AC Coupling Overview | Solar Power When The Grid Goes Down
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ส.ค. 2024
- Shop for AC Coupling Kits at altE: www.altestore....
Discussed in this video is how a regular grid tie solar power system works when the grid is up and when it's down, and what some of your options are when the grid does go down.
- Limitations of a Grid-tie Inverter
- Dealing with power outages
- Adding battery backup to your Grid-tie Solar System
altE Store has made adding battery backup to your grid tie solar power system easy by designing some AC Coupling kits for you to add backup to your grid tie system. We can work with you to determine which kit is right for your needs, or if you need a custom designed kit.
AC Coupling Kits include:
- Hybrid Inverter
- Batteries
- Battery Box
- DC Breakers
- Control Panel
Shop for AC Coupling Kits at altE:
www.altestore.c...
Read more about AC Coupling here:
www.altestore....
Thank You! I learned something new and just a step closer to understanding what we might need. Thanks
Very Well Explain...Thanks Solar Queen.
Amazing job!!! Thank you so much
Most houses are wired with three circuits, water heater, lights and power points with a extra one if you have a large electric stove. So with AC Coupling can you select say lights and hot water only in a po
Most house are not wired with just three circuits ...
Use export limiter
Very important .
I use to work for my first Time with Solar on thé off grid systems customers are really happy availibiliy and reliability .
With with the grid tie system it is like lie
however with this kind of. Solution it goes Well nuit adding a hybrid inverter to thé existing On grid inverter seems to expensive .
IS thé message received right?
May have thé whole wirring diagram .
Thanks for the video .
you are the best, easy to understand.
I have a 16kw backup generator and 7kw PV system which both shutdown during recent 5day grid outage in Texas. The crooks at IES just recently installed the PV system (NEC 692.12 compliant) one month before the grid outage without informing me that I would now be grid-tied which defeated the generator transfer switch, witch the power company should have advised, but said nothing as they must be in cahoots with IES who also said nothing, as I found the net meter on my own. IES now want to sale me battery backup. I don't want expensive batteries and all the junk that goes with it, all I want is to get a standard meter so I can use my generator. Can you advise the best alternative?
Sol-Ark 15K hybrid inverter
Game changer
In your diagram, the hybrid inverter is the source for grid power and also a target of the grid tied inverter? How is that wired up?
I had a problem that one of the batteries had to be replaced and the expert said that this happened because only the inverter was conected and therefore every night the batteries would drain too much, there is a box with a lever that says grid, off and inverter, he says that this box should be on grid all the time, that way the system can make the automatic switch between the grid and the solar power automatically, but when the new battery was installed the other guy said this lever should be on inverter, watching this i think it has to stay on grid but i am very confused with this now and i dont want to have another battery replacement so please tell me how exactly should it be, must the lever be on grid or inverter?, ill really apreciate your help.
What is cheaper netween gridtied with AC coupling or hybrid system
Seems to me during day time, the grid-tie inverter no longer feed the excess power back to the grid in this configuration.
Why not just disconnect all connection to the grid, leaving the panel output to the house?
thanks for this
what if I have either a clean power standby house generator that would connect if the grid goes down. would the micro-gti's sync to that output calling for less power from generator, hence using less fuel for the time the grid is down. the generator couple be turned off at night and run off batteries when most loads are at low usage?
Rev John O'Toole A generator could possibly be used in an AC Coupling system IF, and only if, the hybrid inverter/charger can support 2 AC inputs, the grid and the generator. For example, the Outback Power Radian and the Schneider XW Plus inverter/chargers have the ability to connect to the grid and a generator. If the grid goes out, and the batteries get low, the generator could be run through the hybrid inverter/charger to charge the batteries. Check with the inverter manufacturer to confirm if this can be done with your specific system.
NEVER connect a grid-tie inverter to a generator. Generators are not designed to take AC power in, and can be damaged if you send power from the grid-tied inverter to the generator.
great video... however for the amount of money ppl spend on these grid tied systems...they should jsut go off grid and use the grid as back up... change consumption patterns and go offgrid... spending 35 000 for a gridtied is a waste... just saying
I agree. I don't see much of a use in a grid tie only system. maybe a ac coupled system. so you can have your cake and eat it! that way you can possibly sell half the power you make. use the off grid inverter for the important stuff and when more is needed use the grid tie inverter to make up for the need. and during the day. when the batt bank is charged. sell what is taken in from the PV panels. i my self want to use a grid tie inverter at the hydro gen shack to send ac back to the house. the distance is to great to send DC. with a grid tie. the power can be ready used. with out dropping the voltage and rectifying to charge batts.or power an inverter. however using a medium size batt charger wouldn't hurt. from the hydro. to help charge the batt bank and the other inverter. what a tangled web. all that can get to be a complicated mess of boxes and wires. and different volts coming and going. but I see no need for a grid tie only solar setup! sorry for the rambling!
Coutney Bowen Might want to do a little research. Just installed 11.5kw solar (36 Canadian solar 320 watt mono PERC panels and two 6kw sunny boy sma inverters). Total parts and installation was a little under $24k. Receiving $4500 rebate from utility and 30% tax credit around $6k. Dropping total cost under $14k. 8.2 year payback on $1635/yr electric savings and 12% return on investment. Forget battery backup. Use a whole house propane generator. I purchased an industrial 15kw gasoline powered generator and converted to propane. Buried a 250 gallon propane tank in the ground next to the tank. Installed a transfer switch for critical loads. One cool thing about the sunny boy sma inverters is they have a secure power supply that provides 2kw when the sun is out and the b grid is down. Since I have two inverters I have 4kw available to power fridges and freezers without using the generator. I am considering adding some battery capability to take full advantage of my 11.5kw solar rather than only 4kw. So far cost payback is not there especially when cost effective battery life is so short.
Courtney Bowen in addition to dobson777a’s comment; there are a couple of additional things to consider depending on what utility you have.
1- some utilities will do net metering. This allows you to bank power generated but not consumed and fed to the grid for future usage from the grid at zero cost.
2- some utilities will do a feed-in-tariff arrangement. This allows you to sell the energy you produce to the utility.
Both of these arrangements will further decrease the payback period of a solar installation.
I have an 8kWh system using Enphase Microinverters controlled by and Envoy S with the AC output tied to grid through a line side tap before the main house breaker panel. Is it that to add such a battery bank, I could install the hybrid inverter in this backup system in between the AC output block on the Envoy enclosure and the line side tap? Would the Envoy S controller get confused with any of this?
Also I guess I might need another set of consumption CT's to read the critical load draw off the battery bank, right? Can I gang them on the Envoy S CT Meter wiring block? Thanks for your throughts on this.
Sounds about right. Because you have to have the hybrid inverter at least the same size as the grid tie, you'd probably be best off with an Outback Radian, www.altestore.com/store/inverters/hybrid-inverters/outback-power-radian-series-inverter-chargers-p40853/#OUTGS8048A1 Have the Radian's Grid In go to the line side tap, and the AC Out feed a new critical loads panel through a 50A breaker. Then have the Enphases go to a 50A breaker in the critical loads panel. When the grid is up, it'll just pas through the Radian to the grid, same as usual. When the grid is down, it'll disconnect and the Radian will run the loads and trick the Enphase. The Envoy would be none the wiser. I'd have to give the CTs a bit more thougt. You may just be able to move the ones you have, not sure.
If you don't want that big of a backup, you could just break out some of the Enphases to run through a smaller hybrid inverter, and leave the rest as is. Then only part of your array would be charging the battery bank. Have you seen the newest video we just released this week? th-cam.com/video/WVM0F2OrQhA/w-d-xo.html
What happens to ac coupled inverter system when the batteries get full?
It depends on which inverter you use. Schneider shifts the frequency of the output when it senses the battery getting full. This causes the grid tied inverter to toggle back. When it gets too full, the frequency is so far shifted that the GT inverter senses something is wrong with the "grid", and shuts off until the frequency is in the right range for 5 minutes. Magnum sends a signal to a relay to disconnect the GT inverter, causing it to lose its "grid" connection, and shut off until it is reconnected for 5 minutes. SMA SunnyBoy and Sunny Island talk to each other, so it is a smooth transaction. Same with Magnum when using their microinverters.
I don't understand how the GT inverter can shut itself off from the grid if it thinks it is still connected to the grid due to the presence of battery backup (It doesn't know where the power is coming from @5:07).
Islamic Infidel The GT inverter is not connected to the grid anymore, it is connected to the hybrid inverter, which is also connected to the grid. The hybrid inverter has 2 AC connections, one to the grid, and 1 to the critical loads panel. When the grid goes out, the hybrid inverter disconnects from the grid, which in turn disconnects the GT inverter from the grid. But both stay connected to the critical loads panel, and keep charging the batteries, while not sending any power to the grid.
Thank you for the clarification...would a Tripp-Lite APS2448UL quality as a "hybrid inverter" in this case?
Islamic Infidel That inverter outputs 120VAC. In North America, the hybrid inverter must output 240V, which is what the grid tied inverter outputs, L1, L2, Neutral. Hybrid inverter manufacturers who have been tested and approved, some of their inverters for AC Coupling include Outback Power, Schneider, and Magnum.
@@AltEStore hello altE
My concern is, mtg microinverter that I have on the roof will now connected in output or input of my hybrid inverter (ms series) which it has terminal block 1 ac input & 1ac output. So Hybrid inverter need to wiring to main panel box from the input or output?
WHY Can't there be a meter checking the voltage coming in from GRID, then OK to pump out from Solar
If the meter is not detecting in power in the grid, switch power from solar to run house and not pump anything into the grid.
When it detects power on again, switch solar to the rid again
it's 2020 can not be that hard FFS
That is exactly what a Hybrid ( Grid-Tie + Off-Grid ) Inverter does ...
Exactly! Why isn't this the standard!?!
We have invested in a 12.5kW grid-tied solar system, but with a SMA 25000TL inverter. The plan was to expand to 25kW later.
Due to the economic realities imposed by Covid-19, we're now looking to change from grid-tied to off grid, to supply a borehole pump with 3 phase power. There are two 4kW pumps. The pumps are now supplied by a power utility company transformer, which we need to get rid of. Is there a cost effective way to do that? The product datasheet states that the 25000TL is off-grid capable. The very experienced local installer says it cannot be done?
Best regards
Arthur
We'd need to have more info. What country is the system in? I don't see in the datasheet where it says it can be off-grid, can you point it out? Exactly which model inverter do you have, what is the number at the end (i.e. 25000TL-30)? One option may be to add some Sunny Boy inverters to the system to provide the battery based solution. However, it may end up being more cost effective to simply replace the Tripower inverter with some Schneider 600V charge controllers and 3 XW Pro inverters. Again, we'd be able to help better with more information.
@@AltEStore, I apologize for the long wait, I had to get to the inverter to confirm the model number. It is indeed a 25000TL-30. The country is Namibia.
I cannot attach a screenshot to this, but the address of the document is files.sma.de/dl/24336/STP25000TL-30-DEN1742-V31web.pdf, and it says "Off-Grid capable / SMA Fuel Save Controller compatible ● / ●" at the bottom of the third page.
The possibility to have battery backup isn't what I need now, although this will be a development in the future. Right now I'd just like to generate power for local daylight consumers when the grid is down. I need to qualify my statement "The very experienced local installer says it cannot be done?" He means it cannot be done cost-effectively.
You did not touch on the ac coupling problem that exists when the grid is down, your solar array is producing more power than your loads are consuming, and your batteries are fully charged.
The AC Coupled Inverter can handle this problem. It is much better to design the PV System to be: Grid-Tie, Hybrid, or Off-Grid from the beginning vs transforming a Grid-Tie system into an AC-Coupled Hybrid System ...
I have a doubt, what happens when the battery is fully charged?.. i have heard it sends signal to the GT inverter and GT system shuts off right?.. If the consumed load is lower than the solar generated power does the solar power generation stops and cut power to the home or does it keep sending power to the home and suspend battery charging until it needs charging again?.. also if the solar array is turned off after battery full, is the whole system just acting solely as battery backup power until GT is triggered again to charge battery?.. There's very little clarification on this and it's really confusing for me :)
HOW the Hybrid Inverter actually controls the power generated by the Grid-Tie Inverter and HOW the Grid-Tie Inverter(s) vary their output varies per manufacturer. So no, there is not "one answer that fully explains all scenarios "
The person on this video indicates that when you generate more electricity than you consume the excess power gets pushed into the grid and your meter turns backwards. This is not true. Where we stay none of the 4-port meters spins backwards.it can't.
The meters still add the power to your consumption as if you are consuming it. You then end up paying for the power you export.