Macrohydro
The number of battery vendors at this year's NABCEP solar professionals conference was noteworthy as was the introduction of Morningstar's soon to be released 48V battery-based 4K inverter lineup. The emphasis on battery-based direct current systems was ironic, given the location was Niagara; well known as the place where modern utility-scale alternating current had its debut. Mr. Edison would have been pleased.
One observation frequently made was that the solar industry, after years of being dominated by battery-less grid-interactive systems, is now seeing its future closely aligned to battery storage systems.
Sonnen 4-kW Battery System for Backup and Load Shaving (includes an 8-kW Outback Inverter)
Lithium battery manufacturers present included Hawaii's Blue Planet, Germany's Sonnen and Vancouver's Discover AES. I am frequently asked about lithium alternatives to lead-acid batteries which have been the mainstay of off-grid and backup systems for years. In short, the technology is here, but any adopter may be on the bleeding edge as systems have a steeper entry cost and an unproven track record. Could be good, though!
Something else that could be good is the new 4-kW 48V inverter from Morningstar. This is a company that has built a really nice line of solar charge controllers over the last 25-years. I've used their PWM and MPPT equipment on both solar and microhydro systems. This is their first "whole-house" or big inverter. Notable among the features include:
- 18W idle loss (this is way low - like 47% lower than an Outback FXR unit)
- 120V or 120/240V
- Integrated control panel
- Space for six relay blocks (ie, generator start, vent fan turn on, on/off loads, etc...)
- No cooling fan
- Dummy-proof bypass switch
- Breaker panel for code compliant installations
Morningstar's 4-kW Inverter with the Covers Removed
