As the use of electricity becomes more popular, many individuals and businesses are looking for a convenient way to generate electricity. There are also many ways to generate electricity, such as generator power, solar power system, and wind power. However, for those who use generators to generate electricity, the question of whether to add an inverter to the generator is another issue. In the following we will discuss the feasibility of adding an inverter to a generator and explore the related issues.

Is it possible to add an inverter to a generator?

Yes, adding an inverter to a generator will not have any effect on the generator itself. Adding an inverter to a generator is only for home use. Most of the appliances use alternating current, and without an inverter, the generator is meaningless.

Do I need to add an inverter to my generator?

This depends on your situation. Inverters work by converting direct current into alternating current. If the appliances in your area are DC, there is no need to add an inverter. If the appliances in your area are AC, it is recommended that you add an inverter to your generator, otherwise, the power generated by your generator will be completely meaningless. The essence of installing a generator is not to supply electricity to your home. By adding an inverter to your generator, the electricity generated by the generator can be used directly, thus reducing the cost of your electricity bill.

Benefits of adding an inverter to your generator

Easy to operate: when you need the generator to supply electricity, the inverter does not need to start time, you only need to press the start button, connect the power supply, the electricity generated by the generator can be used to supply electricity to the family through the inverter.

Ensure the stability of the current: the generator may have fluctuation of the current in the process of using due to the environment change or power source change, which affects the normal use of the load. However, when the current passes through the inverter’s PI controller and current feedback loop, it reduces the damage to the load caused by sudden current surges and realizes stable control of the current.

Increasing power output is simple: when your power needs to be boosted, you don’t need to buy a new inverter, you can increase your power output by directly paralleling one or more inverters on top of the existing one. You don’t have to worry about whether the parallel inverters affect the work of the generator, they are equivalent to re-installing a larger inverter!

How to choose an inverter to add to a generator?

Choice of type: For generators, it is more recommended to choose a sine wave inverter. A sine wave inverter ensures that the generator is running at maximum power, improves the efficiency of power generation, and can meet the stable power demand of the load.

Selection of output voltage and output current: When selecting an inverter, you should know the output voltage and output current of the generator, and the output voltage and output current of the inverter should be matched with that of the generator as far as possible. Reduce the problem of high cost and low power generation efficiency caused by too large or too small output voltage or output current of the inverter.

How to add inverter to generator?

Choose the installation location of the inverter: first of all, the inverter should be installed in a place that avoids direct sunlight, which may cause the inverter to heat up internally, reduce the efficiency, or even lead to direct damage to the inverter. The ambient temperature should be between -25°C and 50°C as much as possible. Ambient humidity as much as possible at 95%, too much moisture will lead to rust inside the inverter. If possible try to be vertical to the ground, with a maximum tilt angle of no more than 15°.

Prepare other components: Adding an inverter to a generator also requires circuit breakers, power conditioners.

The main purpose of the circuit breaker is to connect and break circuits and to be able to break short-circuit currents. They act as short-circuit protection. Be careful to select them to match the power of the generator.

The power regulator stabilizes the input voltage by regulating it. Optimizes the efficiency of energy use.

Connecting Components:Use wires to connect the generator, inverter, circuit breaker, and power controller, do not connect the generator to the inverter assembly, and have a power controller between the generator and the inverter.

Generator Grounding: Ground the generator and the switchgear, and make sure that the cross sectional area of the grounding wire is larger than the output wire area. Ground wire should be buried deep underground. Connected to the generator grounding wire to do generator ground end. Never ignore the importance of the grounding wire, which protects the user’s personal safety, but also reduces the damage to the generator.

Test the power output: After completing all the above steps, the whole system should be thoroughly tested, including whether the wire connections are complete, whether the power is working properly, whether the generator, inverter can work, etc.

Summary

Adding an inverter to a generator combines the reliability of a generator with the utility of an inverter, saving money on electricity while utilizing the power provided by the generator.