Hi all,
I am new to the forum, I hope I can share my knowledge and expertise as well as receiving yours
I just bought two 400W solar panels for my small back-yard. They will not be very well positioned (so I don't lose too much space) but I want them just as a backup in case things get nasty (I am from Europe). I also have 4 EVE LF280K cells to build a 12V battery. The original idea was to have the bare minimum energy to keep some lights and the refrigerator on, maybe also for some cooking with electricity (I also have a backup gas stove, you never know with the war from Russia so close).
So I was planning to buy a Victron 100/50A charger to tie to my solar panels and my battery and to buy an off-grid inverter separately, so in case of power outage I can connect to a power socket I have in the backyard and provide power to my flat. All good till here. but I did wrong, I asked my wife if she would like to get free energy in the meantime, we already paid for the equipment so otherwise it would be there not producing anything until something bad happens... My wife said, lets take profit out of it, we have it so why not to use it?
There it comes the problem, I am in a rented flat, I don't want to make big installations or touch anything, just the minimum. So my intention is to buy a grid-tied inverter and connect it to my solar panels and my battery. If possible I would not like to use the battery because I am in a cold zone and the LiFePO4 is not cold friendly, I have to keep the battery outside (I could somehow cover it well or insulate it). As I said, no big instalation, so I have a power socket which I could use to keep it permanently connected.
Problems I see:
- People does not recommend to connect solar panels -> inverter -> power socket, I understand the potential issues but my system would barely provide 500-600Wp maximum and I can use anti-island inverters.
- Sending power outside my flat, although very low chances it might happen.
- I cannot touch anything from the electrical installation, I can use a power socket that is in the back yard terrace.
So basically I am looking for an inverter that can be connected to 2 solar panels (ideally 2 mppt), inject the energy generated by those panels into my flat grid (if possible without the need of a battery, but if required I have it, 12V). The inverter must use only one power socket and have anti-island protection so in case there is a power outage the inverter is not injecting the power to the main grid. However, the inverter must be able to work off-grid in case the situation is not temporary (so I can still power my appliances).
Is there something like that, or I am asking for a miracle? I have seen the Victron Multiplus II, which has two AC out, one that is connected to AC in and gets disabled in case of power outage, and a second AC out that is used to power critical loads (that would be my "off-grid" solution). But I am not entirely sure if it would work with my setup.
Any ideas? Thank you very much!
I am new to the forum, I hope I can share my knowledge and expertise as well as receiving yours
I just bought two 400W solar panels for my small back-yard. They will not be very well positioned (so I don't lose too much space) but I want them just as a backup in case things get nasty (I am from Europe). I also have 4 EVE LF280K cells to build a 12V battery. The original idea was to have the bare minimum energy to keep some lights and the refrigerator on, maybe also for some cooking with electricity (I also have a backup gas stove, you never know with the war from Russia so close).
So I was planning to buy a Victron 100/50A charger to tie to my solar panels and my battery and to buy an off-grid inverter separately, so in case of power outage I can connect to a power socket I have in the backyard and provide power to my flat. All good till here. but I did wrong, I asked my wife if she would like to get free energy in the meantime, we already paid for the equipment so otherwise it would be there not producing anything until something bad happens... My wife said, lets take profit out of it, we have it so why not to use it?
There it comes the problem, I am in a rented flat, I don't want to make big installations or touch anything, just the minimum. So my intention is to buy a grid-tied inverter and connect it to my solar panels and my battery. If possible I would not like to use the battery because I am in a cold zone and the LiFePO4 is not cold friendly, I have to keep the battery outside (I could somehow cover it well or insulate it). As I said, no big instalation, so I have a power socket which I could use to keep it permanently connected.
Problems I see:
- People does not recommend to connect solar panels -> inverter -> power socket, I understand the potential issues but my system would barely provide 500-600Wp maximum and I can use anti-island inverters.
- Sending power outside my flat, although very low chances it might happen.
- I cannot touch anything from the electrical installation, I can use a power socket that is in the back yard terrace.
So basically I am looking for an inverter that can be connected to 2 solar panels (ideally 2 mppt), inject the energy generated by those panels into my flat grid (if possible without the need of a battery, but if required I have it, 12V). The inverter must use only one power socket and have anti-island protection so in case there is a power outage the inverter is not injecting the power to the main grid. However, the inverter must be able to work off-grid in case the situation is not temporary (so I can still power my appliances).
Is there something like that, or I am asking for a miracle? I have seen the Victron Multiplus II, which has two AC out, one that is connected to AC in and gets disabled in case of power outage, and a second AC out that is used to power critical loads (that would be my "off-grid" solution). But I am not entirely sure if it would work with my setup.
Any ideas? Thank you very much!
