California-based NeoVolta Inc. has combined a 7.68 kW inverter and a solar rechargeable 14.4 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery in a single device.
The residential battery inverter is described by the manufacturer as compatible with any residential solar system – new or existing, AC or DC – and expandable to 24.4 kWh with its optional NV24 battery, without the expense of a second inverter. “We have a production capacity of 400 NV14s per month now,” the company's CEO, Brent Wilson, told pv magazine. “We can ramp up higher with demand.”
Image: NeoVolta
Enclosed in a NEMA Type 3R cabinet, the battery inverter has a size of 96x96x25cm and weighs in at 254 kg. It includes a sub-panel provided by Irish energy-management specialist Eaton that features a 40 Amp power input breaker, with the system providing 32 A of AC output power to the household, which the company said is 54% more than its competitors.
The inverter can accept 9.6 kW of solar AC power and 8.4 kW of DC solar. It features two MPPTs with 5 kW, 500 V, and 18 A maximum per MPPT. “With this superior inverter, the NV14 can typically power up to fourteen 120 V circuits, whether the grid is on or off,” NeoVolta said.
The battery has a nominal voltage of 48 V and an energy charge efficiency of 94%. The NV24 storage system adds 9.6 kWh of storage capacity storage to the NV14 device for a total of 24.0 kWh. According to the manufacturer, the additional battery can be retrofitted to the NV14 at any time and it takes 90 minutes to install.
NeoVolta said that, with a trained install crew, the system can be installed in up to eight hours. “Half of the time is spent pulling circuits out of the main service panel and into the provided Eaton sub-panel,” it further explained. “Most of this time is spent making sure that the right neutral is pulled with the corresponding positive.”
The battery inverter must be installed in an indoor environment or protected if installed outside facing south or where summer ambient temperatures will exceed 49 Celsius degrees.
NeoVolta said in a statement it recently reached a five-year supply agreement with an undisclosed provider. “We are excited to reach this agreement with our inverter manufacturing partner, who shares our commitment to performance and reliability,” Wilson stated. “This move will ensure the strength of our product as we continue to expand the NeoVolta brand.”
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What we all care about is obviously not included….the price.