Renogy 2000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter

Our notebook on the primary inverter setup at the Rally Creek “solar shed” at the start of 2024.

The inverter converts DC power from a 12V battery bank into AC power for use by standard household electronics.

Purchased: December 4 2023 (Delivered December 7th 2023) from Amazon for $260.

Model: RNG-INVT-2000-12V-P2

Renogy 2000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter Key Notes

90% Conversion Efficiency

That means the process of converting DC to AC power loses about 10%. In our setup each 100Ah battery will lose about 10Ah as it is converted to AC power. Another way of looking at this is to take whatever the current is being used by a 110V AC device that is plugged into the inverter and add 10%. Our 6.26A 110V mini split would consume 6.26A but the battery would lose 6.886A every moment the mini split runs, or 6.886Ah for every hour the mini split is cooling our cabin.

Pure Sine Wave

Cheaper inverters create a modified sine wave, often referred to as a “square wave”. This essentially chops off the top and bottom of the 60Hz 120V waveform which can create problems with sensitive electronics. Pure sine wave inverters mimic “on grid” power far more accurately and some even claim to produce a more pure sine wave that that output by grid operators. Pure sine waves mean less problems with electronics.

Power Output

Continuous Output Power: 2000W

Surge Rating: 4000W @ 1S

Continuous Output Current: 16.6A AC

Output Voltage: 115V @ 60Hz

Input Voltage: 12V DC , range 10V – 16V DC

Max Continuous Battery Output Current: 166.6A

Efficiency: > 90%

Power Consumption: < 24W

Power Outlets

(3) AC Outlets that output 115V 60 Hz up to 15A

(1) USB Port pushing 5V 2.1A enough to power larger electronics like tablets

(1) LNG Hardwired AC Output Terminal Block for direct wiring standard 110V wiring. For connecting 115V AC needing more than 15A or to connect distributed wiring. LNG = Live (L) Neutral (N) Ground (G). In this unit Neutral and Ground are bonded internally.

The LNG terminal can be wired directly to subpanel that drives the AC loads.

Grounding

There is a grounding bolt on the DC input side of the inverter that should be grounded.

This needs to be connected to earth ground.

It should b grounded with 12AWG on the 2000W unit, or 10AWG for a 3000W model. It is OK to go to size up the wire = lower # on AWG — yes it is confusing that 10AWG is thicker/bigger wire than 12AWG.

We will be grounding this by running a ground wire to the AC distribution panel.

DC Input Battery Fuse

The input battery fuse should be 250A.

GFCI

The inverter has an internal GFCI , however it is recommended to use an external GFCI for testing especially when hard-wiring to the LNG.

Tested GFCI Models:

Leviton GFNT2
Hubbel GFP1305
Hubbel GF15WLA

Operating Environment

Temperature: -4 F (-20C) to 104F (40C)
Humidity: Max 93% non-condensing

Renogy 2000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter User Manual

A paper on earth grounding solar systems.

Calculating Loads

Sizing the inverter means calculating the total load on the unit. These units are designed to serve a maximum wattage output, so most of the math is converted to watts.

The formula for the relationship between watts, volts, and amps is : W = A * V

Thankfully most devices list the watts and either amps or volts.

Our mini split, for example, will draw 720W when cooling at 6.26A on a 115V circuit.

Our cooler is running 12V direct, so no impact on the inverter, just the battery bank depletion. If it was plugged in it would be drawing a bit more than the 3A @ 12V = 36W due to the “power brick” inefficiency (much like the inverter, any time you convert AC to DC or vice-versa you lose some usable power) so probably closer to 40W.

All told we are well below our 2KW limit, but that will change when we plug in our coffee pot (??? W) or add our future 2-burner cook top (400W – 1800W depending on the model and how high it is turned up). The burner, especially will require we don’t go above “halfway” if we use the 1800W model while the AC is running… either that or we will need to upgrade to the bigger 3Kw inverter.