Inverter dilemma (updated)
Updated: 2024-04-24
For a couple of weeks (if not months, I honestly lost track), I have been trying to make the SUN-5K-SG05LP1-EU inverter from Deye work with the challenging circumstances around voltage fluctuations of the electric grid at our new home in Thailand. Without luck, I have to add. 🫣
The inverter's sensitivity to both voltage and hertz coming in from the grid could not be set in a way that the inverter would be satisfied. It would either reject the incoming current all together or cycle between accepting it and rejecting it on a 5 second interval.
My solar supplier from Bangkok then was so nice to sent me an, admittedly less sexy, less modern, less flexible inverter to try, which (surprise!) worked right away. 😵💫 It is a PIP5048MKX inverter by MPP Solar.
On one hand, I'm super happy - after over 3.5 years - to finally be sitting in my (functioning!) studio again (and even more importantly of being able to actually use it - even though I haven't actually gotten around making music yet), but on the other hand, I'm frankly a bit frustrated that I'm now eventually looking forward of having to make friends with a (in my humble opinion) inferior product. One that is built worse, is actively cooled (and therefore noisy) instead of passively cooled and overall leaves a less satisfactory impression, as well as simply can't do some of the things that the Deye Inverter can do; e.g. monitoring battery health. But then again, I already grew fond of this new little friend of mine that took care so effortlessly of delivering clean power to our house.
Maybe the Deye inverter was simply broken and I can get a working replacement device. 🤔 Otherwise I should be able to make friends with the new inverter. I feel gratitude in my heart (a lot, actually) already. Let's see... 😇
For now at least, I am happily updating the studio computer and am in the process of re-installing all my plugins from scratch as well. 🤓😜
Update
My friend Rolf from AERO Solar and Automation Co.Ltd. in Bangkok provided a reasonable explanation as to why the Deye inverter is not ideal for my situation and why the MPP works without any problems.
First of all, the Deye. It has been around in this form for a few years and has proved its worth. However, it is an on-grid inverter, i.e. grid-connected. This means that when it is switched on, it first "listens" to the grid and then adjusts its output. This makes the power supply more reliable, as the grid intercepts any overload. The main disadvantage, and I underestimated this, is that the grid-connected inverters follow the grid, so if the voltage from the grid drops, the inverter also lowers its output voltage. Technically, there's no other way to do it, because otherwise you'd be supplying the whole neighborhood with your inverter, and you don't want that.
The MPP, on the other hand, is an off-grid inverter, i.e. it is normally used where there is no grid. It has a grid input to which a grid or generator can be connected, however. The disadvantage is that the entire current flows through the inverter and it switches off when overloaded. This can be counteracted by running 2 or more such devices in parallel. The main advantages, however, are that this device disconnects the loads from the mains and always supplies 230V. It has no switch-on delay and there is no interruption between battery and mains operation. The technology is 10 years old and has been continuously improved, but is still a bit like it was back in the days. It is the most widely used inverter though. The bottom line is that this inverter is probably the right one for your situation.
I guess this is a happy ending then! 🥰 Me and the MPP are going to be good friends now for sure. 😇