The inverter in off-grid solar power systems uses the battery’s energy to power appliances.
The battery bank must provide enough power if you intend to use any AC-powered gadgets.
How much do you need for a 2000W inverter, specifically?
A 200ah battery can power a 2000W inverter at full load for 20–25 minutes, while a 600ah battery can run it for an hour.
The battery sizes must be increased to 400ah and 1200ah, respectively, if you wish to recharge the battery at 50%.
How to Determine the Needs for Inverter Batteries
Hours required to operate multiplied by watts and battery voltage equals battery inverter size.
The time it takes for the battery to recharge and how much more reserve power the inverter needs to manage power surges are two other aspects to take into account.
Consider a scenario in which you have a 2000W inverter—we suggest the Renogy 2000W Pure Sine Wave inverter for its effectiveness—and a 2000W load with a 2-hour runtime.
2000W x 2 hours = 4000W
Multiply the battery voltage by this value.
Example:
4000W / 12V = 333ah (amps hours)
Therefore, a 333ah battery is required to power a 2000W inverter at a 2000W load for two hours.
However, this is the point at which the battery recharge time is relevant.
A 333ah battery will be totally depleted after two hours of usage.
It is not a smart idea to completely empty solar batteries.
The battery life cycle will be shortened as a result, and wear and tear will increase.
However, a lithium battery like the Kcvolro 12V 100ah allows for a maximum discharge of 80% and has a guaranteed 7000+ cycles.
Batteries like AGM, gel, and FLA perform best when they are recharged to 50% capacity.
You can only utilize half of a lead acid battery’s capacity if you’re intending to use a 2000W inverter with it.
This implies that if you wish to execute the load in the example, you must twice the size.
You need a 666ah or 700ah battery if you have a 2000W load and wish to operate it continuously for 2 hours.
This enables the battery to be recharged to 50% while still enabling the load to run at full capacity.
Lithium batteries have discharge values of 80% or higher, although they are more expensive than FLAs.
It all depends on whether you’re prepared to spend more for lithium or don’t mind lead acid batteries’ 50% discharge rate.
This is true for both 2000W and 1000W inverters.
How to Extend the Life of Batteries on a 2000W Inverter
Reducing the load is the simplest technique to extend the lifespan of inverter batteries.
The runtime increases as the load decreases.
It takes 166.6 amps per hour to power a 2000W load on a 2000W inverter (2000W / 12V = 166.6).
This load can be powered by a 200ah 12V battery for a maximum of 90 minutes until it runs out completely.
However, if the load is reduced to 1000W, the battery life is increased.
Now, a 700ah 12V battery can sustain a 2000W load operating at maximum demand for 4 hours.
As an alternative, a 350ah battery will work just well for the load.
Size of Inverter Guide
For the best battery performance, an inverter size recommendation is necessary, but how much backup power should you have? How many watts do you need? Some appliances have high initial watt needs, and even those that don’t have power spikes.
Adding 25–50% to the total amount of watts required by the inverter load is a good rule of thumb.
The recommended inverter size for a 2000W load installation is 2500 or 3000W.
To put it another way, a 2000W inverter should only be using 1500W–1000W.
The usage of an inverter to its maximum capacity is not prohibited by this.
The majority of solar power consumers, however, prefer to have extra energy on hand in case a power surge occurs.
The same idea applies to solar panels and batteries: having more electricity is always preferable than not having enough.
Example of Using a 2000W Inverter and Battery
What many of batteries are required to power a heater linked to a 2000W inverter? The power of the heater, how long you need to operate it, and the battery voltage all play a role in the response.
A 150ah 12V battery can power a 1500W heater for an hour before being entirely discharged.
If you have to recharge it at a 50% level, use a 300ah 12V battery.
For a 2000W inverter, 1500W is adequate, as long as no other high-powered appliances are used in tandem.
Although technically possible, running a 2000W heater with an inverter is not generally advised since it is close to the inverter’s maximum.
Since most heaters don’t have a beginning watt requirement, this example makes the assumption that it doesn’t.
A 2000W inverter will not be enough if you load a well pump with solar, a refrigerator, or air conditioning.
These appliances have beginning wattages between 2500 and 3000W, which is more than the inverter can handle.
The inverter won’t operate even if the operating power is less than 1000W.
The Best Battery for an Inverter: How to Choose
The voltage and inverter load determine the battery size.
The needed amps to operate the load decrease with increasing voltage.
Let’s say your 2000W inverter needs to load 1500W.
Runtime x Watts / Battery Volt = Battery Size is the formula once again.
You would need 125ah (1500/12V = 125) if the load was powered for an hour by a 12V battery.
However, if the battery was 24V, you would only require 62.5ah (1500/24V = 62.5).
As long as they are connected in a series, you may also utilize a number of lower voltage batteries.
Because the combined voltage of two 6V batteries is 12V, you may connect them in series and they will power the load.
Because parallel setups don’t increase the voltage, this only works in series configurations.
How Long Do An Inverter’s Batteries Last?
The default discharge rate for solar batteries is 20 hours.
That roughly equates to one amp for twenty hours.
The runtime is reduced to 10 hours if you discharge 2 amps per hour, and to 5 hours or fewer if you use 4 amps per hour.
The faster you draw amps, the faster batteries deplete their energy according to Peukert’s Law.
For this reason, experts advise purchasing a bigger battery than you really need.
You never know when the battery will run out because of how batteries operate.
This won’t be a problem if you have additional energy or a cushion.
The majority of 2000Wi inverters are designed to function with 24V batteries.
While you may still use 12V and other voltages, some people prefer 24V since it requires less amps.
Additionally, two 12V batteries may be connected in series to provide 24V, which is particularly useful for stoves and other appliances.
With this configuration, the inverter can operate any load (such as a 1000W heater) for 2.5 hours.
The battery won’t have any issues as a result of this.
Additionally, you can count on the heater or whatever else you loaded to operate consistently.
The draw will be 42 amps per hour at two and a half hours.
The runtime will be shorter the greater the amp draw.
For greater power, you may add more batteries.
To keep the voltage at 24V, the batteries must be installed in a parallel arrangement.
The amps will increase with a parallel battery system while the voltages remain constant.
Volts increase with a series.
This example uses a parallel design since you need extra battery power as a backup but want to maintain the voltage at 24V.
Checking the battery’s duration is the best technique to handle the running time.
Check the runtime specifications before you purchase, either on the official website or the online manual.
You can determine how much storage is available and how long it can endure from this.
Everything will rely on the weight and duration of the burden you will be carrying.
Even a strong battery won’t last very long if the inverter is constantly consuming the full amount of power.
Conclusion
With solar inverters, the general rule is that the longer you can operate it at full power, the stronger the battery must be.
A load reduction from 2000W to 1000W or less can lengthen battery life.
There shouldn’t be any issues if you are organized and knowledgeable about the data.
