Generac PWRcell Solar Inverter Battery Storage System

Generac, best known for its backup generators, also makes a line of solar home battery storage systems. The company’s newest model, the PWRcell, captures and stores solar energy to use at peak demand times or during a power outage. It then provides backup power for the entire house.

A central component of the PWRcell system is a solar inverter that integrates batteries with a home’s existing solar panel array. The inverter converts the DC electricity from the solar panels into AC energy that can be used to power appliances and charge the batteries or to feed back into the grid. It does so in several user-selectable modes, including battery backup, self-supply and time-of-use.

The inverter can manage up to four HVAC units by switching them on and off alternatively, preventing them from overloading the inverter’s capacity. The inverter can also operate independently from the grid in an “islanding mode” during a power outage.

Other components of the Generac PWRcell include PV Link substring power optimizers and a solar backup inverter (ATS). The ATS isolates the solar and battery systems during a power outage, keeping them from feeding into each other and damaging the inverters. The ATS includes integrated grounding and modular bus cable to reduce installation time and simplify wiring.

A 9 kW PWRcell system costs around $20,000, which can be substantially less if it qualifies for local incentives and the federal solar tax credit. Adding more battery modules can increase the storage capacity, which is scalable up to 36 kWh.