filippomasoni
New Member
Hello, I have a pretty good understanding of off-grid systems as I'm building one for a camper and have been researching for a long time.
Now my parents are considering getting a PV system and I wanted to explore a few options. I'm based in Italy, so many things could be different from the US but should be pretty much like most EU 230V 50hz.
Do you have any resources where I can get some more information? I've searched the forum but didn't really get many answers.
In my mind, a vehicle-mounted off-grid system is more straightforward because it always works in DC at the battery voltage, and everything ties into it on the busbars, you basically have loads and chargers, and the inverter is just one of the many loads.
A grid-tied system is different and now that I'm researching I'm learning things I didn't expect. Here the inverter is the main component and there are different types, here's what I learned, correct me if I'm wrong or point me to some resources to learn more.
String inverters work without a battery and only when the grid is providing power, in case of a power outage the whole system becomes useless. Cost-effective solution that has its place but not for me.
If I put energy into the grid they currently don't pay me for it or they pay very little, which is not worth it. I'd like to have a battery to use the power at night and for backup, power outages are very rare where I live, but with the current situation in Europe, if natural gas is not enough for next winter, there could be more power outages then we are used to.
Off-grid inverters also have a grid input, but looks like they are not very well suited for an always grid-tie solution. I'm a fan of Victron and the EasySolar-II looks like a very simple solution, even if it's expensive and hard to find here. But there are different ways of connecting it, like grid in-line and grid-parallel and I'm not sure which is best for what. From what I understand off-grid inverters need to have a battery to function, which is planned for the system but considering shipping time from china it will take a long time, so I was thinking to start using the system without a battery and adding it later on, but I'm realizing it's probably not possible.
Hybrid inverters are another beast altogether and I'm not very familiar with how they work, will these be able to work with a PV and grid connection during the day, and then I can add a battery in the future? Which brands are recommended in Europe?
Thanks in advance
Now my parents are considering getting a PV system and I wanted to explore a few options. I'm based in Italy, so many things could be different from the US but should be pretty much like most EU 230V 50hz.
Do you have any resources where I can get some more information? I've searched the forum but didn't really get many answers.
In my mind, a vehicle-mounted off-grid system is more straightforward because it always works in DC at the battery voltage, and everything ties into it on the busbars, you basically have loads and chargers, and the inverter is just one of the many loads.
A grid-tied system is different and now that I'm researching I'm learning things I didn't expect. Here the inverter is the main component and there are different types, here's what I learned, correct me if I'm wrong or point me to some resources to learn more.
String inverters work without a battery and only when the grid is providing power, in case of a power outage the whole system becomes useless. Cost-effective solution that has its place but not for me.
If I put energy into the grid they currently don't pay me for it or they pay very little, which is not worth it. I'd like to have a battery to use the power at night and for backup, power outages are very rare where I live, but with the current situation in Europe, if natural gas is not enough for next winter, there could be more power outages then we are used to.
Off-grid inverters also have a grid input, but looks like they are not very well suited for an always grid-tie solution. I'm a fan of Victron and the EasySolar-II looks like a very simple solution, even if it's expensive and hard to find here. But there are different ways of connecting it, like grid in-line and grid-parallel and I'm not sure which is best for what. From what I understand off-grid inverters need to have a battery to function, which is planned for the system but considering shipping time from china it will take a long time, so I was thinking to start using the system without a battery and adding it later on, but I'm realizing it's probably not possible.
Hybrid inverters are another beast altogether and I'm not very familiar with how they work, will these be able to work with a PV and grid connection during the day, and then I can add a battery in the future? Which brands are recommended in Europe?
Thanks in advance