guybarth
New Member
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2022
- Messages
- 1
Hello,
We are currently building two houses (one to rent out) in Guatemala. Our electricity will be completely off grid. Our system planned is 70KW of solar and 35kw of battery back-up (usage during non solar hours). I would like to also have a gas generator that the control unit (I don't know if that is the inverter or charge controller) automatically turns on the generator when the batteries reach a set level. I'm thinking a 3-4kw inverter generator is about right (72-96kw per day) to charge the batteries during times of low solar available. I can find plenty of 3-4kw inverter generators, but I'm having a hard time finding one with auto start (I think I understand this to be a 2-wire capability?). I also intend on having the electrician install a switch that allows me to bypass the solar/battery system and have the generator go right to the electrical panel (in the case of solar/battery component failure). I realize that 3-4kw will be well short of the demand needed for 2 houses when going directly to the panel, but in this rare scenario we would be planning on just powering the essentials (fridges, internet, some lights, and hot water).
Can you please recommend a 3-4kw inverter generator that has auto start and would be a good choice for my objectives? Next, do you agree with my 3-4kw inverter generator selection? Does the generator need to charge at 240, is 120 okay?
Thank you!
We are currently building two houses (one to rent out) in Guatemala. Our electricity will be completely off grid. Our system planned is 70KW of solar and 35kw of battery back-up (usage during non solar hours). I would like to also have a gas generator that the control unit (I don't know if that is the inverter or charge controller) automatically turns on the generator when the batteries reach a set level. I'm thinking a 3-4kw inverter generator is about right (72-96kw per day) to charge the batteries during times of low solar available. I can find plenty of 3-4kw inverter generators, but I'm having a hard time finding one with auto start (I think I understand this to be a 2-wire capability?). I also intend on having the electrician install a switch that allows me to bypass the solar/battery system and have the generator go right to the electrical panel (in the case of solar/battery component failure). I realize that 3-4kw will be well short of the demand needed for 2 houses when going directly to the panel, but in this rare scenario we would be planning on just powering the essentials (fridges, internet, some lights, and hot water).
Can you please recommend a 3-4kw inverter generator that has auto start and would be a good choice for my objectives? Next, do you agree with my 3-4kw inverter generator selection? Does the generator need to charge at 240, is 120 okay?
Thank you!