Power cuts

Is it possible to change from grid to solar battery in the event of a power cut.

L159152 If your installers wired your inverter up to your house fusebox as an Emergency Power Supply (EPS) then yes, there are several options in the installation guides kb.givenergy.cloud

You are limited to your inverter max output though, so no high load items like ovens, electric showers

Its possible to get this done retrospectively, its just a bit of rewiring, but your installer needs to commission it

I think there's more than just connecting to the fusebox. My installer told me that the inverter needs extra kit to provide the AC frequency (which is usually gets from the grid).

I may be wrong though! I'd like to be power-cut resilient too!

You can run a socket or two without major work but whole house systems require something to isolate the house from the grid in a cut so you don’t fry the repair guys! I’ve got the manual version which has a big switch and a new fuse box or you can get the automatic version for more cash. Different versions are listed somewhere on Givenergys site.

SimonClarke It also requires an earth rod as during a powercut there's no guarantee that neutral is bonded to earth at the substation. This can be an issue, depending on the type of property.

True. I tend to forget about it as it was easily done here but obviously can be a problem sometimes. Nice to be the only house in the street watching tv with all the (led) lights on though!

If it is a hybrid, solar can charge the battery during a power cut.

If it is an AC3 with a separate string inverter, you cannot charge from solar or generate solar during a power cut - as the string inverter is tied to the mains, it shuts down when the grid goes.

If it is an AIO with a gateway, you can link the solar inverter to the gateway so the gateway pretends to be the grid and keeps the string inverter up for as long as there’s room in the battery and/or demand in the house.

Obviously then you need an EPS circuit or socket to use the power for the hybrid or AC3 as mentioned in earlier posts. AIO and gateway would be whole house backup anyway.

James L
What kit have you got.
If you have a battery you will have an inverter to make the battery DC into AC in order to feed all your standard AC equipment

This how I would manage a power outage safely.
https://givenergymonitor.wixsite.com/tutorials/emergency-power