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Idle 'no load' Consumption: Specs vs Your Personal Observation

Dzl said:
At a minimum report (1) Make+Model (2) Voltage (3) Max continuous power (4) Observed/measured standby consumption compared to spec sheet (5) Indicate whether power save features are active or not

*Keep in mind, any individual datapoint (even when its your own experience) is just a datapoint, subject to measurement error, bias, etc, but with a handful of datapoints, we can begin to feel a bit more confident drawing conclusions/generalizations.
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1. Schneider XW Pro 6848
2. 48v
3. 6800 watts
4. 32 watts measured / 28 spec sheet(?)
5. I didn't find the software switch for power save mode until after I was done measuring. With the inverter in standby I measured 19 watts.

Both these wattage numbers include powering the Insight Home (communication device) that is listed as 2 watt average, 10 watts max. I didn't think to disconnect this until writing this post.
 
1: Growatt SPF 3000-TL
2: 24v
3: 3000w
4: 2.3a / 62w! in idle no loads
5: 0.3a / 8w in power save

Seems higher than I thought it should be considering the manual says <50w.
 
So looking at all the data the phoenix is more or less the lowest consuming inverter at idle but it vary between units up to 13w ?
the Xantrex Prowatt SW1000 is also really low at 4.5W (0.35A) it's crazy
 
1. EG4/Megarevo 8k
2. 120/240v US Split Phase
3. 8,000W Continuous
4. 75-80w depending on Battery voltage. No Spec Listed
5. Power save mode shows in the manual at 5w, but I have no idea how to enable it.
 
older model AIMS 6kW 24VDC 230VAC split phase, low freq EI trans
77W spec, 180W observed, powersave off

AMPINVT FT50248 5kW 48VDC 230VAC split phase, low freq toroidal trans
no idle spec listed, 30W observed, powersave off

the ampinvt has a choke inline with the one of the low voltage legs of the transformer. if you are feeling adventurous some of you with LF type inverters may be able to lower your idle power by adding a similar choke. search ebay for sendust cores, you can get one for under $20. get one big enough to wrap a few turns on it and still fit in your inverter somewhere
 

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1. Renogy 1000w
2. 230V
3. 1000w continuous
4. 10w(No load) Inverter just put on. (<14w manufacture’s spec)

However I have a question please. As soon as I plugged in a 9watt bulb into the inverter, shunt jumped from 10w idle to 24w. Meaning 15w is being used by the inverter. So with load on, idle consumption jumps from 10w to 15w.
When a load of 105w is plugged in, shunt jumps from 11w to 130w(Meaning Inverter is consuming 25W), when a load of 193w is plugged in, shunt reads 231w, meaning inverter is consuming 38w. I really dont understand the phenomenon behind this loss. Is it the inverter that is consuming all that 15w, 25w, 38w or where is the power disappearing to. And if it is the inverter that is consuming the power, why is it not constant, why is it going up as my load goes up.
 
Inverters have internal power consumption whenever powered.
As the external load increases the inverter works harder and consumes more. This is the simple answer.
If you put your hand on the inverter it will feel warm. This is the byproduct of working to power a load. It's the extra watts being used.
 
Growatt SPF 5000es + 4.8 kW solar + 5.1 kWh LFP.
240 Vac
~3 kWh/day energy loss.

growatt.PNG
84.9-(64.1+32.3)= -11.5 kWh /4days = -2.875 kWh/day (-86 kWh/month)
 
Easyyokefilms said:
1. Renogy 1000w
2. 230V
3. 1000w continuous
4. 10w(No load) Inverter just put on. (<14w manufacture’s spec)

However I have a question please. As soon as I plugged in a 9watt bulb into the inverter, shunt jumped from 10w idle to 24w. Meaning 15w is being used by the inverter. So with load on, idle consumption jumps from 10w to 15w.
When a load of 105w is plugged in, shunt jumps from 11w to 130w(Meaning Inverter is consuming 25W), when a load of 193w is plugged in, shunt reads 231w, meaning inverter is consuming 38w. I really dont understand the phenomenon behind this loss. Is it the inverter that is consuming all that 15w, 25w, 38w or where is the power disappearing to. And if it is the inverter that is consuming the power, why is it not constant, why is it going up as my load goes up.
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You are experiencing efficiency losses.

As soon as you plug in the 9w light bulb, you are no longer at idle, because you have a 9w load, so there is no such thing as "Idle Consumption" it is now "Efficiency Losses"
 
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