Electricity Backup for AC

[EINSTEIN]

I am looking to upgrade my inverter+battery need your suggestions.
Currently having a square wave inverter & 300Ah battery. Electricity consumption in summer is high, six two ton ACs along with other appliances. Power cuts are very frequent, sometimes 4-5 hours in a day. I want a backup system that can run two ACs and rest of the house for 5+ hours which also doesn’t shut down immediately in case the load is high at the time of power cut. Also want to add solar panels if suitable or at least have the option to add later.
Please help me out.

 

[NOOBY]

I am not sure if any Invertor is capable of supplying power for 6 two ton ACs (or 2) for 5+ hours

you need to get generator for such high requirement..

 

[lhgeek]

You will need 3.5kva inverter. Not sure if that's available easily.

 

[anupamsinha]

You have not provided the power that these ACs need. Assuming it to be inverter AC. In that case I think 15 KVA would suffice.A 6 KVA would had been ok for around 2 hours of backup time. If going in for a lower capacity inverter then keep in mind In case of non inverter AC you would need a higher capacity inverter as the starting current without be very high.

Also in you scenario of possible and feasible a generator might be better. As inverter would need a lot of time to charge back in case of power cuts that last 5-6 hours.

 

[EINSTEIN]

As inverter would need a lot of time to charge back in case of power cuts that last 5-6 hours.

Power cuts are not continuous but in monsoon they cut power whenever it rains😑

You have not provided the power that these ACs need. Assuming it to be inverter AC.

These are LG Dual Inverter ACs don’t know the power requirements I can give you the model no if that helps.

 

[D7162]

You need generator - not invertor for such backup

 

[EINSTEIN]

You need generator - not invertor for such backup

Also in you scenario of possible and feasible a generator might be better. As inverter would need a lot of time to charge back in case of power cuts that last 5-6 hours.

I have no idea about generators. What I have seen online is that they require a lot of maintenance plus aren’t eco friendly.
I think inverter is also feasible as people are able to run whole house off of solar panels that also includes battery and inverter.

 

[RaviAglRaviAgl is verified member.]

I am not sure if any Invertor is capable of supplying power for 6 two ton ACs (or 2) for 5+ hours

you need to get generator for such high requirement..

+1 for this, go for a generator.

 

[D7162]

I have no idea about generators. What I have seen online is that they require a lot of maintenance plus aren’t eco friendly.
I think inverter is also feasible as people are able to run whole house off of solar panels that also includes battery and inverter.

You will need smaller ones - that wont required much maintenance. If you consider battery replacement cost with inverter, gen wont be that high - although running cost will be high as you will have to run it on petrol or diesel

https://www.amazon.in/power-Silent-Petrol-Portable-Generator/dp/B07VN62H6Q

You cant run your home just on solar panels during power outage.

 

[EINSTEIN]

+1 for this, go for a generator.

It is too loud

 

[misteramit]

solar panel - off grid system with battery minimum 5kw

 

[D7162]

It is too loud

too much nakhra 😉 😉 😉

look for silent ones

 

[EINSTEIN]

You cant run your home just on solar panels during power outage.

Hainji?

 

[hks789]

Offgrid solar systems for your requirements may not be financially profitable.
You will need quite a few batteries and a powerful inverter. The maintenance cost is higher for battery-operated systems, and you need to replace them after their rated cycle life.

You can have a combination of an on-grid solar system and a generator system for a reduced electricity bill and uninterrupted power.

To calculate and design the system.
Check your peak load and usage history for the past 1-2 years.
Feel free to ask if you have any specific questions.

I used to have a monthly consumption of 400 units, and I installed a 4 KW ongrid system 2 years back.
It produces around 4600 units a year in Kollam, Kerala.
I have a 200 AH home inverter backup for uninterrupted power (not for AC).

Production varies according to the location and surroundings.

 

[D7162]

solar panel - off grid system with battery minimum 5kw

during rain solar wont work

 

[hks789]

during rain solar wont work

It does work. I am living in Kerala, where we have intermittent rain throughout the year. Production will be comparably lower, but it will still produce a fair amount. Please check the above graph.

Regardless of whether it is summer or monsoon season, you cannot directly use solar power. Solar won't consistently provide enough wattage; the system will take rest from the grid or battery all the time.

Exceptions are there if you have nonstop rain for multiple days.

But what I noticed is that even in the monsoon, the rains are mostly intermittent and provide fair sunlight throughout the month.

 

[EINSTEIN]

@hks789 thanks for the insights
How much did your setup cost?
And if I go with just inverter and battery right now can I add solar panels later?

 

[D7162]

It does work. I am living in Kerala, where we have intermittent rain throughout the year. Production will be comparably lower, but it will still produce a fair amount. Please check the above graph.

Regardless of whether it is summer or monsoon season, you cannot directly use solar power. Solar won't consistently provide enough wattage; the system will take rest from the grid or battery all the time.

Exceptions are there if you have nonstop rain for multiple days.

But what I noticed is that even in the monsoon, the rains are mostly intermittent and provide fair sunlight throughout the month.

For us in Gujarat, During rains so much cloudy atmosphere is there and if you just rely only on solar, it will be useless in that case.

 

[hks789]

@hks789 thanks for the insights
How much did your setup cost?
And if I go with just inverter and battery right now can I add solar panels later?

Nope. Inverters are different for home, ongrid, offgrid, hybrid etc.
Read and explore more about these different systems and design the system after that.

For me
The total cost was around 2.75 L.
4kw monoperc Waaree 445w x 9
Solis 4K 3-phase inverter

Home inverter: This is independent of the other system.
Luminous Zelio 1100
Exide 200 AH

 

[Copycat]

There are 2 parts to this question
1) Firstly, you need to calculate the capacity of the inverter. So you will have to consider the load with all compressors running and most importantly the load at the time of startup. Your sanctioned load (from the electricity department) would be a good starting point but you will still need to calculate
2) Once you have established that, then you need to pick an inverter and see the number of batteries it uses. You then calculate the AH rating of the batteries that you need in order to give you the desired backup time

There are several additional complications
a) The inverter may or may not need an external charger
b) Charging will take a long time
c) You will need proper load values and power factor values for all your equipment to calculate correctly
d) SMF batteries will be too expensive. So you will likely need to go for tubular batteries. That means you will have to take into account proper ventilation

Just as a rough guess I would say you need a 20 KVA inverter (for 6 ACs) which is about 2.5 lakh. That will need about 30 batteries. So about 3-3.5L for the batteries (assuming tubular). Far higher in case of SMF. You can expect to throw out the SMF batteries after 2-4 years while tubular may give you 8-10 years if maintained properly.
For 2 ACs plus other equipment you will likely need between 6-10KVA and between 16-30 batteries

Some reading for you:

Can an inverter AC run on an inverter? - Croma Unboxed

Always wondered whether an inverter AC can run on an inverter? Checkout our article to know the answer and related blogs at Croma Unboxed!

www.croma.com

What is the generator capacity required to run two two-ton air conditioners, running continuously onsite?

Answer (1 of 7): I don't agree with any of the 5 answers here. To me it looks like none of them have had any practical experience with DG sets and ACs. I have sold thousands of DG Sets and has an experience of more than 15 yrs in this business. A 2 ton AC, when operated on-site, continuously, c...

www.quora.com

How to Calculate Inverter Battery Backup Time?

Whenever you plan to buy an inverter battery, there is a desire to know some important information in your mind. Like how much will be the backup of the inverter battery, how many hours of backup will be available for how many ah batteries, etc. In this informative information, here you will...

www.loomsolar.com