Why oversize a generator when you can get an inverter like this? Cost!! Look at the price tag on one of those units and a couple of batteries. My whole 25/2 & 20kW cost less than that. However, they are a REAL nice product - and I want one.........bad..
Steve
Well, I really tihnk it depends on your target usage. If you're talking about an emergency backup plan for an on-grid application, you're probably right - lots of complexity and cost for little benefit. If you're off-grid, I think the situation is more complicated. I can't imagine being off-grid without solar or wind, so it's already a given that you're going to have batteries and an inverter - the alternative is running a genset 24/7 and even if a Lister is theoretically capable of this, the fuel cost, noise, maintenance etc make it unattractive. So, if you are targetting a hybrid solar/genset solution, the Xantrex is great as it allows the opportunity to 'right size' each piece of the system, rather than having to size each for peak capacity. In my case, this makes a 6/1 a (potentially) viable option, as ~3.5kW is obviously undersized for any full-time use.
What amazes me is that the Xantrex SW series seem to be the only inverter that has this 'generator support' mode at the moment. This is such a mind-bogglingly useful feature that I don't understand why more don't provide it. Now that I know about it, I consider it an absolute slam-dunk must-have in my system.