Can I wire the inverter from the solar charge controller's load output instead of battery?

Magd
Magd Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭
in Solar Beginners Corner #1
Can I wire the inverter from the solar charge controller's load output instead of being directly wired to the battery? so I can see-on the controller's screen-how much power is being used. i.e. how much power is being drawn by the inverter.
Is it possible?
Will that damage the controller or the inverter?
Note.. I have 2 (200A) gel batteries, a 60A MPPT controller, & a 2000W invertor.
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,608 admin
    #2
    Generally, Load Terminals on charge controllers are limited to 10-20 amps or so... A 2,000 Watt AC inverter will draw at rated power:
    • 2,000 Watts * 1/0.85 AC inverter eff * 1/10.5 volts cutoff voltage = 224 Amps (12 volt battery bank)
    • 2,000 Watts * 1/0.85 AC inverter eff * 1/21.0 volts cutoff voltage = 112 Amps (24 volt battery bank)
    So--The answer is that you cannot safely/reliably put your AC inverter on the "typical" solar charge controller's Load Terminals. You must connect the AC inverter (through circuit breaker/fuse/short and heavy wiring) directly to the battery bus.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • South Africa
    South Africa Solar Expert Posts: 295 ✭✭✭
    #3
    Magd said:
    Can I wire the inverter from the solar charge controller's load output instead of being directly wired to the battery? so I can see-on the controller's screen-how much power is being used. i.e. how much power is being drawn by the inverter.
    Is it possible?
    Will that damage the controller or the inverter?
    Note.. I have 2 (200A) gel batteries, a 60A MPPT controller, & a 2000W invertor.
    YES, you will damage the controller!

    Did such one night late, NO idea why, controller stopped working.

    RTM (Read The Manual) of the controller.  :D

    For it is as per Bill's post above.


    5kVA Victron Multiplus II, 5.2kW array, 14kWh DIYLifepo4 bank, all grid-tied.


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  • Johann
    Johann Solar Expert Posts: 245 ✭✭✭
    #4
    Magd,
    Most inverters will over load the ''load" terminals on the charge controller.
    Why not use a kill-a-watt meter on the inverter and this may give you the info you wanted or needed.

    There are also other meters out there that can measure DC volts and amps and ahrs and watts etc etc, just search the net.
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