inverter installation: Where is the best place to put it?

[rocketcity]

This is a 3-part question about inverter placement.

I’m finally getting grid-tied solar panels installed next week—4.050 kW DC (STC). Yaay!

The inverter will be an ABB-PVI-3.6-OUTD-S-US. (I think it used to be called the Power-One Aurora.)
<http://new.abb.com/power-converters-...kw-3-8kw-4-2kw>

Question #1:
The best (most convenient) available spot for the inverter is on the north side of the house, next to our tankless water heater and about 9 feet from the electric meter.
Unfortunately, it’s also right outside our master bedroom window, just a few feet from where we rest our heads in the bed!

I am worried the inverter noise is going to disturb the peace and quiet in the bedroom.

The product manual states:

Due to acoustical noise (about 50dBA at 1 m) from the inverter, do not install in rooms
where people live or where the prolonged presence of people or animals is expected.

Acoustic noise emission level < 50 db (A) @1m

Here’s the link to the product manual:
<http://www09.abb.com/global/scot/sco...t%20manual.pdf>

Also: Since it’s so close to our bed, I am also wondering if there is any electro-magnetic radiation/noise/interference to worry about…?

Bottom line #1: Would you have any hesitation installing this inverter 3 feet from the bed where you sleep?


Question #2:
There is alternative location: a open-air (but covered) alcove/breezeway further down along the same (north) side of the house. It seems suitable for protecting the inverter and the battery from the elements.

On the plus side, that alcove location would remove it from the sensitive bedroom area.
The downside is that the alcove is further from the electric meter (about 25 feet)...but maybe benefits of that alcove location outweigh the costs?

Bottom line #2: How much do these distances (9ft. vs. 25ft.) matter? (If necessary, I can provide drawings.)


Question #3:
I am kind of interested in the Tesla home backup battery storage pack <http://www.solarcity.com/residential/energy-storage> or something similar.
2a. If I add one of those storage units in the future, do I need to install it in close proximity to the inverter?
2b. If yes, then what are requirements for the battery pack (indoor/outdoor areas, minimum clearances, etc.)?

Bottom line #3: What do I need to keep in mind if I want to add a battery storage pack in the future?

[J.P.M.]

I have a rebadged inverter of that type. It's in the garage and makes little, if any, noise. I haven't put a sound meter on it but my guess is the noise level is ~~ < 40 dBa at 1m. or less.

One slightly diff. concern for your sit. may be the possibility of structural mounting acting as an amplifier of noise through the wall the inverter is mounted on. That may/may not be a concern. see if local code(s) allow vib. isolation mounts (rubber)

As far as electromagnetic radiation: If Mickey and the twins start to glow in the dark, you may have a problem.

[sensij]

Whatever noise the inverter makes would be during the day, when it is working. No sun, no noise to bother your sleep. (My 3 kW inverter is installed 3 from where i sleep too)

[thejq]

In case you can't relocate the invert away from the outside of your bedroom, and you like to take naps in the day, you can always install a BIG piece of metal plate behind the inverter. EM wave is severely attenuated going through metal but the field can go around it, so the bigger the piece the better. Even though, in theory the EM radiation may not be a problem (hard to prove either way), whoever is considering buying your house later may not be so knowledgeable or more health conscious. If it was me, I'd move it away from bedrooms.

In the long term, I'm not so sure if battery is the right way to store excess energy. I also saw proposals to store O2 and H2 from water electrolysis.

[thejq]

One more thing about the metal plate. Don't directly attach the inverter to the plate. Use 2x4s in the middle to create some gap. Otherwise, the plate becomes part of the inverter's "antenna" or more appropriately called radiator and loses the blocking capability.

[J.P.M.]

Whatever noise the inverter makes would be during the day, when it is working. No sun, no noise to bother your sleep. (My 3 kW inverter is installed 3 from where i sleep too)

What if the OP works 3d shift ?

[Mike90250]

To absorb 60Hz and not act as a re-radiating antenna, the plate needs to be mild or soft steel, and only about 18 gauge. Grounding it would not hurt either. Mu metal would be best, but it's an expensive laminate of annealed steel and iron used for vacuum tube shields.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu-metal many vendors are out there.

[rocketcity]

Thanks to you all for your excellent ideas.
I am hoping I can just convince the solar vendor to run a really thick cable/conduit 25 ft. from the inverter to the electric meter/main panel.
Does that sound doable to you guys?

[rocketcity]

Question for the possibility that we can't move it 25 ft away to the alcove:
Does anyone know if there is any electrical (EMR) activity in the inverter at night, when it's not busy "inverting"?

[Mike90250]

At night, there would be no more field than any plugged in appliance would generate, certainly MUCH less then when it is operating at full power.