Ghosty
New Member
Hi,
I live in Australia, and I really like Victron gear the way it seamlessly integrates and the VRM can provide the data anywhere.
About 18months agao I designed a project that would take my house partially offgrid at first and over time and finance permitting move to full offgrid. So I put together a list of products, GX, Multi2, Fronus Primo, Battery BMS that supported by the GX, two meters to monitor what was happening out side the Inverter system (equipment still grid connected) I had a job change mid year last year when i was about to pull the trigger so it got shelved.
Mid year this year I pulled the trigger, only to find out the certification for the M2 has lapsed and it cant be connected to the grid. I have followed up on a grid disconnect relay that another poster has used with a call to the local Authority and they have said it wont fly in my very large state.....
So I have a system that works, but where my plan was to have grid assist when the load got too high, or for extended bad weather periods, (in a self consumption model) it cannot be done due to the lack of a certification. So my fall back is to put in a second inverter to assist the peak periods. Id like to put in a another 5kva M2 but at $2500 plus freight, its a bit beyond my current budget. Locally I can sorce far cheaper 5000w inverters with remote on off swicth or use something like a Growatt SPF5000. If I select the SPF5000 at a cost of $1250, I was thinking I would put this as the 1st device electrically in the circuit, and the M2 down stream from it with a 4500w limit on the ACin terminal thus the multi can add its 4000w to it during the one or two hours of peak usage (wife in the kitchen cooking like she has a 4 meg turbine connected...not a 4kw inverter....grrr)
Any way my question is, has anyone else done this had experience with it, have the two played nice? I see Andy does this on the "Offgrid garage" with an M2 and a smaller Pheonix inverter. But under high inductive loads, as they are not the same rating, it doesn't work as well. I need additional solar anyway so the fact that the SPF5000 has this as part of it it seems like a no brainier. But so far I have been caught out twice making less than desirable purchasing decisions and spent good after tax money on something I cant use.
So what do you think, what have you actually done, or should I wait build up the funds and just buy a second M2and parrallel them(load share) this will help in the middle of summer when the ambient is 42degc as well. Victron say you can string them together upto 15, but I have come across a few posts that they make it sound easy but in reality its not that smooth.
The other option I have come accross is the Victron RS 48/6000 Smart solar, which appears to be Victrons version of the Growatt SPf5000. Perhaps as I need more Solar I should aim for this as its Victron and they should work better together right??? $3500 locally.
I live in Australia, and I really like Victron gear the way it seamlessly integrates and the VRM can provide the data anywhere.
About 18months agao I designed a project that would take my house partially offgrid at first and over time and finance permitting move to full offgrid. So I put together a list of products, GX, Multi2, Fronus Primo, Battery BMS that supported by the GX, two meters to monitor what was happening out side the Inverter system (equipment still grid connected) I had a job change mid year last year when i was about to pull the trigger so it got shelved.
Mid year this year I pulled the trigger, only to find out the certification for the M2 has lapsed and it cant be connected to the grid. I have followed up on a grid disconnect relay that another poster has used with a call to the local Authority and they have said it wont fly in my very large state.....
So I have a system that works, but where my plan was to have grid assist when the load got too high, or for extended bad weather periods, (in a self consumption model) it cannot be done due to the lack of a certification. So my fall back is to put in a second inverter to assist the peak periods. Id like to put in a another 5kva M2 but at $2500 plus freight, its a bit beyond my current budget. Locally I can sorce far cheaper 5000w inverters with remote on off swicth or use something like a Growatt SPF5000. If I select the SPF5000 at a cost of $1250, I was thinking I would put this as the 1st device electrically in the circuit, and the M2 down stream from it with a 4500w limit on the ACin terminal thus the multi can add its 4000w to it during the one or two hours of peak usage (wife in the kitchen cooking like she has a 4 meg turbine connected...not a 4kw inverter....grrr)
Any way my question is, has anyone else done this had experience with it, have the two played nice? I see Andy does this on the "Offgrid garage" with an M2 and a smaller Pheonix inverter. But under high inductive loads, as they are not the same rating, it doesn't work as well. I need additional solar anyway so the fact that the SPF5000 has this as part of it it seems like a no brainier. But so far I have been caught out twice making less than desirable purchasing decisions and spent good after tax money on something I cant use.
So what do you think, what have you actually done, or should I wait build up the funds and just buy a second M2and parrallel them(load share) this will help in the middle of summer when the ambient is 42degc as well. Victron say you can string them together upto 15, but I have come across a few posts that they make it sound easy but in reality its not that smooth.
The other option I have come accross is the Victron RS 48/6000 Smart solar, which appears to be Victrons version of the Growatt SPf5000. Perhaps as I need more Solar I should aim for this as its Victron and they should work better together right??? $3500 locally.
