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Opti-Solar Inverters: A Review

Updated: Jul 7, 2020

Opti-solar inverters are made by a Chinese company based in Taiwan. Opti is a relatively new entry into the Nigerian inverter market. It sold its first inverters in 2007. Their first project in Africa was in 2013. But they are gaining grounds among dealers and users. They make a wide range of inverters.


General Description

  • Opti inverters come in grey and black colours.

  • They are bulky and come in plastic and metal casings.

  • Opti inverters are made for ‘rugged’ physical and power environments.

Features

  1. Most Opti inverters are pure sine wave inverters. However, they also have modified sine wave inverters like the SP Junior Series. Learn about the differences between pure and modified sine wave inverters here.

  2. Like all pure sine wave inverters, appliances do not run with a continuous buzzing or humming sound.

  3. Opti inverters have UPS capabilities. Thus they are able to switch without the appliances turning off.

  4. 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.

  5. They also have technologies that protect appliances that use them from damage.

  6. Inverters with higher output capacities come with cooling fans to ensure that the inverters do not exceed maximum temperature safety limits.

  7. Most opti inverters come with in-built PMW or MPPT solar charge controllers. Read all about charge controllers here.

  8. Some opti inverters can be either placed on racks or mounted on walls. Some come with stands and other rollers to help with placement and movement.

  9. They can be connected in parallel or phases for greater output.

  10. They can be charged with either grid power or standby generators.

  11. Opti inverters are hybrid based inverters, meaning that they can serve either as off-grid or as solar inverters. Read all about hybrid inverters here.

  12. Except for the lower capacity inverters, opti inverters have cooling fans that help regulate the temperature of the inverter to prevent overheating.

  13. The SPR AVR Series has a battery temperature sensor that can sense the temperature of the batteries.

  14. Opti inverters have a relatively wide input range 100V-360V.

  15. Opti inverters have displays with audible alarms that inform the user of the state of the inverter.

  16. Depending on the needs of the appliance, opti inverters has isolated DC and AC output sockets. The charging voltage and output voltage can be preset into the inverter.

  17. The SP Initial Series has a USB communication port.

  18. They have an operation monitoring app supported by support Android and iOS over which 12 inverters can be connected and data shared.

Home, Factory and Office Integration

Opti inverters come in grey and black colours that are meant to complement both interior home, office and exterior factory designs. They are bulky and come in plastic and metal casings. They are sleek, compact and elegant. The hybrid range come with rollers for easy movement. Some of the available models can be fitted to walls saving ground space.


Warranty

Opti-solar offers a two-year replacement and refund warranty on its inverters at the distributor’s cost. Opti’s warranty covers defective parts. For “Out of Warranty Repair” of all other models, in addition to components costs, they charge a handling fee.


Models, Features And Specifications

Opti has a range of both hybrid inverters and solar inverters.


1. Hybrid Inverter Series

1. The Initial Series

  1. They are pure sine wave inverters.

  2. Charging current can be selected.

  3. They are compatible with mains voltage or generator power.

  4. They come with a smart battery charger design for optimized battery.

  5. They have an in-built solar charge controller.

  6. They have overload and short circuit protection.

  7. They are able to start without input power.

  8. They have USB communication port.

The inverters in this series include the SP1000~SP5000 Initial-P, SP3000~SP5000 Initial-M and SP1000~SP2000 Initial-M


2. SP-SW Series

  1. They are compatible with both linear and non-linear load

  2. They have a controllable and removable panel with LCD

  3. They have an automatic self-diagnostic function

  4. They are designed to operate under harsh environment

  5. They can either be mounted on a rack or on the wall.

  6. Charging parameters can be pre-selected.

  7. Under inverter mode, they can run for 24hours.

  8. They come with an DC/AC transformer.


3. AVR Series

  1. They have an adjustable voltage-transfer points and charging voltage.

  2. They automatically restart the load after inverter shutdown.

  3. They can be powered from grid power or generator.

  4. They have a wide input range 110V~360V

  5. They can generate a dry contact signal to trigger auto-start generator

  6. They are able to power on without input power.

  7. They have a battery temperature sensor.

  8. They have full-functional LCD display with audible alarms.

  9. The charging voltage can be adjusted.

  10. They have thermal control cooling fan

  11. Depending on the needs of the appliance, they have isolated DC and AC output sockets.

  12. Inverters in this series come in either hybrid or off-grid forms.




4. Power Series

  1. Inverters in this series are pure sine wave inverters.

  2. They come with an inbuilt MPPT solar charge controller.

  3. The input voltage home appliances and personal computers can be manually selected.

  4. They can manually select charging current based on appliance.

  5. The AC/Solar input priority can be set manually.

  6. They can be charged either with grid power or generator power.

  7. They are able to automatically restart after a power trip.

  8. They come with overload and short circuit protection.

  9. They are able to power without input power.


5. Handy Series

  1. Inverters in this series are pure sine wave inverter.

  2. They come with inbuilt MPPT solar charge controller.

  3. They can manually select charging current based on appliance.

  4. They can manually select charging current based on appliance.

  5. They come with a smart battery charger design for optimized battery performance.

  6. They come with overload and short circuit protection.

  7. They are able to power on without input power.

  8. They have an Anti-Dust Filter design.


6. Handy Plus Series

The Handy Plus is an upgrade on the Handy Series. It's defining feature is a detachable Bluetooth LCD display.