of.

 

[ChangeMachine]

Thanks a ton for the reply. Between my job and a new baby, it's hard to get my homework on this stuff done very quickly, but I really appreciate the info.

I watched a webinar on Studer Inverters that was impressive. I suppose they're only available in EU. The XTM seems equivalent to the Victron MultiPlus, no? I saw a video on using a Victron in the same manner, using the change in frequency as the battery charges to trigger... load-shedding, is it?

All that flexibility and the apparent build quality are appealing but I'm thinking I should just stick to an all-in-one. My needs aren't super demanding (yet). More importantly, it's taken me weeks just to get this far. Maybe I can do something more interesting in the future.

I read what you wrote about the Deye and that looks pretty good. Mind if I ask for your opinion on that vs the Sigineer or others in the <=$2000 range (with 3kw to 6kw output, and hopefully 6k or more capacity for pv)?