Fronius Gen 24 Hybrid inverters
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Earlier this year Fronius released their new range of Hybrid Inverters, the Gen 24 range have various size options in both single and three phase.
So, what is a hybrid inverter? Well in a nutshell it is solar inverter that can both act like a normal solar inverter and simply convert DC power from your roof to AC power to be used in your home AND it can also manage a battery in a Hybrid (solar and battery) situation. If you choose a Hybrid inverter almost any type of battery can either be installed with the initial installation of the panels or retrofitted at a later date. If you choose to install just panels and a standard solar inverter from the outset with the plan to install a battery at a later date you are limited to AC coupled batteries, well, you're pretty much limited to the TESLA Powerwall 2. We do like the PW2 however, in some cases if we have other options, we can better tailor a system that suits the home/usage pattern. A hybrid inverter can do everything a standard solar inverter can do but it also can handle either an AC or a DC coupled battery.
What is the difference between an AC and DC coupled battery? To the end user there is not a huge amount of difference at all.
AC coupled batteries such as the TESLA Powerwall 2 accept AC power for charging, this power most commonly comes from your solar inverter but could also come directly from the grid, the PW2 will convert the AC power back to DC power for storage and then back again to AC when called upon to discharge to load. AC coupled batteries will have a built in BMS (battery management system) to deal with the charging, inversion, and discharging.
The advantages of AC coupled batteries: can be installed in almost any circumstance (even without any solar power installed at all), easy to install.
Disadvantages of AC coupled batteries: Not many options, not modular (one size fits all), efficiency losses in extra inversion.
DC coupled batteries require DC power for charging, they store the power as DC power and the power will only be inverted to AC power when called upon to discharge. DC coupled batteries generally do not have their own BMS, therefore they require a hybrid inverter such as the Fronius Gen 24 to do all the thinking.
The advantages of DC coupled batteries: more efficient, modular (you can choose the amount of storage and add later), more options, more cost effective.
Disadvantages of DC coupled batteries: needs a hybrid inverter.
Our choice of DC coupled battery is the BYD B Box HVD coupled with the Gen 24 range. They are modular, with a minimum requirement of 4 x 2.76kW/hr battery modules or 11.04kW/hrs of battery storage but it can take up to 8 battery modules or 22.08kW/hrs (a huge battery)
Please call me if you have any questions.
Peter Sendy
8391 5334
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