New Smart Panel sounds like a great system

[soby]

$3,500 + installation.

Ouch.

[Ampster]

I agree, and that is why I believe we will see a new crop of hybrid inverters with larger capacity. That will be both inverter capacity and pass through capacity. With the addition of a Smart Panel the homeowner does not have to make a permanent choice about what loads would be on which sub panel. The Smart Panel could be presumably programmed to connect all loads when the grid is up and shut off the larger loads when the grid is down to match remaining loads to the inverter capacity. Then if the homeowner wanted to use a large load like a clothes dryer, they could restrict some other loads to allow the dryer to run for a few hours.


If I recall correctly the new Sol Ark will have 200 Amp pass through capacity. I do not know what size their Smart Panel will have but presumably they would be close. Also communication between the Sol Ark hybrid and the Smart Panel would increase functionality of that as a System.

[scrambler]

I am sure the situation will be different from inverter to inverter, but if the Panel is connected to the critical load port of the inverter you are limited to that port capacity.
From what you say about your Skybox, in that specific case that would be 60Amp, not enough to put all the house loads in the panel.

[Ampster]

............
The way they configure regular hybrid inverter is by just connecting the Samrt panel to the Inverter critical load panel output.
If that is the case, then the Panel is ALWAYS limited by the Inverter critical Load output power (even when grid is up), and therefore you cannot actually move ALL the house load in there.

I would guess it would depend on the hybrid inverter. The inverter in my Outback Skybox is limited to 5kW but both the grid connection (AC In) and the critical loads panel (AC Out) have 60 Amp breakers so in total that would be 14kW of capacity.

To allow the Smart panel to contain all House load (replace all panels), you would need a transfer switch so that when the grid is up, the Smart panel is connected directly to the grid, allowing enough power for all loads, and in an outage the transfer switch flips the Smart panel to the Inverter critical load output, with the Smart panel automatically managing which loads can be used to prevent overloading the inverter.

But as it stands, the biggest feature of the Smart panel is basically not usable on a regular Hybrid inverter setup.
Too bad....

Most hybrid inverters contain transfer switches so that is not an issue for those installations unless they have limited throughput. A transfer switch and other features are what define the term "hybrid", at least in my mind. I do not know if there is a commonly accepted feature set for hybrid inverters. Outback uses the term, "grid interactive" to describe the Skybox.
One of the selling points of the Smart Panels is because they can manage loads, the Smart Panel would eliminate the need to separate loads into critical loads and other loads. The Smart Panel can manage loads dynamically. I know Sol Ark is coming out with a larger hybid and their own smart panel so they are seeing this as a growing market. Outback has just announced a new grid interactive inverter with a larger capacity than the Skybox and some rumors say it will replace both the Radian and the Skybox.

[scrambler]

Digging further, it actually looks like this is only a great system for tesla Powerwall / Gateway configuration.

At first, I saw on their website they had the option for a Transfer switch inside the panel but asking them more details about how the panel connects with regular Hybrid Inverter / battery system, they said they no longer support that option.

The way they configure regular hybrid inverter is by just connecting the Samrt panel to the Inverter critical load panel output.
If that is the case, then the Panel is ALWAYS limited by the Inverter critical Load output power (even when grid is up), and therefore you cannot actually move ALL the house load in there.

To allow the Smart panel to contain all House load (replace all panels), you would need a transfer switch so that when the grid is up, the Smart panel is connected directly to the grid, allowing enough power for all loads, and in an outage the transfer switch flips the Smart panel to the Inverter critical load output, with the Smart panel automatically managing which loads can be used to prevent overloading the inverter.

But as it stands, the biggest feature of the Smart panel is basically not usable on a regular Hybrid inverter setup.
Too bad....

[scrambler]

I just came across the New SPAN Smart panel, and in case you are not familiar with it, I thought I would bring it to your attention.

This would greatly simplify and improve the management of a battery system.
Basically, get rid of the Critical load panel (and transfer switch), move ALL loads in the smart panel, and connect the smart panel to the hybrid Inverter.
In an outage, the inverter will take over the smart panel, and the smart panel will automatically manage what loads can be used, giving you a superb interface to control that.

Sounds like a great system.

Span Smart Panel — Span® | A Smarter Electric Panel

Great review
This Smart Home Electric Panel Fixed My Tesla Powerwall - YouTube