haslaw:
I need some clarification please.
While browsing some inverters online the other time, I came across a type of hybrid solar Inverters with inbuilt MPPT charge controller. Looking at the specifications closely, I found out that these types of inverters are cheaper to install as a single unit instead of buying additional MPPT charge controller in a solar/inverter system.
My question is, why are these types of inverters not popular among inverter installers

haslaw:




Thanks... I just wondered when I considered the price of the hybrid inverter with inbuilt MPPT charge controller as against the prices of both ordinary inverter and a separate MPPT charge controller. The prices is nearly twice when buying them separately.

kiekie1:
A month used 5kva century stabilizers up for sale ! 15k each ...

dejidotun2000:

I use one such inverter, it has been working fine but with minor issues; There is a power saving feature which is supposed to turn the inverter off if the connected load is low or zero.whenever I enable that feature the inverter output begins to rapidly switch on and off; I have not been able to realize more than 280W from an installed capacity of 600W solae panels, there is a voltage drop of 2v between the solar panels and the inverter though so I really can't assume the fault is from the 500W inbuilt mppt charger yet.

haslaw:



A voltage drop of up to 2v is high and will definitely lead to loses. Could it be that the cables from the solar panels to inverter are undesired

chris81964:


Charge controllers generate a large amount of heat. So does the AC charger inside the inverter. I want to minimize the heat sources inside my inverter, hence I prefer an external controller. Also I am not limited to the voltage and amount of watts I can hang by the controller within the inverter.

haslaw:




Thanks... I just wondered when I considered the price of the hybrid inverter with inbuilt MPPT charge controller as against the prices of both ordinary inverter and a separate MPPT charge controller. The prices is nearly twice when buying them separately.

GeorgeD1:



haslaw,
i think the question really should be, what is the conversion efficiency of these built in charge controllers?
i personally like to think that you cannot be a jack of all trades so i tend to avoid products which try to deliver
so many functions all in one. experience has taught me that there's always a trade off.

unless we can find a way of comparing the performances of the separate functions and can confirm that they
are indeed at par with their stand alone counterparts, i think savvy peeps will still prefer to go for products
that will deliver reliable performance while giving the high efficiency most sought after.

chris81964:


Charge controllers generate a large amount of heat. So does the AC charger inside the inverter. I want to minimize the heat sources inside my inverter, hence I prefer an external controller. Also I am not limited to the voltage and amount of watts I can hang by the controller within the inverter.

GeorgeD1:



haslaw,
i think the question really should be, what is the conversion efficiency of these built in charge controllers?
i personally like to think that you cannot be a jack of all trades so i tend to avoid products which try to deliver
so many functions all in one. experience has taught me that there's always a trade off.

unless we can find a way of comparing the performances of the separate functions and can confirm that they
are indeed at par with their stand alone counterparts, i think savvy peeps will still prefer to go for products
that will deliver reliable performance while giving the high efficiency most sought after.

tivta:


Yet sunny island inverters are the longest lasting inverters? Its like saying a manual car will beat the best automatic car but bugarti is an automatic. Technology is ever involving...

GeorgeD1:



haslaw,
i think the question really should be, what is the conversion efficiency of these built in charge controllers?
i personally like to think that you cannot be a jack of all trades so i tend to avoid products which try to deliver
so many functions all in one. experience has taught me that there's always a trade off.

unless we can find a way of comparing the performances of the separate functions and can confirm that they
are indeed at par with their stand alone counterparts, i think savvy peeps will still prefer to go for products
that will deliver reliable performance while giving the high efficiency most sought after.

haslaw:


There is a cooling system in the hybrid inverter such as fans and cooling fins that fairly takes care of the heat generated same as the non-hybrid. Most of these hybrid inbuilt MPPT charge controller have high MPPT like 60A, 70A or even 80A. That should be enough for future expansions.

CoolKizzy:
please house, someone is convincing me to go for a locally constructed inverter. how safe is it? and does it affect health and duration of the batteries? I'm not using solar, just charging with mains and generator. what are the pros and cons of such inverter? a 3000w inverter.

CoolKizzy:
please house, someone is convincing me to go for a locally constructed inverter. how safe is it? and does it affect health and duration of the batteries? I'm not using solar, just charging with mains and generator. what are the pros and cons of such inverter? a 3000w inverter.

haslaw:

Thanks George, but when you look at it, there is no device that doesn't have some sort of trade off. Even the stand alone inverters still has its own peculiar drawbacks. Peeps not using hybrid have not been able to give any real reason for not liking hybrid.
I think the biggest issue is peeps not wanting to try new things and would rather stick to what they are already used to. We still have people who stick to their noisy generators than buy use inverters.

GeorgeD1:


haslaw,
we could go back and forth on this topic but I think the bottom line still bothers on efficiency.
how do these hybrid inverters compare to their stand alone counterparts in terms of conversion efficiency?
until we begin to see hard empirical data, all we will be doing is argue based on emotions.

haslaw:




Yeah... You are correct. I'm not for or against any type of inverter really. I just want to get advice on the type of inverter to buy as I'll be buying an inverter and charge controller next month

efuro:



u've been helpful to almost everyone.
my suggestion is to get dis type of fan. mine is ugly but does it's job. it 4yrs counting. the ba3 are long gone (9 months to it purchase) and it's of no load to inverter cos it's 35w with 15v DC adaptor.

DMerciful:
Just like complexities in living things where a kidney failure can cause the failure of the entire body so it is for a system that combines almost all functions. a failure in one section on the unit can render everything useless . Besides i like the flexibility i enjoy with separate unit blocks......especially for renewable enthusiast like myself who loves trying new things
Longevity of inverter depends on usage conditions like loading, surges, stabilizer protection etc. A solid inverter can fail prematurely if abuse.....fyi non of my inverters have failed...all functions intact.

haslaw:


DMerciful, I'm only trying to get good advice for my upcoming solar system. My intention is to get the best inverter I can get while considering cost.

CoolKizzy:
please house, someone is convincing me to go for a locally constructed inverter. how safe is it? and does it affect health and duration of the batteries? I'm not using solar, just charging with mains and generator. what are the pros and cons of such inverter? a 3000w inverter.

dejidotun2000:

I use one such inverter, it has been working fine but with minor issues; There is a power saving feature which is supposed to turn the inverter off if the connected load is low or zero.whenever I enable that feature the inverter output begins to rapidly switch on and off; I have not been able to realize more than 280W from an installed capacity of 600W solae panels, there is a voltage drop of 2v between the solar panels and the inverter though so I really can't assume the fault is from the 500W inbuilt mppt charger yet.

Papishi:
Good morning house. I got an installer in my area, we agreed on installing a 130W pvc, 100AH solar battery, 5 DC bulbs.
But the amusing stuff was that he said we don't need charge controllers.
He also advised I use my Famcare inverter instead of sticking my plan of going DC. I need an advice house cos I don't wanna go for what I may regret.
NB: I have a plan of upgrading ma panels and maybe batteries next year.

Papishi:
Good morning house. I got an installer in my area, we agreed on installing a 130W pvc, 100AH solar battery, 5 DC bulbs.
But the amusing stuff was that he said we don't need charge controllers.
He also advised I use my Famcare inverter instead of sticking my plan of going DC. I need an advice house cos I don't wanna go for what I may regret.
NB: I have a plan of upgrading ma panels and maybe batteries next year.