Using Growatt hybrid inverter with third party batteries

rowan_bradley

Is it possible to add non-Growatt batteries to a hybrid Growatt inverter (SPH3600), which already has one 65.kWh Growatt battery connected? For example, it seems that I can buy an array of Nissan Leaf batteries for a few hundred pounds. That's only a small fraction of what a Growatt unit would cost. Can I connect these to the Growatt inverter? How do I have to configure the inverter? Do I need a Battery Management System or any other hardware (not counting cables, mounting hardware etc.) to connect them or will the inverter do all this for me?

Thank you - Rowan

QrizB

As someone who has built his own 6kWh 48v lifepo4 battery and hooked it up to an inverter, I guess I should try answering this.

Is it possible? Yes, it almost certainly is. However possible does not mean simple, or easy, or practical.

These Nissan Leaf batteries, for example. Are they the same chemistry as the existing Growatt battery? Can you put them together in a string that will have the same nominal voltage and share the charge/discharge characteristics?

Will you need a suitable BMS? Almost certainly.

How do you configure the inverter? Do you have the manual and does it give any clues?