switching between mains and off grid supply

[boostinsteve]

An automatic transfer switch. It'll transfer in about 20-50msecs with a switch sized for a house. As I work for ASCO as a field technician, I work mainly in industrial anymore. As that is, I will of course recommend an ASCO ATS. The switching scheme will need to be developed by you, be it a timer, or some kind of SOC device.

[russ]

sorry I don't understand what you are getting at. I already have a PV solar system, so how can me using it be costing me more than buying it from the grid... Maybe being British i'm just too thick to get your insights.

Battery replacement

[john1970]

Sure there is but why?

Any power from batteries is costly you 5 to 10 times more than buying it. Why would you volunteer to pay 5 to 10 times more than you have to? Is this a British thing you got brained washed with in school?

sorry I don't understand what you are getting at. I already have a PV solar system, so how can me using it be costing me more than buying it from the grid... Maybe being British i'm just too thick to get your insights.

[Sunking]

Sure there is but why?

Any power from batteries is costly you 5 to 10 times more than buying it. Why would you volunteer to pay 5 to 10 times more than you have to? Is this a British thing you got brained washed with in school?

[john1970]

Hi,

does anybody know if there exists a mechanism for fast switching between power from a domestic mains supply and the power from an inverter linked to my battery bank?

The reason I ask is that I have installed small PV system but I think I am not using it to it's full potential. We have lots of sunny days where the system is always fully charged and we could run the household PC, lights, TV etc... then, when the sun sets, the battery bank voltage tends to drop off fairly quickly (batteries probably on their way out)... We usually manually switch over to mains power to preserve the power in the battery bank but at the moment this involves unplugging things, turning the PC off etc...

I would love an automated switch that could change over from the inverter to mains power without interupption - does such a thing exist? If so what are they called? Or would it be easier to get a small UPS which could act as a buffer whilst we manually switch over?

Thanks a lot,

John