Is there any manufacturer that produces a battery inverter for AC coupling or running a microgrid that is at a second-tier pricepoint? Something like the SMA Sunny Island or Victron Multigrid at around the price of an Axpert?

What sort of size are you looking for?

I don't know of any that would be the price of an Axpert, but maybe somewhere in between an Axpert price and Victron / SMA prices

3 KVA should do. 5KVA is overkill.

There are quite a few decent inverters in the 3 - 5kVA range that will probably be cheaper than Victron and SMA.

Depending on what you want to do, I can think of:

Goodwe, Solis (Apparently they have just brought out a hybrid inverter but I don't have details yet), Kodak (Segen sells them, basically rebranded Solis inverters),

Infini Solar (Made by the same company that make Axpert, but much better quality and more expensive. Also available under the Mecer brand)

As far as I know these all have NRS approval if you need it.

 

 

29 minutes ago, GreenFields said:

 for AC coupling or running a microgrid 

If you are running off-grid and want to connect AC coupled (grid-tied) inverters on the output of the battery inverter then the MLT Oasis will also do.

20 minutes ago, Stanley said:

Depending on what you want to do, I can think of:

I think he needs a battery inverter that can serve as an AC-source for PV-inverters to tie with. In other words, like the SunnyIsland serves as an AC source for SunnyBoys.

As far as I know you can't tie anything to a Goodwe, I don't know about an Infini but I doubt it, and the Solis is itself a PV-inverter.

The only three I know are SunnyIsland, Victron, or MLT.

4 minutes ago, plonkster said:

I think he needs a battery inverter that can serve as an AC-source for PV-inverters to tie with. In other words, like the SunnyIsland serves as an AC source for SunnyBoys.

As far as I know you can't tie anything to a Goodwe, I don't know about an Infini but I doubt it, and the Solis is itself a PV-inverter.

The only three I know are SunnyIsland, Victron, or MLT.

thats the only 3 i know of as well.

1 minute ago, plonkster said:

I think he needs a battery inverter that can serve as an AC-source for PV-inverters to tie with. In other words, like the SunnyIsland serves as an AC source for SunnyBoys.

As far as I know you can't tie anything to a Goodwe, I don't know about an Infini but I doubt it, and the Solis is itself a PV-inverter.

The only three I know are SunnyIsland, Victron, or MLT.

Yes, thanks, thats why after re-reading his first post, I added the MLT Oasis.

The Oasis is great for off-grid use (or as a UPS) and allows AC coupled PV on it's output (It does frequency shifting like the SMA and Victron to control the PV inverter)

Unfortunately it is not the price of an Axpert.

http://www.mltinverters.com/mltinverters/pricelist/pricelist.html

The smallest Oasis (5.0H) retails for R25565 according to their price list

2 minutes ago, Stanley said:

Unfortunately it is not the price of an Axpert.

I've said this before, but it is not like some brands are unnecessarily expensive out of a large spectrum of choices and prices. Rather the reverse. The majority of inverters cost about the same (aka expensive)... and then there's the Axpert right at the bottom... with a pacific-ocean sized gap in the middle with absolutely nothing 🙂

Thanks all. Noted and appreciated. Still sitting on the sidelines then and fuming at Eskom.