SMA question

G

ggunn

PE (Electrical), NABCEP certified
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Occupation
Consulting Electrical Engineer - Photovoltaic Systems
A client of mine is asking me to design a couple of smaller (25kW and 32kW) PV systems using SMA inversion that connect to 208/120V, and he does not want use a transformer. Does SMA even make a 208/120V inverter? I can't find one. I really don't want to cobble together three single phase inverters if I don't have to; I would rather look at other inverter companies if SMA doesn't have anything I can use at 208V.
 
BackCountry

BackCountry

Electrician
Location
Southern California
Occupation
Licensed Electrician and General Contractor
ggunn said:
A client of mine is asking me to design a couple of smaller (25kW and 32kW) PV systems using SMA inversion that connect to 208/120V, and he does not want use a transformer. Does SMA even make a 208/120V inverter? I can't find one. I really don't want to cobble together three single phase inverters if I don't have to; I would rather look at other inverter companies if SMA doesn't have anything I can use at 208V.
Click to expand...

They do not make a 3p 120/208v inverter. Recommend either CHINT if it’s ground mount to avoid optimizers or SolarEdge.

Your only SMA option is to phase balance three single phase 7.7’s.

Nick
 
BackCountry

BackCountry

Electrician
Location
Southern California
Occupation
Licensed Electrician and General Contractor
ggunn said:
That's what I thought.

I'm not doing that. You cannot make me. :D
Click to expand...

It’s not bad, daisy chain Ethernet and you’re good, monitoring treats them as one site also.

You could do Enphase? Easy to do on a 3p MLO or main breaker panel and just balance them. You need their 3p envoy. Very doable.
 
BackCountry

BackCountry

Electrician
Location
Southern California
Occupation
Licensed Electrician and General Contractor
ggunn said:
That's what I thought.

I'm not doing that. You cannot make me. :D
Click to expand...

It’s not bad, daisy chain Ethernet and you’re good, monitoring treats them as one site also.

You could do Enphase? Easy to do on a 3p MLO or main breaker panel and just balance them. You need their 3p envoy. Very doable.
 
G

ggunn

PE (Electrical), NABCEP certified
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Occupation
Consulting Electrical Engineer - Photovoltaic Systems
BackCountry said:
It’s not bad, daisy chain Ethernet and you’re good, monitoring treats them as one site also.

You could do Enphase? Easy to do on a 3p MLO or main breaker panel and just balance them. You need their 3p envoy. Very doable.
Click to expand...
Thanks, but I have done all that before. I want to keep the installations as simple as possible, and rapid shutdown isn't required.
 
G

ggunn

PE (Electrical), NABCEP certified
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Occupation
Consulting Electrical Engineer - Photovoltaic Systems
electrofelon said:
We all are entitled to our preferences, but just out of curiosity what is the problem with having three 8 KW-ish single phase inverters?
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I was making a joke, mostly. My client has expressed a wish to keep the installation as simple as possible, and with a single three phase inverter there is (obviously) only one inverter and no need for an inverter combiner panel. The two systems are 25.9kW and 31.6 kW; Solectria and Chint both make 25kW three phase 208/120V inverters that will do nicely, and my client is not steadfastly married to using SMA.
 
electrofelon

electrofelon

Senior Member
Location
Cherry Valley NY, Seattle, WA
ggunn said:
I was making a joke, mostly. My client has expressed a wish to keep the installation as simple as possible, and with a single three phase inverter there is (obviously) only one inverter and no need for an inverter combiner panel. The two systems are 25.9kW and 31.6 kW; Solectria and Chint both make 25kW three phase 208/120V inverters that will do nicely, and my client is not steadfastly married to using SMA.
Click to expand...
True, one inverter is certainly simpler. Of course there is the argument one, having less mppts, and the whole system going down if an inverter fails. Depending on the specifics of course, having multiple inverters doesn't really result in additional other equipment If you combine your combiner with your "PV disconnect" by using a main breaker panel board (and 230.40 ex#2 if needed).
 
BackCountry

BackCountry

Electrician
Location
Southern California
Occupation
Licensed Electrician and General Contractor
electrofelon said:
True, one inverter is certainly simpler. Of course there is the argument one, having less mppts, and the whole system going down if an inverter fails. Depending on the specifics of course, having multiple inverters doesn't really result in additional other equipment If you combine your combiner with your "PV disconnect" by using a main breaker panel board (and 230.40 ex#2 if needed).
Click to expand...

That’s why we use micros for small commercial. No single point of failure.
 
J

jaggedben

Senior Member
Location
Northern California
Occupation
Solar and Energy Storage Installer
electrofelon said:
Well IMO you also don't want a zillion points of failure 🙃
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Every MC4 connection in a string inverter system is a potential point of failure. (And about as likely as a mirco failure, IME.) I'd rather have a monitoring system that essentially tells me exactly where the point of failure is when it happens.
 
D

Designer101

Senior Member
Location
California
Occupation
Solar and ESS Designer
BackCountry said:
It’s not bad, daisy chain Ethernet and you’re good, monitoring treats them as one site also.

You could do Enphase? Easy to do on a 3p MLO or main breaker panel and just balance them. You need their 3p envoy. Very doable.
Click to expand...
enphase has new 120/208 volts micro inverters recently launched
called IQ8p and Iq8 H. no need to balance the phases
 
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