UP12/2000PCUL < $300 Worth It?

[antoinette3173]

Long time lurker, first time poster. I have an opportunity to buy an Ultimate Power 2000W Inverter (specs here: https://ultimatepower.com/products/...series/2000w-pure-sine-inverter-charger-pcul/) for under $300. I'm in the process of building my first solar setup (off grid for <200 sqft cabin) using 280Ah EVE cells and 100W panels. Could this inverter-charger be useful to me (or anyone else, for that matter)? MSRP is over $1,600, but I'm perfectly aware the pricetag doesn't equate to utility.

 

[snoobler]

Welcome to the forum.

That looks a lot like yet another rebranded AIMS/Sigineer unit, and NEW Sigineer units can be had for similar pricing:

Off-Grid inverters- Making the most of the solar energy

They don't list the 2kW version, but they have the 1.5kW version for $387.50 and the 3kW version for $540.

$1600 is grossly inflated. For that price, there are notably superior high-end models of other brands.

The main downside to these units is their efficiency. They have lower peak efficiency than high end low frequency inverters and LOW/mid-range high frequency units.

Another consideration is that inverters have idle draw, i.e., they consume power just by making 120VAC available even if nothing is using it. Those units tend to be higher. It's not listed, but I expect it has a 25W idle consumption. That's 600Wh/day. Assuming 12.8V/280Ah battery, that's 17% of your battery capacity - just by being on. This is an issue on all inverters, and some have low-power mode, but if anything is drawing power, the power-save mode is disable. This feature is more often annoying than functional.

2kW with 6kW potential surge is great for starting motors, but if you don't need that, you're paying for it in other ways (lower efficiency and higher idle consumption).

The high frequency inverters Will lists may be better choices for you and cheaper:

Off Grid Solar Inverters

Building a vehicle mounted solar power system? Let me help.

www.mobile-solarpower.com

 

[antoinette3173]

Thank you!

I found another spec sheet stating the continuous output current is 16.6 amps. I had more or less glossed over that part, failing to translate it into “this is the cost of doing business with this inverter/charger.” I appreciate you doing the math to put that in perspective.

Edit: I should also add that I plan to use an inverter/charger (rather than a simple inverter) so that I can add power to the system using a traditional generator when I'm not drawing enough solar.

 

[snoobler]

16.6A is it's peak sustained output - 16.6*120V = 1992W (close enough to 2000).

High frequency (HF) inverter/chargers aren't as common as low frequency (LF).

I'm generally not a fan, but I assume this is not a full-time residence, so I would consider this:

PIP-1012LV-MS – 12V 120VAC 1000W AC output, 500W Max 40A Mppt Solar Input – Watts247 Wholesale

watts247.com

This has solar charge controller, 1000W inverter (no surge) and 20A utility charger. Idle power consumption of 15W - kinda high for 1000W, but better than 30W.

Some of these units run their fans excessively, 100% of the time, so I'd double check that if its a concern.

$400 for SCC/inverter/charger sounds pretty good to me.

More expensive but 80A SCC, 60A AC charger and expandable by adding units for more power and/or split phase operation:

Overstock – PIP1012LV-MK – 12V 1kW 120V Inverter , 1kW Solar Charger 80A , Parallelable and split phase up to 9 units, Zero Transfer Time – Watts247 Wholesale

watts247.com