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Sol Ark and EG4 competition?

Will Prowse

Will Prowse

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So currently, DEYE, Voltronic and Luxpower manufacture our favorite large off grid inverters. And at this years largest solar conference called RE+, everyone had relabeled units from these three companies.

So my goal this year was to find a competitor. And I think I have found one.

Chint Power Systems
I saw their grid scale ESS units and was impressed! A few people have now told me that they make some quality devices:
DSC05827.JPG
DSC05828.JPG


Well guess what. They are entering the residential market with their own hybrid inverter. They will also be distributing this inverter on their own. Given their track record, this was the only exciting hybrid inverter I saw there. Everything was unique on the case. Nothing seemed to come off any other units that I know of.

DSC05829.JPG
DSC05830.JPG

I don't have any details on the features but it's nice to see a new unit coming to the market. Getting tired of the same old clones. And this company makes some good stuff.

Let me know if you guys know anything more about this unit or this company.
 
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Looks Interesting but is there a display/Keypad on the Inverter inside the door or a port to plug one in?
 
It would be nice to see something with higher output power. This is a bit below the Sol Ark 15k and EG4 18kPV, right?
 
webbbn said:
It would be nice to see something with higher output power. This is a bit below the Sol Ark 15k and EG4 18kPV, right?
Click to expand...
Indeed. I told them they need to match or exceed the competition. Interesting to see how well they do.
 
robby said:
Looks Interesting but is there a display/Keypad on the Inverter inside the door or a port to plug one in?
Click to expand...
I've been controlling and monitoring my 18K with the app. It's much easier than using the screen, maybe that's what they are going for. I couldn't open the cover so I have no idea what's inside.
 
Will, the CHNT inverter you have shown in this thread is very similar to the Growatt using the same naming convention. It is also similar to the Solis S6. These new high voltage inverters pretty much have done away with a display panel in favor of a series of status LED's. This is supposedly because they will last much longer, especially if outdoors as well as these units are configured by online app in browser or phone.

The biggest concern with these new models of inverters is the following IMO:

Is the inverter capable of parallel output? Many larger homes need an AC output of greater than 11.4 kW. If not able to work in parallel, this limits usefulness.

Does the inverter directly support a generator if the grid fails and if so, can the inverter charge batteries from generator power?

Does the inverter have the capability to perform whole home backup via a 200 amp ATS either as an accessory box or integrated into the unit? Without this feature the inverter only can power loads in a subpanel in the event of an outage which is not all that desirable.
 
Will Prowse said:
I've been controlling and monitoring my 18K with the app. It's much easier than using the screen, maybe that's what they are going for. I couldn't open the cover so I have no idea what's inside.
Click to expand...
I suspect that is what they are doing but it’s not something that I like. I also use the App 99% of the time but when something goes wrong it’s not a certainty the app will connect. At that point without a hardwired screen your pretty much flying blind and unable to diagnose what’s wrong.
 
If I’m reading the specs of this inverter correctly, its only appealing features are the high voltage input (600 v) and amps (30 A) of its three MPPTs.

Beyond that, it’s a non-starter for me. Only 200A battery charging. Only 10 kva of AC output off grid, and only 12 kva on grid. Most homes would require a minimum of two units, and even that would leave a lot of homes struggling. The lack of any appreciable grid assist (AC passthrough) is a serious drawback. Hard pass. (Will, sorry to rain on your parade before it even got going.)
 
GuyG said:
If I’m reading the specs of this inverter correctly, its only appealing features are the high voltage input (600 v) and amps (30 A) of its three MPPTs.

Beyond that, it’s a non-starter for me. Only 200A battery charging. Only 10 kva of AC output off grid, and only 12 kva on grid. Most homes would require a minimum of two units, and even that would leave a lot of homes struggling. The lack of any appreciable grid assist (AC passthrough) is a serious drawback. Hard pass. (Will, sorry to rain on your parade before it even got going.)
Click to expand...
It's not available yet. Not raining on a parade that hasn't occured yet. This is when we tell the company what we want before they make it to the market. That's why I told them to copy the sol ark and luxpower stats or exceed them. This box was mostly empty like other vendor displays. But it's the first I saw at the show that is attempting to make their own and we can tell them what we want.
 
GuyG said:
If I’m reading the specs of this inverter correctly, its only appealing features are the high voltage input (600 v) and amps (30 A) of its three MPPTs.

Beyond that, it’s a non-starter for me. Only 200A battery charging. Only 10 kva of AC output off grid, and only 12 kva on grid. Most homes would require a minimum of two units, and even that would leave a lot of homes struggling. The lack of any appreciable grid assist (AC passthrough) is a serious drawback. Hard pass. (Will, sorry to rain on your parade before it even got going.)
Click to expand...
I have two Sol-Ark 12 maxxed out on PV 26K+. 18K a/c output total. Each one can charge at 185A, so 370A total and is plenty. The 159kWh LFP always gets recharged fast unless it’s cloudy. We are all electric, 6.25T of hp capacity, 80Gal hwh. No struggling, you just can’t run aux electric heat strips in air handlers. I run the woodburner below 25F. I’m not connected to the grid, so that inverter is perfect.
 
glandpuck said:
Will, the CHNT inverter you have shown in this thread is very similar to the Growatt using the same naming convention. It is also similar to the Solis S6. These new high voltage inverters pretty much have done away with a display panel in favor of a series of status LED's. This is supposedly because they will last much longer, especially if outdoors as well as these units are configured by online app in browser or phone.

The biggest concern with these new models of inverters is the following IMO:

Is the inverter capable of parallel output? Many larger homes need an AC output of greater than 11.4 kW. If not able to work in parallel, this limits usefulness.

Does the inverter directly support a generator if the grid fails and if so, can the inverter charge batteries from generator power?

Does the inverter have the capability to perform whole home backup via a 200 amp ATS either as an accessory box or integrated into the unit? Without this feature the inverter only can power loads in a subpanel in the event of an outage which is not all that desirable.
Click to expand...
Difference would be the Solis needs an HV battery whereas the Chint can use a 48V bank. Curious on fan noise of this unit and of course price. Also does it support arc fault detection and rapid shutdown for those that need it? Also what's the idle load?
 
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RV10flyer said:
I have two Sol-Ark 12 maxxed out on PV 26K+. 18K a/c output total. Each one can charge at 185A, so 370A total and is plenty. The 159kWh LFP always gets recharged fast unless it’s cloudy. We are all electric, 6.25T of hp capacity, 80Gal hwh. No struggling, you just can’t run aux electric heat strips in air handlers. I run the woodburner below 25F. I’m not connected to the grid, so that inverter is perfect.
Click to expand...
If they could deliver surge capability on 120V that would be a big one, I believe the solark and eg18kpv both tip over in this situation and surge is only available for 240V devices?
 
Brucey said:
If they could deliver surge capability on 120V that would be a big one, I believe the solark and eg18kpv both tip over in this situation and surge is only available for 240V devices?
Click to expand...
How many amps are you trying to pull 120?
 
Brucey said:
If they could deliver surge capability on 120V that would be a big one, I believe the solark and eg18kpv both tip over in this situation and surge is only available for 240V devices?
Click to expand...
That is hf inverters for you. Mine starts and runs everything in my house but occassionally trips when starting my circular saw or vacuum if I’m loads are already at 75%. I just watch what I’m powering at those times. High inrush currents are not good for high frequency inverters anyway. I have 6.25 tons of heat pumps running on them with soft starts on two and the other two are variable speed inverter type. If I didn’t want them tripping occassionally, I would’ve bought Victron or Schneider, but I need to get my money’s worth out of these. In a year and a half I think they’ve tripped once with lightning and 5-6 times with vacuum cleaner or saw. We lost power way more than that and definitely longer than two minutes with our local unreliable, don’t trim the right away, pad the kWh power company.
 
glandpuck said:
Is the inverter capable of parallel output? Many larger homes need an AC output of greater than 11.4 kW. If not able to work in parallel, this limits usefulness.

Does the inverter have the capability to perform whole home backup via a 200 amp ATS either as an accessory box or integrated into the unit? Without this feature the inverter only can power loads in a subpanel in the event of an outage which is not all that desirable.
Click to expand...
Based on the research I learned from yours and another separate thread on the topic (copying here for general knowledge and visibility). The S6 has a paralleling and ATS middleman box that will provide both. So does the Growatt competitor (or is it the same design ?). So hopefully that means this capability is table stakes for this emerging generation of hybrid inverters.

The generator support is a big concern IMO, especially with HV systems where you cannot presently chargeverter them. It depends on the target market, which may not be serious off grid folks. That’s a much smaller addressable market than battery backup for on grid folks.
 
I can't find the ECS12k on their websites

Chint Power Systems – North America

www.chintpowersystems.com www.chintpowersystems.com

Smart Energy Solutions Provider | CHINT

CHINT provides a variety of smart energy solutions for public institutions, industry and end users. We are focus on distributed PV, off-grid PV, solar pump, solar street light and more. 36+ years of experience, 30,000 engineers, serving 140+ countries.
chintglobal.com chintglobal.com
 
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