Generator or Inverter for residential use?

[Sinbad]

Where do you see that in your 'billing'?

Network or service charge.

 

[RonSwanson]

The 8kw might be too much now but does allow you the flexibility to use more appliances. In my case, I just did not want to be constrained in what I could or could not run. We live in a modern society that lives on electricity. If I want an aircon in each room and be able to run them all at the same time I want to be able to do this. During the day this is fine and at night the only limitation is the expensive battery bank to be able to do this.

I've been through the load reduction excercise but got to a point financially to be able to say "F*# it". My wife also does not have to try and manage what she can or can't run in fear of overloading the inverter or draining the batteries. We've become less obsessed about running around switching off lights and appliances in order to save electricity as we have sufficient generating capacity. We are actually using more electricity now since moving over to solar than what we did when we were CoCT supply.

The MPPTs on the 8.8K are quite impressive, quite a bit stronger than the 5.5K, which means that you can over-provision solar panels to get you through bad cloudy days even during load shedding. Yes, its a complete waste when the sun's shining (not everyone guzzles electricity like @signates , and has an old spinning disk meter), but in all fairness, solar panels are cheap(ish) and they have a long life. This is my sole regret (if any) having gone for the 5.5K, then again in so many respects it's so perfectly cool, and fulfills all of my electricity needs (10.5kWh per day). If I find that cloudy days are indeed an issue, I can quite easily get another 5.5k in parallel, it's cheap enough (around R21K), and then I can handle 4 MPPTs -- way more than I could ever need.

 

[RonSwanson]

The 8kw might be too much now but does allow you the flexibility to use more appliances. In my case, I just did not want to be constrained in what I could or could not run. We live in a modern society that lives on electricity. If I want an aircon in each room and be able to run them all at the same time I want to be able to do this. During the day this is fine and at night the only limitation is the expensive battery bank to be able to do this.

I've been through the load reduction excercise but got to a point financially to be able to say "F*# it". My wife also does not have to try and manage what she can or can't run in fear of overloading the inverter or draining the batteries. We've become less obsessed about running around switching off lights and appliances in order to save electricity as we have sufficient generating capacity. We are actually using more electricity now since moving over to solar than what we did when we were CoCT supply.

True that, even lil ole @RonSwanson, a bachelor, uses more electricity these days.

If I don't, it gets wasted. Mrs Bosch washes the dishes at a far higher temperature, Mrs Samsung now washes the white linen at 90 degrees. No "Eco-friendly" settings in the Swanson household during the day. In the evening, my loads are around 275 - 450W.

 

[AchmatK]

Stage 2 loadshedding for Saturday and Sunday.

Keep those batteries ready and charged.

 

[mariusmeyer]

Hi guys. I am need of some help from the guys with Sunsynks. I am having issues with parralelling them on a single phase installation without batteries. Just had 3x 5kw installed today and if they are connected together as master and slaves with the cables, they do not kick in as in no output and the icon top left says OFF. AC and DC lights come on and stay solid green and the power switch is on but the normal light stays off. Disconnected the 2 slaves and just used one inverter and I could get it to send power to the load.

I literally just replaced 3 x 5kva growatts i had installed last week as they were not capable of being used in parallel without a battery. After a long search the manual actually specified it was not allowed. So hence I replaced them with SunSynks. Now it seems we have the same issue.

Any potential help would be appreciated as I cannot believe that you cant parallel inverters without batteries.

 

[vassen]

The MPPTs on the 8.8K are quite impressive, quite a bit stronger than the 5.5K, which means that you can over-provision solar panels to get you through bad cloudy days even during load shedding. Yes, its a complete waste when the sun's shining (not everyone guzzles electricity like @signates , and has an old spinning disk meter), but in all fairness, solar panels are cheap(ish) and they have a long life. This is my sole regret (if any) having gone for the 5.5K, then again in so many respects it's so perfectly cool, and fulfills all of my electricity needs (10.5kWh per day). If I find that cloudy days are indeed an issue, I can quite easily get another 5.5k in parallel, it's cheap enough (around R21K), and then I can handle 4 MPPTs -- way more than I could ever need.

For me it’s not so much mppt that’s the problem as I almost never hit my peak solar capacity. For me it’s more the peak limitation. Sometimes the 5kw pulls from grid even though there’s enough solar + battery. My microinverter has been cutting off a bit at times and now I’m again considering getting another 5kw unit to parallel.

 

[vassen]

Hi guys. I am need of some help from the guys with Sunsynks. I am having issues with parralelling them on a single phase installation without batteries. Just had 3x 5kw installed today and if they are connected together as master and slaves with the cables, they do not kick in as in no output and the icon top left says OFF. AC and DC lights come on and stay solid green and the power switch is on but the normal light stays off. Disconnected the 2 slaves and just used one inverter and I could get it to send power to the load.

I literally just replaced 3 x 5kva growatts i had installed last week as they were not capable of being used in parallel without a battery. After a long search the manual actually specified it was not allowed. So hence I replaced them with SunSynks. Now it seems we have the same issue.

Any potential help would be appreciated as I cannot believe that you cant parallel inverters without batteries.

Don’t think anyone here has more than 1 unit. I think it’s best to contact sunsynk support to see if it’s possible in the first place.... and I don’t mean the so called local support as you have a better chance of getting help from the bigger on the road.
It could be a setting issue.

 

[RonSwanson]

Hi guys. I am need of some help from the guys with Sunsynks. I am having issues with parralelling them on a single phase installation without batteries. Just had 3x 5kw installed today and if they are connected together as master and slaves with the cables, they do not kick in as in no output and the icon top left says OFF. AC and DC lights come on and stay solid green and the power switch is on but the normal light stays off. Disconnected the 2 slaves and just used one inverter and I could get it to send power to the load.

I literally just replaced 3 x 5kva growatts i had installed last week as they were not capable of being used in parallel without a battery. After a long search the manual actually specified it was not allowed. So hence I replaced them with SunSynks. Now it seems we have the same issue.

Any potential help would be appreciated as I cannot believe that you cant parallel inverters without batteries.

From my understanding, you ought to be able to parallel without battery but then the solar is on/off grid only, so when the grid fails so does the solar. Have you been in contact with Shabir (Sunsynk support)? Will send you his WhatsApp # via PM.

 

[vassen]

Stage 2 loadshedding for Saturday and Sunday.

Keep those batteries ready and charged.

Yip. I’ve got it from 8am. Need to go change my time of use settings.
And it’s cloudy with a bit of rain during that time.

 

[AchmatK]

Hi guys. I am need of some help from the guys with Sunsynks. I am having issues with parralelling them on a single phase installation without batteries. Just had 3x 5kw installed today and if they are connected together as master and slaves with the cables, they do not kick in as in no output and the icon top left says OFF. AC and DC lights come on and stay solid green and the power switch is on but the normal light stays off. Disconnected the 2 slaves and just used one inverter and I could get it to send power to the load.

I literally just replaced 3 x 5kva growatts i had installed last week as they were not capable of being used in parallel without a battery. After a long search the manual actually specified it was not allowed. So hence I replaced them with SunSynks. Now it seems we have the same issue.

Any potential help would be appreciated as I cannot believe that you cant parallel inverters without batteries.

I don't think anyone here has them in a parallel configuration.

They should be able to provide power though as they would then just be like having multiple grid tied inverters.

Could just be a configuration issue.

Have you contacted the local support person? He could get you a direct line to the China support team.

 

[richjdavies]

Plus CoT charges more for 3 phase.

CoCT doesn't...

 

[Lupus]

CoCT doesn't...

City power does though

 

[mariusmeyer]

@RonSwanson @vassen @signates

Thanks for the quick replies. Just my luck that I want to do something that no one else has done.
I will contact Shabir and maybe also send global a mail as well.
I really hope it is just a simple setting and not a system limitation.

 

[RonSwanson]

Hi guys. I am need of some help from the guys with Sunsynks. I am having issues with parralelling them on a single phase installation without batteries. Just had 3x 5kw installed today and if they are connected together as master and slaves with the cables, they do not kick in as in no output and the icon top left says OFF. AC and DC lights come on and stay solid green and the power switch is on but the normal light stays off. Disconnected the 2 slaves and just used one inverter and I could get it to send power to the load.

I literally just replaced 3 x 5kva growatts i had installed last week as they were not capable of being used in parallel without a battery. After a long search the manual actually specified it was not allowed. So hence I replaced them with SunSynks. Now it seems we have the same issue.

Any potential help would be appreciated as I cannot believe that you cant parallel inverters without batteries.

 

[RonSwanson]

@RonSwanson @vassen @signates

Thanks for the quick replies. Just my luck that I want to do something that no one else has done.
I will contact Shabir and maybe also send global a mail as well.
I really hope it is just a simple setting and not a system limitation.

From watching Keith's video for single phase :

1. Make sure that all 3 have the same software versions;
2. The middle one needs to be the Master (for odd number of inverters);
3. Introduce the load only after the inverters have settled down;
4. 1 is master, Modbus 01, slaves are ModBus 02, 03, 04 etc.
5. CANbus cable can't be too long

Good luck!

 

[mariusmeyer]

I have all those points exactly like that. And the CANbus cable is the one they provide. Think it is 2m.
This is the reason why I am so puzzled about it not wanting to work as a normal parallel grid tie system. But this is tomorrows problem in the afternoon. Loadshedding giving me a break in the morning.

 

[Priapus]

Stage 2 loadshedding for Saturday and Sunday.

Keep those batteries ready and charged.

Yeah, gonna make sure I have 100% charge when load shedding starts at 4pm. Should be good to go.

 

[Sinbad]

Living in a new area. The Eskom poe5 app and load shedding notifier differ on the schedules. Yay.

No inverter. Boo. At least there's a 3 phase genny...

 

[RonSwanson]

Living in a new area. The Eskom poe5 app and load shedding notifier differ on the schedules. Yay.

No inverter. Boo. At least there's a 3 phase genny...

Cool. Discard the old fuel, change the filter, drain the separator, refill, put on a mask and fire her up...

 

[Sinbad]

Cool. Discard the old fuel, change the filter, drain the separator, refill, put on a mask and fire her up...

Not my problem