Solar Backup & Hybrid Ready Generators

Integrating a Backup Generator with Your Solar & Inverter System

During extended periods of poor weather or severe load shedding, solar panels may not generate enough power to keep your batteries charged. Integrating a hybrid-ready backup generator serves as the ultimate safety net, ensuring your property remains powered and your batteries stay healthy. However, combining AC generator power with a sophisticated DC/AC solar inverter requires careful planning.

Inverter Compatibility is Crucial

You cannot plug just any standard generator into a solar inverter. Your inverter (such as a Sunsynk, Deye, or Victron) requires incoming AC power to be stable. The generator must have a clean sine wave with low Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) and an Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR). If the power is "dirty," the inverter will reject the AC input and refuse to charge the batteries. Furthermore, if you want your system to start automatically when the batteries reach a low state of charge, your generator must feature a 2-wire auto-start controller to communicate with the inverter.

How to Accurately Size a Solar Backup Generator

A common and costly mistake is sizing a generator to match the inverter capacity. For example, buying a 5kVA generator for a 5kW inverter will overload the generator and cause the system to trip. When the generator kicks on, it is suddenly burdened with two tasks simultaneously: carrying the entire live base load of your building, plus the immense power draw required by the inverter to rapid-charge the depleted batteries. You must calculate your maximum property load and add your inverter's maximum battery charge rate to determine the correct generator size. We highly recommend consulting with our technicians to properly map your load profile before purchasing.