Li battery recommendations

[df0rster]

I have been using Lithium batteries for almost ten years on various projects. There is at least one user on the Outback forum using SimpliPhi and SimpliPhi has specific settings that have been added to the latest firmware release on the Skybox.
I forgot if you mentioned whether you have to get building department approval, but be aware that the new 2020 version of NEC requires Energy Storage Systems meet UL standards. That may be an important consideration for future readers depending on when NEC 2020 is implemented by their AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction).

We live in rural NE Oklahoma and there are no inspections around here. Even when we lived in a nearby town there wasn't anybody to do inspections on electrical work.

That being said, I want to comply with all of the safety standards and electrical codes. I'm not sure if you mean that some of the batteries are not UL approved, or if a particular setup would have to meet those UL standards if it were inspected?

So what are your preferred lithium batteries for use with your setup? I do want to start out fairly small, in the less than $5k range if possible. I'll have a generator for longer outages and we could squeeze half a day out of 4kwh without much problem.

[Ampster]

I have been using Lithium batteries for almost ten years on various projects. There is at least one user on the Outback forum using SimpliPhi and SimpliPhi has specific settings that have been added to the latest firmware release on the Skybox.
I forgot if you mentioned whether you have to get building department approval, but be aware that the new 2020 version of NEC requires Energy Storage Systems meet UL standards. That may be an important consideration for future readers depending on when NEC 2020 is implemented by their AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction).

[df0rster]

I'm considering adding a Li battery instead of FLA due to availability and ease of install, etc.

I'm looking at a smallish capacity around 3-5kwh just for a few hours of backup at first. thinking of the Fortress 5kwh or a simpliph 3.8 kwh, both are about the same cost per kwh (around 60 cents per). which really only works out to about double of FLA after you pay for freight and consider the 50% discharge limit of FLA. and you get more than 2x the life so it seems like a no brainer to me.. Good FLA's are about 30 cents/kwh after freight and 50% discharge factor.

one other option for a larger pack is the Darfon 9.6kwh, a little less per kwh. but I'm not wanting to spend quite that much yet..

Any thoughts on those 3 batteries? I will be using it with my Outback skybox.