Victron has a lot to offer with their 5kVA Multiplus-2 & Quattro lineup. We have hand-selected and paired the most compatible and best suited parts for your off-grid needs.
Base 10kVA Victron Inverter Selection
There are two base options; the classic Quattro lineup that features dual onboard transfer switches, or the Multiplus-2 lineup that has a lower idle consumption. Both options are equally compatible. Select the Quattro lineup if you have 2 supplemental power sources and want automatic switching between the two. For example, two generators, generator and shore power, etc. If you only have one supplemental source, the Multiplus-2 will be best suited for you.
Our base systems include not just the inverters, but also the Cerbo-GX, GX-Touch 70 (with mounting bracket), Lynx Power-in, Lynx Shunt, and Lynx distributor, appropriate fuses and cables to connect together a basic system.
Batteries
For this size system, we recommend starting with at least 25kWh of batteries. This will get you through the night with average loads such as occasional air-conditioning, lights, TV, refrigerator, and your typical household appliances. These battery choices are completely modular and can be expanded at any time. This means that if your loads increase later on, you can add more batteries then to take into account the new loads. If you are in especially hot climates and want to run air conditioning at night, or get minimal sunlight in the winter, this will increase your requirement for batteries.
Two 25.6kWh options from SOK battery pack and excellent cost per kWh, however, Victron batteries are nothing less than the best money can buy. Victron’s 330Ah batteries use CALB cells, which are aviation grade cells originally intended for government contracts. CALB has been well known in the industry as being the best cells money can buy. These 330Ah batteries are extremely conservatively rated and often times will preform 10% beyond their rated capacity, and can output an incredible 400A! By using an external BMS, all components in the system are directly controlled, so to expand only the battery modules are needed instead of many BMSs in each pack.
Solar
In North America, most locations throughout the year average 5 solar-hours of sunlight per day. This means that as a good starting point, your solar array’s kW rating should be at least 20% of the kWh rating of your battery bank. Let’s use the 25kWh battery bank option – 20% would be equal out to 5kW of PV for this size system. Bear in mind this is a generalization – if you tend to use more power, then more panels and batteries will need to be added to meet the demand, otherwise you may require an alternative power source such as a backup generator.
Bringing your own panels
We realize that panels are available from many suppliers, and are often times less expensive locally than paying for shipping.