Victron Multiplus vs Multiplus II when NOT doing grid feedback

[KevinC_63559]

As I mentioned on another thread, my electric Co-op has adopted rather hostile pricing for bi-directional metering. So not looking to feed power back into my local grid, ever. Even if they lightened up, my states rules allow them to do things like charge retail going in (call it 15 cents/kwh) and pay wholesale going out (perhaps 4 cents/kwh). Just doesn't make sense to wire a system up that way here, much less given the extra inspections and legal liabilities.

That said, curious which would be better for me, the Victron Multiplus series or their Multiplus II, given that I'd never use the 2nd relay on the II model. Victron apparently still sells both. I care less about differences like aluminum vs steel cases. I hear the II modes are a bit more efficient (96% vs 95%ish?). I'm led to believe the IIs use more modern electronics, but I'm more concerned about future liability protection.

Thoughts?

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Grid feedback is a non-issue in the U.S. Most AHJ require some level of NEC compliance, which means they need to be UL listed.

The MP-II has UL pending. The MP will never be UL. The MP-II has notably lower idle power consumption.

The MP is limited in its offerings, so you may need to look at Quattros instead, which are notably more pricey.

I personally have 2X 48/5000 Quattros. I chose those because the MP and MP-II didn't have that as an option. If I were buying today, it would be the MP-II 48/5000.

 

[Adam De Lay]

I've got a pair of the MP2 5kVA inverters. The low idle consumption is a big plus.

 

[KevinC_63559]

Living on a farm, UL is not required - but sure would be nice to have for my own peace of mine.

Farm life is, ah, different. When I built my 2000amp 240V data center, the electric coop dropped off a pair of pad mounted 175KW transformers (7200 volt feeds transformed to (5) 200amp 240V feeds each) and told me to call them when I was ready to energize. They didn't even check my connections other than a quick visual "Yeah, that looks good".

Anyhow "If I were buying today, it would be the MP-II 48/5000." carries a lot of weight. Thanks to both of you.

 

[KevinC_63559]

Just doing a quick net search, I see the MP-II 48/5000 is like twice the price of MP-II 48/3000s. Would it be better to run (2) 48/3000s in parallel - adding some redundancy to the system (half the chance of a complete system failure, twice the chance of a partial system failure) with a bit more top-end power (6000w vs 5000w)?

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Just doing a quick net search, I see the MP-II 48/5000 is like twice the price of MP-II 48/3000s. Would it be better to run (2) 48/3000s in parallel - adding some redundancy to the system (half the chance of a complete system failure, twice the chance of a partial system failure) with a bit more top-end power (6000w vs 5000w)?

That would work.

 

[seneysolar]

The MP-II has UL pending. The MP will never be UL.

I have a MP 3000 / 24v that is UL 1741?

 

[sunshine_eggo]

I have a MP 3000 / 24v that is UL 1741?

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Certificate-of-Compliance,-UL-1741-and-CSA-C22.2,-MultiPlus-12-3000-120-50-120V-&-MultiPlus-24-3000-70-50-120V.pdf

Based on the image you provided....



I over-stated it...

 

[KevinC_63559]

Anybody have a laymans cheat sheet for what we should look for? Is "UL xxxx" good enough, or is that something like "FCC Approved" (which could mean FCC Class A, FCC Class B, FCC Class B section 15...).

 

[seneysolar]

UL1741 is the quality/performance standard for inverters and pv systems to interact with the utility grid

 

[sunshine_eggo]

UL1741 is the quality/performance standard for inverters and pv systems to interact with the utility grid

UL458 is for RV/Marine. It's somewhat more common to see this on a 120V Victron since their initial focus was the mobile/marine market.

 

[BlindBadger]

If your state/county/AHJ is particularly strict, they may require UL9540 (full, not the UL9540A version that only covers batteries). That means the inverter and battery combo has to be an approved combo to get your permit and inspection passed.