Hybrid Inverter and Separate Battery vs. All-In-One

Created by Bryonie Simon, Modified on Sat, 9 May at 10:32 AM by Bryonie Simon

When installing a solar system, it is important to take into consideration the requirements of the inverter and batteries installed. Below is a comparison table for the Ecco 3.6/5K Hybrid inverters and the Lifelynk X/XL inverters that includes an overview of some of the most looked at parameters when choosing equipment for a typical domestic solar installation. For the full list of parameters, the datasheets for each product can be accessed via sunsynk.org

	Ecco 3.6kW	Lifelynk X	Ecco 5.kW	Lifelynk XL
PV	7500W	4500W	6500W	6800W
Number of MPPTs	2	1	2	1
Strings per MPPT	1	2	1	2
MPPT Current*	13A	12A	13A	16A
MPPT Voltage Range	150-425V	120-450V	150-425V	120-450V
Batteries Included	No	Yes	No	Yes
Included Battery Capacity	-	3840Wh	-	5223Wh
Battery Charge Current	90A	60A	120A	90A
Battery Discharge Current	90A	80A	120A	120A
Rated AC Output Power	3600W	3600W	5000W	5500W
Rated AC Current	16.4A	16A	22.7A	24A
Max AC Passthrough	35A	40A	35A	40A
Supplied CT Expandable Length	Up to 15m**	Up to 15m**	Up to 15m**	Up to 15m**
CT Extension via Meter?	Yes	No	Yes	No
Island Mode Functionality	Yes***	Yes	Yes***	Yes
Earth Neutral Bond	No	Yes	No	Yes
Ingress Protection	IP65	IP20	IP65	IP20

*Please note from above the PV current is listed as MPPT current. This means that this is the total combined current for all strings on the MPPT. For example:

The Lifelynk X has 2x string inputs split between 1x 12A MPPT. Therefore, if using both string inputs, the max current per string is 6A and, if using a single string input the max current is 12A.

The Ecco 3.6kW inverter has 2x string inputs split between 2x 13A MPPTs. Therefore, if using both string inputs, the max current per string is 13A, and if using a single string input the max current remains at 13A.

**The extendable length of a CT coil will depend on a per installation basis. This is because CT connections are very sensitive to interference. Some installations the maximum installation distance may be less than 15m at which point a CT extension meter would be required. In rare circumstances some installations may be able to extend the CT further than the stated 15m.

***The single-phase Ecco inverters do not have a built in Earth Neutral bond. When using Island Mode, the EN bond must be created externally to the inverter using either the dry contacts and a normally closed contact relay or the hot contacts (available on newer models) and a normally open relay.

All the above products have the option for expandable battery storage. Individual product capacity can be accessed via sunsynk.org