Let's say I do roll with the eg4 , the 5120 watts is probably just what I need. Should I be concerned with it only having 100ah? The extra 200 bucks is not a big deal on the eg4 and it advertises 7000 cycles so probably money well spent
Also, any thoughts on an inverter or charge controller? I don't want junk, but also don't want to break the bank
Battery capacity is a function of volts x amp-hours. So every 48 volt lithium ion battery with a 100aH capacity is going to have the same amount of energy stored inside. The 4 ecoworthy batteries are each 12 volts so 12x4 = 48, and since they are 100aH for each cell, those 4 cells combined have the same amount of stored energy as the EG4 unit. There is no advantage to either in that regard.
The most robust and reliable inverter on the market are the SMA Sunny Islands (what I have). There isn't even a close second place and I'm not saying that just because I own one. Few would argue the point, but they are stupidly expensive. If the safety and comfort of your family is on the top of your priority list, the SMA is what you want. However, for most, cost is also on the table so not always practical.
In second place are several brands... Outback inverters would be my next choice, and I actually own a Radian 8048 as well as the Sunny Islands.
Beyond the Radians, the other Outback inverters are also very high quality products, but don't discount the Schneider brand or Victron Energy..
Coming in a very close 3rd place, I would say the Sol-Ark brand or the Growatt is starting to gain a reputation. MorningStar also makes very good products, but unfortunately I can not provide any observations on their larger inverter products. What I can say is that their classic charge controllers are very high quality units.
What's the biggest difference in these inverters? High frequency vs Low frequency architecture. High frequency inverters (growatt, Sol-Ark, and most others) are cheap to manufacture, light weight, and full of all kinds of rather (personal opinion) unimportant features. Don't get the wrong idea, there's nothing wrong with a high frequency inverter and most of them will work fine and serve you well. The problem with them, is that they can not handle large inrush currents that accompany big motors like air compressors, air conditioners, etc.
Low frequency inverters (SMA Sunny Island, Outback, etc) are low frequency inverters. They have big honking iron core transformers in them and they can start up a big motor load without hardly breaking a sweat. They physically weigh much more than a high frequency unit. They won't do any better job running your television or other common "resistive loads", but if you have a large "inductive load", like a big motor, then the low frequency is the way to go.
If you're a middle of the road kind of person, I think i would suggest a Victron Energy unit.. but don't take that as some set in stone gospel.. The real advice is just to stay away from anything that's is a Chinese owned brand. Some folks go the cheap route, but after all the stuff I read, its not for me.
