Off grid LiFePO4 startup

[MtnMan2]

Has anyone had to startup their bank completely off grid? Without a grid tie, doing the "standard" balance and capacity testing would be challenging. I'm starting to think about how I'm going to put my system in operation and hoping it will be straight forward. I thought I'd throw the question out there will I think through the process. Bank will be 16s3p, 4kw of panels, Outback components. Even if you did not do an off grid startup, I'd still appreciate your input.

Thanks - jim

 

[John Frum]

If I was going to "bootstrap" a solar installation off-grid, I would get a suitably sized inverter/generator as my power source.
I would also keep it as a backup.

 

[jtvt]

I'm off grid, but the new bank was to replace an existing lead acid. I used a bms and put a charge controller on each string to speed things up. Then I used a power supply to top balance. In my case, the inverter was still connected to the lead acid so everything worked fine. I just let the power supply run over night, but it probably only took 6 hrs or so. If I didn't have the previous lead acid set up, I would have used my honda 2000i generator to power the top balance.