HYBRID vs. OFF-GRID

The Pro's & Con's of Hybrid vs. Off-Grid:

Hybrid Inverters:

PROS:

  • These are the best types of inverters currently on the market.
  • Can connect to either grid, PV (solar) or battery power or any combination of the three. These are “intelligent” and optimize the best combination of power supply, based on parameters that are programmed into the inverter to suite your specific requirements.
  • No moving parts.
  • Can export excess power to grid.
  • Can accommodate up to 8kW PV input power.
  • Full remote (off site) monitoring and support.
  • 5 Year warranty.

CONS:

  • Roughly twice the price of off-grid inverters.  

Off-Grid Inverters:

PROS:

  • Lower capital cost than hybrid inverters.
  • Have a generator port, so that you can quite easily go completely off grid.
  • 5kW output on grid, PV and battery.
  • 2 x MPPT (maximum power point tracking) allowing 4 string inputs.
  • Full remote (off site) monitoring and support.

CONS

  • Limited input options, although the LuxPower off-grid is unique in that it can run both battery and grid at the same time.
  • 2 year warranty.
  • Fan cooled, so moving parts.
  • Cannot export to grid.
 

LuxPower Hybrid & Off-Grid Inverter's:

  • Both of the LuxPower inverters are hybrid inverters. This means that they can take power from more than one source at a time i.e., PV power and grid together or PV power and battery etc. The main difference between the two is that the Full Hybrid has slightly more functionality than the Off-grid, it is transformer-less (silent), allows for excess power to be exported to the grid thereby reducing the payback period and it comes with a 5-year warranty (basically, it’s their top-of-the-range model).
  • The Off-grid is a more cost-effective model and does not allow for excess power to be exported to the grid, it’s fan-cooled so is not completely silent like the Full Hybrid and it has a 2-year warranty. The reason it’s called an Off-grid is because it is ideal for off-grid scenarios as it has a dedicated generator input and because it’s cheaper, the client can spend slightly more on batteries which are critical in an off-grid setup. It’s still a very good piece of equipment. Both inverters come standard with remote monitoring capabilities.