Victron Energy, the makers of Victron inverters are based in the Netherlands. They have been in the power systems industry for more than forty years. Victron initially made off-grid solar inverters but in recent years, they have focused more on battery-based and hybrid inverters for home and industrial use. They have earned themselves a strong global reputation for their inverters, solar chargers and batteries.
They have a service partner in Nigeria at 27B Ize-Iyamu Street Off Billingsway Oregun, Lagos State.
Victron inverters were used as part of the Federal Government of Nigeria's Rural Electrification Agency in parts of Kaduna State. 800kVA of power was made available to the Sabon Gari market using 160 Victron MultiPlus inverter/chargers alongside 320 MPTT charger units from a 1.6MWp solar array, optimising the charge current to a BOS AG-made Lithium iron battery bank. Read all about the critically-acclaimed and internationally-recognized installation here.
General Description
Most Victron inverters have hybrid capabilities, that is, they can be used with solar panels and/or battery bank.
Their inverters are pure sine wave. Learn about the differences between pure and modified sine wave inverters here.
A range of their inverters come with incorporated smart chargers hence the manufacturers describe them as 'inverter-charger.'
They come in blue colours.
They come in thick blue aluminium casings.
All screws have pre-cut thread on the Multi. All screws are stainless.
Some Victron inverters have marine capabilities and can be used on ships, boats and yachts.
Their inverters have UPS capabilities. Thus they are able to switch without the appliances turning off.
They have battery protection features that protect the batteries from over-charge, deep-discharge and short-circuiting when the terminals are not properly placed during installation or during use.
They also have technologies that protect appliances that use them from damage.
Their inverters with higher output capacities come with cooling fans to ensure that the inverters do not exceed maximum temperature safety limits.
Though Victron makes batteries which can be acquired with the inverters, their inverters are compatible with all types of batteries, solar panels and charge controllers.
Home, Factory and Office Integration
Victron inverters come in iconic light blue colours that are meant to complement both interior home, office and exterior factory designs.
They are noiseless and emit no fumes.
They come in plastic and metal casings.
They are sleek, compact and elegant.
They have wall mount capabilities. They can also be placed on racks, desks or left standing.
The inverters can be physically and electrically integrated with Victron products like charge controllers and batteries to give a compact look and to help save floor and wall space.
Highlights
Installation
Victron inverters have a relatively low weather rating which means the inverter/chargers must be installed in a protected area such as a garage, shed or dedicated room.
Integration
All Victron products are easily linked together with a regular Ethernet cable so they can all communicate. With a remote display, all the information is shown on a very cool and easy to use screen.
High Surge Rating
Victron inverters can withstand a peak output of up to 2.5 times the rated continous peak output for at least 1-2 seconds. For instance, a 3000W rated inverter can withstand a peak output surge of up to 7500W. This is enough for the short start-up spikes from pumps, compressors, inductors, etc.
Remote and Cloud Monitoring
Alongside on-site displays, Victron has smart apps, remote controls and accessories that help to remotely monitor and control an inverter system. They have driver softwares that can be used, with Wi-Fi, LAN or Bluetooth to data-log, monitor and control the inverters from personal computers computers. They can also be monitored from smartphone apps.
Warranty
Victron offers up to 5 years warranty on its inverters. During the warranty period, Victron Energy will, at its option, repair or replace the defectuous product free of charge.
Product Range and Specifications
Victron Energy have a wide variety of products. They have an inverter range, a range of inverter-charger and solar inverters.
Phoenix Series
The Phoenix inverters are all pure sine wave inverters.
They are built for professional duty.
According to design, under the Phoenix Series, there is the Phoenix Inverters, Phoenix Inverter Compact, the Inverter Smart, and the Phoenix Inverter VE.Direct. See HD photos below.
They come with computer devices and cloud monitoring applications that can be used on any smartphone. All models have a RS-485 port. Together with Victron's VEConfigure software, which can be downloaded free of charge from their website, all parameters of the inverters can be customized. This includes output voltage and frequency, over and under voltage settings and programming the relay. This relay can for example be used to signal several alarm conditions, or to start a generator. The inverters can also be connected to VENet, the new power control network of Victron Energy, or to other computerized monitoring and control systems
Up to 6 Phoenix Inverters can operate in parallel to achieve higher power output. Six 24V 5000VA units, for example, will provide 24kW / 30kVA output power. Operation in 3-phase configuration is also possible.
They have the following protection abilities: output short circuit, overload, battery, voltage too high, battery voltage too low, temperature too high, 230 V AC on inverter output and input voltage ripple too high.
The capacity of inverters in this model ranges from 1200VA - 5000VA per module.
Their input capacity ranges from 12V to 48V.
Specification for all Phoenix Inverters
Inverter/Charger
Victron's inverter/chargers are the inverters that incorporate a smart battery charger. Read all about solar chargers here.
The Series of Victron's inverter/chargers include the MultiPlus, MultiPlus-II, MultiPlus-II GX, Multi Grid, Quattro, ECOMulti, EasySolar-II GX, EasySolar and EasyPlus.
Most of the inverter/chargers have hybrid capabilities, that is, they can be used as part of off-grid installations, as well as with batteries.
Multi Plus
The MultiPlus incorporates all the major features of Victron inverter/chargers.
The MultiPlus inverters are pure sine wave inverters with UPS capability. Also, they can be monitored remotely or on-site.
MultiPlus inverters of the same model can be connected in parallel to achieve higher power output. Six 24/5000/120 units, for example, will provide 25 kW / 30 kVA output power with 720 Amps charging capacity.
In addition to parallel connection, three units of the same model can be configured for three phase output.
Models in this range have output capacities ranging from 500VA to 5000VA.
MultiPlus comes in two designs. The slimmer wall-mount design is for MultiPlus inverters with lower output range. The larger one is for inverters with higher capacities. See photos below.
MultiPlus-II
The MultiPlus-II was launched by Victron in May 2019. It is an upgrade on the MultiPlus. Apart from changes in the design, it adds an external current transformer option to implement PowerControl and PowerAssist and to optimize self-consumption with external current sensing (max. 32A). Models have output capacities ranging from 3000VA - 5000VA. They have hybrid capabilities.
MultiPlus-II GX
The MultiPlus-II GX is a 3000VA MultiPlus-II inverter integrated with a GX device. The integrated GX device includes: A VE.Can interface that can be used to connect to Victron VE; Can devices (eg VE.Can MPPTs), a USB port, a Ethernet port and a VE.Direct port.
The MultiPlus-II GX is intended for applications where additional interfacing with other products and/or remote monitoring is required, such as on-grid or off-grid energy storage systems and certain mobile applications.
In case of parallel and three-phase operation, only one GX unit is needed.
EasySolar
The EasySolar incorporates a MPPT Solar charge controller, an inverter/charger and AC distribution in one enclosure with four output sockets. It is a solar inverter. It comes in 12V, 24V and 48V models.
EasySolar II GX
The EasySolar II GX integrates GX devices into the EasySolar with a new and upgraded design.
MultiGrid
The MultiGrid is a version of the MultiPlus with hybrid capabilities. In other words, it can be charged with either solar panels or with grid power. Read about hybrid inverters here.
ECOMulti
The ECOmulti is a 3KVA/24V hybrid inverter with wall-mount capabilities. It comes with a 2,3 kWh Li-ion battery storage capacity for whenever solar output exceeds consumption, for later use and thereby increasing self-consumption. Three ECOmulti modules can be configured for three-phase operation.
Quattro
The Quattro is similar to the MultiPlus. It is a hybrid inverter. Also, it can accept two AC inputs, for instance grid power and generator or two generators and will automatically connect to the active source without any break. It can be integrated into multiple phase operation and parallel operation. Models have output capacities ranging from 3000VA, 5000VA, 8000VA, 10000VA, 15000VA.
EasyPlus
The EasyPlus is a low capacity (12V/1200) inverter.
Victron inverters are relatively expensive. Regardless, they give their full financial value on the long run. Though very sophisticated and capable of performing very advanced functions, they are easy to install, operate and use.
You can find and read our reviews of other inverter brands on our blog. Stay tuned and like SolarKobo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram to receive a notification when a new review from our inverter review series is posted on our site. You can also leave a comment below if you would like a review of a particular inverter brand or model or if you have any questions about Victron inverters.