Sunny Island & Generator

rustysolar
rustysolar Registered Users Posts: 3
Hello -

I am building a house and staging my approach with setting up my final micro-grid. I do have the grid but is not reliable so I apologize in advance for posting this in the off-grid forum, but the remainder of my house is off grid, septic, LP tank, well, etc..

I have been in solar for about 9 years now and have been out of residential design for a while and wanting to spec out a generator for my house and just found out that Kohler does not offer remote 2-wire start any more.

What generator would offer this capability of syncing with the Sunny Island or do i have to set up a third party relay system?

Of course my critical loads panel has our septic & well pump which are dual phase, so the way it looks I have to get 2 SI's & SB's, is there a way around this?

In addition, I would prefer to have the tesla powerwall and in my investigation with SMA the SI (sunny island) does not support LI-Ion, is this the case? Can Li be considered under AGM in its set up?

Is the Sunny Island the best product on the market?

Thank you in advance,

Rusty

Comments

  • inetdog
    inetdog Solar Expert Posts: 3,123 ✭✭✭✭
    The SI is the best product IF you are going to combine it with SBs in the same system. Otherwise, it is competitive but not a hands down winner.

    I don't think that the SI offers generator support, nor do the SBs. That is a tricky area.

    The SB can accept generator input instead of grid input and transfer to inverter when needed either way, but generator and SB are not going to "sync" and both produce at the same time.
    SMA SB 3000, old BP panels.
  • rustysolar
    rustysolar Registered Users Posts: 3
    Thanks for the reply, the rout i am planning now is a 10 kW LP generator and eventually getting 2 SI's and then 2 SB's. The SI will integrate a generator and batteries. My friend who has installed one of these systems recommended getting 2 ATS's one for gene, and then later on one for the battery system when installed.

    Looks like the old kohler 2 wire remote start is not available any more, we will do everything through the ATS's. When the Batteries get to low of DOD it will snap open and then the gene ATS will snap on and fulfill the battery SOC and house load.
  • inetdog
    inetdog Solar Expert Posts: 3,123 ✭✭✭✭
    rustysolar wrote: »
    Thanks for the reply, the rout i am planning now is a 10 kW LP generator and eventually getting 2 SI's and then 2 SB's. The SI will integrate a generator and batteries. My friend who has installed one of these systems recommended getting 2 ATS's one for gene, and then later on one for the battery system when installed.

    Looks like the old kohler 2 wire remote start is not available any more, we will do everything through the ATS's. When the Batteries get to low of DOD it will snap open and then the gene ATS will snap on and fulfill the battery SOC and house load.

    Don't forget that there is a transfer switch capability integral to the SI and if you do not use it you will not have full functionality.
    SMA SB 3000, old BP panels.