A grid-tied solar power system can help you reduce your reliance on the city grid by providing you with a renewable, independent energy source during the day. But at night, you’ll still rely on the grid every day—unless you have a hybrid inverter with a battery bank. If you have a hybrid inverter installed, but no battery bank, keep reading to learn how to connect one, so you can start storing solar power for use every night and during grid outages or periods of cloudy weather.
Step 1: Ensuring Safety
Before you attempt to connect anything to your hybrid inverter, ensure that all sources of power are turned off. Disconnect any power sources feeding into the inverter, including solar panels, to prevent accidental shocks or electrical surges while you’re working. Wear insulated gloves and goggles for added protection.
Step 2: Checking for Compatibility
You should also ensure that the batteries you’re installing are compatible with your hybrid inverter. Hopefully, you did this before actually purchasing any batteries. Some inverters are designed to work only with specific battery types, so check the inverter’s manual for specifications regarding voltage, capacity, and chemistry compatibility. Connecting incompatible batteries can cause damage to the system.
Step 3: Gathering Your Equipment
Make sure you have all the tools you’ll need on hand for this job. This includes the following:
- Battery cables, with the appropriate gauge to handle the expected current
- Circuit breakers or fuses to protect the batteries and inverter from electrical faults
- Battery connectors that fit both the batteries and inverter you’re using.
Step 4: Arranging Your Batteries
Next, you’ll need to decide whether you want to connect your batteries in series or in parallel. A series connection increases the voltage of your battery bank, which may be necessary if you have an inverter that operates at a higher voltage. A parallel connection maintains the same voltage but increases the overall capacity of your bank, which gives you more storage.
To connect batteries in series, connect the positive terminal of one battery to the negative terminal of the next until they’re all linked. To connect in parallel, connect all positive terminals to one another, and all negative terminals to each other. Regardless of the method you choose, ensure all connections are secure.
Step 5: Installing the Fuse or Circuit Breaker
Place a fuse or circuit breaker between the battery bank and the hybrid inverter. This will protect your systemfrom electrical surges that could damage the inverter. Position it as close to the positive terminal of the battery bank as possible.
Step 6: Connecting the Bank to the Inverter
Find the positive and negative terminals on your inverter; they should be marked in red and black. Attach the battery bank’s positive cable to the inverter’s positive terminal, and the negative cable to the negative terminal.
Step 7: Powering Up
With everything connect to your Sol-Ark hybrid inverter, it’s time to perform a final check and turn the system on. Make sure all connections are secure and properly aligned. Reconnect those disconnected power sources mentioned earlier, and power up the system. Monitor the inverter’s display to ensure it recognizes the battery bank’s connection and begins charging it correctly.
