Hi there,

 

We have a mecer 5Kw inverter with deep cell batteries. They need to be replaced and am looking to get a lithium battery.

The inverter setup currently works perfectly - just the batteries are end of life.

Aside from getting an installer to fit the battery for me (I am not going to do it myself) - Is there anything I need to look out for? 

How much work is involved in installing the lithium battery?

I have been recommended the Hubble AM2 - is that a good choice?

Appreciate any input.

 

Hi @DRB,

 

”Anything to look out for” is a bit of a broad topic, but I can give you some pointers:

 

1) Check the C rating of the battery. This is term of merit for describing how much charge/discharge the battery can do. A battery with a 1C rating can fully charge or discharge in an hour, whereas a battery with a rating of 0.5C or C/2 can only do it in 2 hours.

 

This is important because, say you have a 4.8kWh battery. If its C rating is 1C, it can output 4.8kW for an hour. Whereas if its C rating is only 0.5C you are limited to 2.4kW for 2 hours as the max. In this way, you can end up with a 5kW inverter and a 5kWh battery that can only output half of what you need. In that case you would usually solve the problem by buying two such batteries, or one battery with a 1C rating.

 

You don’t generally want to run your batteries that hard, but it’s good to have access to your full potential for things like kettles and microwaves.

 

2) Battery chemistry. Not all lithium batteries are created equal. I am speaking under correction, but I think the Hubble AM2 you quoted is NMC lithium-ion, as opposed to LFP (LiFePO4/lithium iron phosphate) or LTO (lithium titanate).

 

Broadly speaking, LFP is preferred for home use due to long life, relative cost effectiveness and stability. They never catch on fire or blow up. I think NMC is a bit denser, meaning the battery can be smaller for the same amount of juice, but it’s not as safe. Hubble makes good stuff though, and other batteries from the AM series (I think 5 and 10, possibly rev-2) use LFP cells. Lithium titanate is only required if you need to charge below freezing point, or if you want cells that will last 50 years for some reason (at 2-4x the price). I believe that we will have much better batteries 10 years from now, so I don’t need my cells to last that long.

 

3) Check the warranty (both seller and manufacturer). In addition to COC you often need a by-the-book setup in order to qualify. This can sometimes include unexpected things, like I believe Pylontech requires at least 2 batteries in parallel (for most of their rackmount systems anyway) to qualify. 
 

4) Be careful where you buy from. There are tons of scam sites around, sadly. If a price seems to good to be true, it very likely is. Being able to show up in person and test a battery before taking it home is always a bonus, and they weigh a ton so it will save on shipping too. With that being said, there are plenty of reputable online dealers including this fine forum.

 

Hope that helps!

JC

Edited November 10, 20223 yr by JankCity

19 hours ago, JankCity said:

Be careful where you buy from. There are tons of scam sites around, sadly.

True! Be sure the packs come in a box with user manual and accessories, such as communication cables and eventually a program CD.

On 2022/11/08 at 9:18 AM, DRB said:

Appreciate any input.

Ideally you'd probably want a battery that can communicate with your inverter, assuming it can talk to BMS'. That would be first prize and this will probably limit you to only a few batteries available to choose from.

I don't know the Mecer you have, maybe specify exactly the model of your inverter and there likely will be some members around that can recommend batteries that can talk to the inverter via CANbus or RS485/modbus, assuming your inverter has this option.

On 2022/11/11 at 10:01 AM, Kalahari Meerkat said:

Ideally you'd probably want a battery that can communicate with your inverter, assuming it can talk to BMS'. That would be first prize and this will probably limit you to only a few batteries available to choose from.

I don't know the Mecer you have, maybe specify exactly the model of your inverter and there likely will be some members around that can recommend batteries that can talk to the inverter via CANbus or RS485/modbus, assuming your inverter has this option.

Thanks. We have the MECER SOL-I-AX-5P Hybrid Solar Inverter.

It works perfectly - just needs the battery replaced.

Had the Hubble AM2 suggested to me.

Any idea what it cost to have someone install it?

And support it if something goes wrong?

 

48 minutes ago, DRB said:

Thanks. We have the MECER SOL-I-AX-5P Hybrid Solar Inverter.

It works perfectly - just needs the battery replaced.

Had the Hubble AM2 suggested to me.

Any idea what it cost to have someone install it?

And support it if something goes wrong?

 

Can't speak for the cost to install, but Hubble is broadly a popular choice, and since it's a 1C battery, it should be one of your contenders if you are installing one battery only. 

If in doubt about support, try contacting one of their local service centers https://www.hubblelithium.co.za/contact

Or read up here for different opinions and experiences with this battery.