honda 2000 generator with solar panel assist..

Searching_Ut wrote:
I'm not understanding the question here. If the purpose of the generator is to assist the generator in charging the batteries, then you don't need to convert the DC solar output to AC, just use both sources to charge the batteries.

x2.

If all they want is some "assist" to generator while charging battery, the simplest way is to run genny first and solar later.

Genny will bring it to 80-90%% quick, and then it will slow down to crawl. This is the nature of battery. Also, battery "likes" being fully charged every day. For this last slow stage you want solar. Depending on your daily energy needs, 235W solar could handle the last 30% or more, i.e. the genny will only need to bring it to 70%.

Running both genny and solar in parallel sounds complicated and not worth it, with mere 235W solar. Grid-tie solar homes is a whole different game, their arrays are typically 2,000W+

you want to Assist the honda ?
to do what power an A/C unit ?

you could try a cheap ? grid tie inverter
it might work with the honda as it has a clean sine wave

solar panel to grid tie inverter ( panel and inverter have to match )
panel has to be in the voltage range the grid tie inverter accepts
this is not a 12v system
inverter will only operate IF it sense 120v power on the utility connection

i don't see any other way to do it

but to do anything meaningful will require a lot of solar

unlike batteries or generator
Solar has NO surge capability
100 or 200watt of solar is unlikely to help the honda power anything that is too large a load
this will take a sufficient solar array to supply the ended extra power

a hybrid inverter charger with power assist is possibly the best option

and that will founder when the first cloud passes over the panels

but if you try this idea of yours, using the grid tie inverter
please report back

BTW.. you can't have an open ended circuit with grid tie
you can't connect to a non-running generator
if the Honda is not running the grid tie will shut off
you can't connect to a generator that is NOT powering some load that will take the power from the inverter
grid tie are designed to send power to the grid, out to the utility lines into the transformers or the neighbors meter where they get billed for it
don't know how well they will work in an opened ended system

Hi,

What you want to do is possible with a hybrid inverter/charger, but with a twist.

I am often in situations where I wish to do voltage support due to low shore power voltage. I found out that if I "dial down" the allowable amperage enough then the voltage is supported. My solar panels send energy to the battery bank--and the 120 volts AC power systems in the RV draw from the inverter.

I have done the same thing with the generator, just as a test.

I don't really understand why you are attempting to do this, unless it is because the battery bank is fully charged and you wish to continue to harvest the maximum amount of energy you can from the panels.

If that is the case, with some charge controllers you can do a diversion load and send the extra harvest to a 12 volt element in the water heater.

Grid tied inverters require a source of 240 volt AC power before they will transfer energy from the panels into the grid.

I'm not understanding the question here. If the purpose of the generator is to assist the generator in charging the batteries, then you don't need to convert the DC solar output to AC, just use both sources to charge the batteries. My solar panels are putting out any time the sun is shining. If my batteries are really low, or I just need to run the generator in the morning for the wife's hair drier, or something like that, then the 80 amp DC converter/charger pretty much takes over, generally limiting it's output based on battery state of charge. When I turn the generator off, the solar controller reacts to give the batteries as many amps as they can take, or in the case that the batteries can take more than the solar can put it, it just gives the batteries everything it's got.

To parallel the batteries with the generator you'll need a fairly expensive hybrid inverter. You'd use that for big AC loads like the microwave, or Air Conditioner that may be using more power than your generator alone can provide.

You will not be able to use a grid tie solar inverter afaik. They really need to dump 100% of power to the grid.

What you can do is use an inverter with assist to combine power with the Honda. Inverter can be set to draw limited power from the generator and the rest would be supplied by the battery-solar.

I assume you are well above 500 watts solar to make this worth while.

This is what I do camping off the grid alot.

My 255AHs battery bank hold up good until 8AM each morning at the 50% charge state which I connect my 2KW Honda generator to the trailer shore power connections and use my PD9260C 60AMP Converter/charger setup to re-charge my battery bank to its 90% charge state so that I can do all of this all over again for the next day/run off my batteries..

My 50% charge state Depleted 255AH Battery bank demands around 53AMPs DC Current when first hit with the 14.4VDC Boost Smart mode charging which will taper back to around a 8AMPS DC CURRENT demand after one hour of charging. Normally I have to continue running my 2KW Generator another two hours to get my 255AH Battery back up to their 90% charge state...

I want to add enough solar panels to give me my 8-10AMPS DC Current to use in the high sun to use for my battery bank after the first one hour run with generator. This should save me two hours aday for running my 2KW Generator if I have High Sun... I should be able to get my 255AH battery bank to their 90% charge state using the solar panels after I get past the original High DC Current demand running the generator first...

I have always looked at the solar panels as battery chargers more than running them to operate appliances and lights by them self.

Thats my game plane at any rate... I have enough room on the roof of my OFF-ROAD POPUP for two 100WATTs solar panels installed on the front end of the POPUP ROOF and a larger panel across the rear end of the roof maybe as much as a 250WATT panel... My goal is to always have at least a 90% charge state on my batteries before I start using them each day...

This is almost like what you are wanting to accomplish but doing it in a different way...

LATER NOTE: I see NOW you are NOT interested in doing this as I have listed so disregard all. (All of your comments were posted while I was typing up my post...) Just showing how I would run my generator LESS when camping off the power grid...

Roy Ken

no, im not charging batteries. I want to go directly to 120 vac.

I want to do the same thing all of those homeowners do that you see.

They have some gadgets that take the dc solar outputs and feed them, syncronized, into the electric company grid. Right?

gh

You won't save anything. In fact you will use more gasoline.
In your setup the Gen would have to charge the batteries as current was used.

I think the one that is most common in the housing industry is like 235 watts

i dont want to hear any snarky comments on how much it would cost or where will i store all 20 or so panels....