Whole house battery backup for outages and TOU benefits

[Rountad]

Hi all,

I've been looking at a lot of different whole house large battery backup options. The turnkey solutions are way too expensive (~$1000/KWh), so I'm looking at 48V battery banks connected in parallel (16sXp) to provide the desired current. A large system would come in around the $400/KWh range for batteries, inverters, etc...

I like the capabilities of the Sol Ark 15KW and the Victron Quattro 15KW in general. I've looked at the Schneider, Outback, SMA, and others, and, while they are all good options, I like the Sol Ark and Victron better (on paper, at least). Cost, instantaneous peak power, and monitoring go to Victron. Somewhat US made, UL 1741 listing, response time, and ease-of-installation/all-in-one package go to Sol Ark.

Questions:
1) Is there any way to get around the Sol Ark monitoring servers in China while still being able to monitor and control them remotely?
2) Is the <20ms response of the Victron a concern compared to the 5ms response time of the Sol Ark?
3) Is there any vendor or type of LFP battery/BMS that is preferable in this scenario? I've looked at Trophy, Signature Solar, Specialized Power Systems, Eon Lithium, etc...
4) What portion/functions of the battery management will be handled by the rack mounted packs vs the inverters?

Thanks!

 

[Nobodybusiness]

Is there any way to get around the Sol Ark monitoring servers in China while still being able to monitor and control them remotely?

Can’t believe nobody answered you.

Sol-Ark is moving their servers to the US as we speak. Should be finished in next couple months.

Is the <20ms response of the Victron a concern compared to the 5ms response time of the Sol Ark?

I seriously doubt you would notice nor would anything else.

3) Is there any vendor or type of LFP battery/BMS that is preferable in this scenario? I've looked at Trophy, Signature Solar, Specialized Power Systems, Eon Lithium, etc...

I know SOK work for sure and I think Trophy.
As long as they use Pylontech protocol they will work.

What portion/functions of the battery management will be handled by the rack mounted packs vs the inverters?

The BMS handles everything but voltage and Current. If you run close loop the batteries will tell the inverter what it needs rather than just throwing power at it.


If you want an inspection then Sol-Ark is the one.

If not then Victron will work because it’s not UL listed.

I have dual Sol-Ark 12ks and love them..

 

[Rountad]

Thanks for the response!

How do the Sol-Arks handle big surge loads like central ac units?

 

[Troubleshooter]

For Sol-ark, you can use solar-assistant.io and avoid the whole PowerView thing. It's also updated every 10 seconds, not every 5 minutes like PV. Just hook up the wifi dongle once in a while to get firmware updates.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

Thanks for the response!

How do the Sol-Arks handle big surge loads like central ac units?

I have 2 x Sol-Ark 12 k and run a 100% electric home with well pump.

2 x 3ton HVAC units.
No problem.

I also use the Microair soft starts on my HVAC

 

[Nobodybusiness]

For Sol-ark, you can use solar-assistant.io and avoid the whole PowerView thing. It's also updated every 10 seconds, not every 5 minutes like PV. Just hook up the wifi dongle once in a while to get firmware updates.

Which Sol-Ark do you have in your system?
How are they wired?

 

[Troubleshooter]

Which Sol-Ark do you have in your system?
How are they wired?

2 12Ks in parallel. SolarAssistant is hooked up with serial to USB cables to RS232 ports where WiFi dongles usually connect.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

2 12Ks in parallel. SolarAssistant is hooked up with serial to USB cables to RS232 ports where WiFi dongles usually connect.

Same as mine.

Didn’t see you setup in your profile that’s why I asked..

 

[Nobodybusiness]

2 12Ks in parallel. SolarAssistant is hooked up with serial to USB cables to RS232 ports where WiFi dongles usually connect.

Which batteries and panels are you using ?

 

[Troubleshooter]

Which batteries and panels are you using ?

2 Fortress eVaults (the classic ones, not Max), 14 445W Longi panels and 14 445W Canadian Solar panels.

 

[Ampster]

I am a new SolArk user (December 2022). It allowed me to go to closed communications with my BMS which has allowed me more flexibility in optimizing my TOU programing.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

2 Fortress eVaults (the classic ones, not Max), 14 445W Longi panels and 14 445W Canadian Solar panels.

Dang you got the Expensive batteries like Robby.