Hi

Both seem to achieve the same outcome, solar + battery + grid can carry loads during the day / night. 

1. Hybrid off grid + battery. 

2. Grid tied inverter + battery. 

With regards to what is happening behind the scene, can someone clarify the difference in functionality? 

 

Grid tied feeds back the power you generate with solar to the Grid, in our case, Eskom.

Hybrid is just an normal inverter that has MPPT/PWM charger combined with Grid as source

On 2022/07/27 at 7:37 AM, makhadom said:

Hybrid is just an normal inverter that has MPPT/PWM charger combined with Grid as source

I find that the word "hybrid" means different things to different people, and manufacturers.

Voltronic Power for example distinguish between their Axpert models, which they call "off-grid" (but you can connect AC-in to utility or a generator), and their Infini or Infinisolar models, which they call "hybrid". The Infini models are in fact grid tied inverters with battery, charger, and essential AC outputs.

The difference between their Axpert and Infini models is that the former never (or try very hard to never) feed energy into the AC-in port, whereas the Infinis can and do export energy to the utility, and have ratings agency certification.

So is that the only difference, feeding back into the grid vs not?

So a grid tied inverter with a battery, with export / feedback disabled, will have the same functionality as the hybrid off grid? 

I read elsewhere that a grid tied inverter, during load shedding, the solar does not charge the batteries? 

 

In the case of a tesla powerwall which incorporates a inverter, coupled with grid tied inverters for solar, will this still apply, or will solar be able to charge due to the single inverter within the powerwall? 

3 minutes ago, Hansa said:

So is that the only difference, feeding back into the grid vs not?

So a grid tied inverter with a battery, with export / feedback disabled, will have the same functionality as the hybrid off grid? 

I read elsewhere that a grid tied inverter, during load shedding, the solar does not charge the batteries? 

 

In the case of a tesla powerwall which incorporates a inverter, coupled with grid tied inverters for solar, will this still apply, or will solar be able to charge due to the single inverter within the powerwall? 

No with export disabled does not make a grid tied an off grid. The true hybrid can still feed the non essential high power use items from PV if you have grid power. It mixes and draws from the grid what PV cannot produce.

There are some off grid that can also blend but the operation is different. The off grid units have to supply the power to the loads and is still limited by their kw rating. In a grid tied it runs in parallel with the grid and produces the power from PV to supply self use.

The true hybrids can still work with no grid but only for what is connected on the essential side using battery power. It must stop generating on the grid connected non essential items which is connected to the actual grid.

I bought one of those "cheap" generic hybrid inverters (about R7000 for a 3kva.) advertised as "German technology" 

It really works well as a ups during load shedding, and for very long power cuts, the 1000w of panels i connected extend the batteries nicely during the day. 

I assumed it was pumping excess solar power back into the grid, but it wasnt.   the word "hybrid" doesn't necessarily mean you can turn your meter back with unused solar power, it didn't say "grid tied" . Basically, you use your generated solar power or lose it. 

There is a setting to change the inverter to solar priority, so if possible, it will run the connected load from solar, but if the connected load is anywhere near what the panels are producing, it will fall back to mains power meaning your panels are idling until load shedding kicks in. 

There is another setting you have to change to tell the inverter to use solar power to recharge the batteries, otherwise it will only use mains. So you can tweak the system to use more solar power, but its more of a top up for long load sheds. 

On 2022/10/17 at 7:36 PM, Jaza1 said:

I bought one of those "cheap" generic hybrid inverters (about R7000 for a 3kva.) advertised as "German technology" 

It really works well as a ups during load shedding, and for very long power cuts, the 1000w of panels i connected extend the batteries nicely during the day. 

I assumed it was pumping excess solar power back into the grid, but it wasnt.   the word "hybrid" doesn't necessarily mean you can turn your meter back with unused solar power, it didn't say "grid tied" . Basically, you use your generated solar power or lose it. 

There is a setting to change the inverter to solar priority, so if possible, it will run the connected load from solar, but if the connected load is anywhere near what the panels are producing, it will fall back to mains power meaning your panels are idling until load shedding kicks in. 

There is another setting you have to change to tell the inverter to use solar power to recharge the batteries, otherwise it will only use mains. So you can tweak the system to use more solar power, but its more of a top up for long load sheds. 

@Jaza1 sorry to ask years later but I never knew this even after researching for such a long time. Im after one of these cheap hybrid 3kva that go for about R3.5k. I was going to connect 3 x 545w panels to it with no batteries. I thought these inverters feed into my db box so if the geyser runs and takes 3kw the solar hopefully gives 1.5kw and the grid gives 1.5kw

What you saying though is that these cheap ones dnt work that way? In other words I must get a battery to take full advantage?

11 hours ago, Lucang said:

What you saying though is that these cheap ones dnt work that way? In other words I must get a battery to take full advantage?

If budget is really tight, the cheapest 24V battery I could find from Makro is 3.8k for a 60ah. Can get that? Or just spend and get the ones guaranteed to work the way you want. As I mentioned, I have a 3.6kW inverter from MUST. It was 3.4k. I can guarantee you it works without batteries and can supply loads from PV alone. But I cannot test for you if it will supply a load with both PV and Grid without batteries. That is to supplement PV from grid is load is higher than the PV at that moment.

I have a completely off-grid installation with no AC cable to the inverter so cant verify it for you.