Solis 80kW Three Phase Hybrid Inverter

Description

The Solis S6-EH3P80K10-NV-YD-H delivers 80kW across three phases and accepts 160kW of solar array behind it. It is commercial and industrial equipment: factories, processing plants, large institutions, hospitals, hotels, cold stores and irrigation schemes with their own substation.

One figure on its specification sheet looks like a misprint and is not. It is the reason to choose this machine.

The recommended array size and the usable input power are the same number: 160kW. On every smaller hybrid those two figures differ, and the gap between them is energy clipped away at midday. A 32kW array on a 16kW machine converts 25.6kW at most, so the brightest hours get a flat top and the surplus is simply never harvested.

Here nothing is thrown away, because the surplus has somewhere to go. The grid side takes 80kW. The battery takes the rest: at its 600V rated voltage, 200 amperes of charge current absorbs around 120kW. Eighty kilowatts out and a hundred and twenty into storage is 200kW of capability standing behind a 160kW array, so the whole array is usable rather than merely installed. Twice the array against the output, with no clipping.

Three other things set it apart, and one of them is a gap you should know about before ordering.

It tolerates completely uneven phases. Each phase carries up to 26.66kW, which is exactly its even share, and any distribution between the three is permitted. One phase loaded and two idle is an allowed condition rather than a fault. The smaller three phase models cap a single phase at 40% or 50% of rating, so this is a genuine step up in flexibility for a site whose single phase loads refuse to balance.

Ten independent trackers carry twenty strings. On a large industrial roof with north, south, east and west faces, sheds at different pitches and a sawtooth section, ten trackers mean each group works at its own optimum instead of being dragged to a compromise.

No generator port is published for this model. The smaller three phase range has a dedicated generator input with its own rating and automatic start control. This datasheet has no generator section at all. If a generator is part of your plan, that needs settling with the distributor before you commit, and section ten covers it.

Solis 80kW Three Phase Hybrid Inverter Specifications and Array Design

1. System Architecture and Configuration

Three Phase Output

• 80kW rated and 80kVA apparent, on three phases with neutral and earth
• 220V per phase and 380V across, or 230V and 400V
• 121.6 amperes per phase at 380V, 115.5 at 400V
• Up to 26.66kW on any one phase, in any combination across the three
• Uneven phase loading permitted in full, on both grid and backup
• Power factor beyond 0.99, shiftable 0.8 in either direction
• Injected current distortion under 3%, backup waveform under 2%

Solar Charging System

• Ten independent trackers sharing twenty strings
• 42 amperes of input and 60 of fault current on every tracker
• 160kW of array permitted, and 160kW genuinely converted
• Strings allowed to 1000V, nominal 600V, tracked across 150V to 950V
• About 381V needed before the full conversion figure is reachable
• Production beginning from 180V
• An isolating switch for the DC side housed internally

Battery Integration

• High voltage lithium only, from 300V up to 950V
• 200 amperes of charge current, which is roughly 120kW at the rated voltage
• Discharge delivered as 100 amperes on each of two ports
• Both ports needed to reach the full discharge figure
• Rated output held while the bank sits above roughly 400V
• Pack data arriving over CAN or RS485
• Charge and discharge scheduled against time of use tariffs

Protection and Cooling

• Fan cooling under intelligent control
• Anti islanding, dropping the connection when the supply fails
• Overcurrent on the output and short circuit conditions both covered
• Reverse polarity on the DC side guarded against
• Type II surge protection on the DC side and on the AC side alike
• Arc fault sensing available as an option across twenty strings
• IP66, rated for an exposed position

2. Technical Specifications

Parameter	Value
Rated output power	80kW
Maximum apparent output power	80kVA
Maximum power on one phase	26.66kW
Allowable phase imbalance	100%, on grid and backup
Operation phase	Three phases, neutral and earth
Rated output voltage	220V and 380V, or 230V and 400V
Rated frequency	50Hz or 60Hz
Rated output current	121.6A at 380V, 115.5A at 400V
Power factor	Above 0.99, adjustable 0.8 leading to 0.8 lagging
Current distortion	Under 3%
Maximum AC input current	250A
Backup rated output power	80kW
Backup overload, 1.2 times rating	96kW for 10 minutes
Backup overload, 1.4 times rating	112kW for 100 seconds
Backup overload, 1.6 times rating	128kW for 10 seconds
Backup overload, 2 times rating	160kW for 200 milliseconds
Backup switch time	Under 10ms
Backup voltage distortion at linear load	Under 2%
Recommended maximum array	160kW
Maximum usable PV input power	160kW
Maximum PV voltage	1000V
Rated PV voltage	600V
Start-up voltage	180V
MPPT voltage range	150V to 950V
Voltage needed for full conversion	Around 381V
Maximum input current	42A on each of ten trackers
Maximum short circuit current	60A on each of ten trackers
Trackers and strings	10 trackers, 20 strings
Integrated DC switch	Yes
Battery type	Lithium ion only
Battery voltage range	300V to 950V
Maximum charge current	200A
Maximum discharge current	100A on each of two ports
Battery ports	2
Current per battery port	100A
Battery communication	CAN or RS485
Maximum efficiency	97.6%
European weighted efficiency	97.2%
Battery charged and discharged to AC	97.0%
Anti islanding protection	Yes
Output overcurrent and short circuit protection	Yes
DC reverse polarity protection	Yes
Surge protection	Type II on DC and Type II on AC, both fitted
Integrated arc fault detection	Optional
Protection class and overvoltage category	Class I, category II
Protection rating	IP66
Topology	Transformerless
Cooling	Intelligent fan cooling
Operating temperature	-25C to +60C
Maximum altitude	3000m
Dimensions and weight	1174 x 814 x 400mm, 170kg
Solar and battery connection	MC4 plugs on solar, terminal connector on battery
Display	7 inch LCD with Bluetooth and app
Communication	CAN, RS485 at 115200, Ethernet, with WiFi, cellular or LAN available
Standards	NRS 097-2-1, G99, VDE-AR-N 4105, EN 50549, CEI 0-21, IEC 62116, IEC 61727, IEC and EN 62109, IEC and EN 61000, EN 55011

3. Key Features

• An array twice the output rating, with all of it converted rather than clipped
• Ten trackers, enough for a roof broken into many planes
• Any imbalance across the three phases tolerated in full
• A graded overload curve rather than a single surge figure
• High voltage storage, which keeps battery cable and current modest
• Two hundred amperes of charge current, filling a large bank quickly
• Charge and discharge scheduled automatically against tariff periods
• Backup handover under 10 milliseconds with distortion under 2%
• Surge protection to Type II standard on the array side and the mains side alike
• DC isolation integrated, so no external switch is needed
• Capacity expandable by paralleling and by AC coupling
• Compatibility with mainstream lithium and with the manufacturer’s own commercial battery range
• Array and phase loading planned by Bicity Solar before quotation

4. Applications and Use Cases

• Factories and processing plants: machinery load met while the roof earns
• Cold stores and ice plants: compressors carried by the graded overload
• Hospitals and large clinics: handover fast enough that equipment never notices
• Hotels and lodges at scale: laundry, kitchens and pumps carried through the day
• Universities, colleges and large schools: consumption aligned with generation
• Irrigation schemes with their own substation: pumping moved into daylight
• Tea and coffee factories: large roofs and heavy, uneven single phase loads
• Sites with very unbalanced phases: the imbalance tolerance is the reason to pick it
• Premises intending to grow: paralleling and AC coupling both supported

5. Installation and Engineering Notes

This is lifting equipment territory

At 170kg in a body measuring 1174 by 814 by 400mm, this is not a unit two technicians carry up a ladder. It needs mechanical lifting, a mounting arrangement engineered for the load, and access planned before delivery day. Budget for that at design stage rather than discovering it when the crate arrives.

• Confirm the mounting structure is rated for 170kg plus a working factor
• Plan the route in, including door widths and any turns
• Arrange lifting equipment, not additional people
• Leave clearance for airflow and for the cable entries on a body this size
• Keep it away from offices and wards, since cooling is by fan

Why the whole 160kW array is usable

The array allowance and the conversion figure are both 160kW, which is unusual and worth understanding, because it changes how the system should be designed.

Where the solar goes	Capacity	Condition
Out through the grid side	80kW	Always available
Into the battery	Around 120kW	At the 600V rated bank voltage, 200A of charge
Both together	Around 200kW	Which is why a 160kW array is fully usable

The practical consequence is that the battery is not an optional extra on this machine, it is what makes the array ratio work. A 160kW array with a small bank behind it will clip at midday exactly as a smaller hybrid would. Size the storage so it can absorb the surplus during the hours the array exceeds 80kW, and the oversizing pays in full.

String design on a 1000V platform

Tracking opens at 150V and production starts from 180V, but moving the full 160kW across 420 amperes of combined tracker capacity needs roughly 381V. Long strings suit this platform, and with ten trackers there is room to vary them by roof face.

Modules at 620W	Working voltage	Cold dawn, open circuit	Twenty strings	Verdict
10	Around 420V	Around 550V	124,000W	Clears the threshold, under the allowance
13	Around 546V	Around 715V	161,200W	Lands on the 160kW allowance, the usual choice
15	Around 630V	Around 825V	186,000W	Past the array allowance
17	Around 714V	Around 935V	210,800W	Near the voltage ceiling and well over the allowance
18	Around 756V	Around 990V	223,200W	At the 1000V edge, too close

Thirteen modules on each of twenty strings reaches about 161kW and sits comfortably inside both the voltage ceiling and the tracking window. Two strings share each tracker, and at roughly 14.8 amperes per 620W module a pair draws about 29.6 amperes against a 42 ampere tracker limit, so there is headroom for higher current modules as they appear.

The battery sets a floor on full output

Producing 80kW from storage calls for 200 amperes, and 200 amperes is the rating. Divide one by the other and the bank has to sit above roughly 400V for the full figure to be available, against a published range reaching down to 300V.

Bank voltage	Power at 200A	Against the 80kW rating
950V, at the top of the range	Around 190kW	Far above the rating, no constraint
600V, rated	Around 120kW	Comfortably above
400V	80kW	Exactly at the rating
300V, at the bottom	Around 60kW	Short of the rating by a quarter

Specify the bank so its working range sits above 400V for the periods when full output matters. Note too that discharge is delivered as 100 amperes on each of two ports, so both ports must be wired and working to reach 200 amperes at all.

Circuit sizing

Each device is selected a quarter above its circuit’s continuous current, then taken to the nearest manufactured size. Three phase circuits take four poles. Measured runs, grouping and ambient temperature all move the result, and at this scale the design should be calculated rather than taken from a table.

Circuit	Design current	Device	Cable, short run
Solar, each string	Around 19A	25A DC, rated beyond 1000V	4mm² solar cable
Battery, each of two ports	125A	160A DC, rated beyond 950V	35mm²
AC output	152A	160A, 4 pole	70mm²
Grid input	313A	315A, 4 pole	150mm², or paired runs

• High voltage storage keeps the battery cable modest, which is one of its advantages at this scale
• DC protection must be rated beyond 1000V on the array and beyond 950V on the battery
• Because the DC switch is internal, no standalone array isolator is required
• A 250 ampere AC input implies a supply and a transformer sized to match
• Twenty strings make arc fault detection worth specifying rather than skipping
• Set to work by licensed engineers, against a design calculated for the site

6. Care, Maintenance and Operations

• Keep the cooling intakes clear, which matters more on a fan cooled machine this size
• Log the fan behaviour, since a change in note is the usual warning of wear
• Check both battery port currents in the monitoring, as a divergence means one path is working harder
• Review the tariff schedule whenever the electricity tariff structure changes
• Track the phase loading as equipment is added, even though imbalance is tolerated
• Wash the array on a planned cycle, because at 160kW soiling is expensive
• Compare generation month on month to catch a failing string among twenty
• Check that the reserve held back for outages still suits the site’s pattern
• Keep a maintenance record, which commercial insurers increasingly ask for

7. Do’s and Don’ts

Do

• Size the battery to absorb the solar surplus, which is what makes the 160kW array work
• Use all ten trackers where the roof has several planes
• Wire both battery ports, since each carries only half the discharge current
• Keep the bank working above 400V where full output matters
• Build strings long enough to clear 381V under load
• Arrange lifting equipment and a structural mount before delivery
• Specify DC protection rated beyond 1000V on the array side
• Read the whole overload curve, not only its headline figure

Don’t

• Install a 160kW array behind a small battery and expect nothing to be clipped
• Plan on lead acid, because this platform takes lithium only
• Assume twice the rating is available for seconds, since that tier lasts 200 milliseconds
• Load the whole bank onto a single port while a second sits idle
• Take a string close to 1000V, since the number that counts is the dawn reading
• Exceed 26.66kW on any single phase, even though imbalance itself is permitted
• Treat it as a wall hung unit, because it weighs 170kg
• Assume a generator can be connected until the distributor confirms it

8. Compatibility

• High voltage lithium banks between 300V and 950V
• Mainstream lithium chemistries, and the manufacturer’s own commercial battery range
• Packs reporting over CAN or RS485
• Arrays to 160kW on twenty strings across ten trackers
• Three phase supplies at 220V and 380V, or 230V and 400V
• Existing solar on site, through AC coupling
• Further units in parallel as the site grows
• Tariff scheduling, and third party aggregation platforms where a market exists for them
• Ethernet, CAN and RS485 as standard, with WiFi, cellular or LAN as options
• Sites anywhere in Kenya, given the 3000m rating

Note that lead acid is not supported on this platform. Every smaller model in the catalogue accepts it; this one does not, and a 300V to 950V lithium bank is a different procurement exercise with a different lead time.

9. Performance Table

The overload curve, which is graded rather than a single figure.

Overload	Power	Held for	What it covers
1.2 times	96kW	10 minutes	A sustained peak, such as a shift starting up
1.4 times	112kW	100 seconds	Several motors brought up in sequence
1.6 times	128kW	10 seconds	A large direct on line motor start
2 times	160kW	200 milliseconds	The inrush spike at the instant of switching

These tiers describe off grid operation. The useful reading is the ten minute figure rather than the headline: a machine that holds 96kW for ten minutes handles a real industrial load profile, whereas twice the rating for a fifth of a second only covers the switching instant. Smaller models in the Solis range publish twice the rating for a full ten seconds, so comparing the headline figures alone across the range would mislead in both directions.

10. Where It Sits, and the Generator Question

This is the largest single machine in the Solis hybrid range that Bicity stocks, and it sits on the high voltage battery platform shared with the 30kW and 50kW three phase models rather than the 48V platform used up to 18kW.

Consideration	Up to 18kW three phase	30kW and 50kW	This 80kW
Battery platform	40V to 60V	High voltage	300V to 950V
Lead acid accepted	Yes	No	No
Trackers	2	Fewer than ten	10
One phase limit	40% or 50% of rating	Varies by model	26.66kW, with any imbalance
Array against output	Twice, with clipping	Varies by model	Twice, without clipping
Generator port	Published and rated	Published	Not published
Altitude	4000m	Varies by model	3000m
Weight	42kg	Heavier	170kg

The generator gap deserves a straight answer. The smaller three phase range publishes a dedicated generator input with its own power and current ratings, and sells automatic start and stop control as a headline feature. This model’s specification has no generator section, and its feature list does not mention one. We are not going to tell you it supports a generator on the strength of the rest of the range doing so. If a generator is part of your scheme, we raise it with the distributor and get an answer in writing before you order, and if the answer is no, the 50kW is where a generator backed design belongs.

Choose this one where the roof can carry 160kW, where the load genuinely wants 80kW, where the phases will never balance neatly, and where a high voltage lithium bank is within reach.

Choose the 50kW or 30kW where the scale is smaller, where a generator has to be integrated, or where the project needs a model that has been in the field longer.

11. Mini FAQ

Can it really use a 160kW array without clipping?
Yes, provided the battery is sized to absorb the surplus. The grid side takes 80kW and charging takes roughly 120kW at the rated bank voltage.

Does it take lead acid batteries?
No. Lithium only, between 300V and 950V. Every smaller model in the catalogue accepts lead acid; this one does not.

Can I put 80kW on one phase?
No. Each phase carries up to 26.66kW. What is permitted is any imbalance between the three, including loading one and leaving two idle.

Is the overload really 200%?
For 200 milliseconds. Sustained overload is 1.6 times for ten seconds and 1.2 times for ten minutes, which is the more useful figure.

Will it work with a generator?
No generator port is published for this model, unlike the smaller three phase range. We confirm it with the distributor before you order.

Why two battery ports?
Because discharge is 100 amperes on each. Both must be wired to reach the full 200 amperes.

How many people does it take to mount?
None, in the sense that matters. At 170kg it wants lifting equipment and an engineered mounting structure.

What altitude is it rated for?
Three thousand metres, which clears every inhabited place in Kenya. Note the smaller three phase models reach 4000m.

12. Why Buy From Bicity Solar

• Battery sized to absorb the array surplus, which is what the 160kW allowance depends on
• Strings laid out across all ten trackers by roof face, not in one block
• Both battery ports wired, since each carries only half the discharge
• Bank specified to work above 400V where full output is needed
• Phase loading reviewed, even though any imbalance is permitted
• The generator question settled with the distributor in writing before you order
• Lifting and mounting arranged in advance for a 170kg unit
• DC protection specified for a 1000V array and a 950V bank
• Every unit comes with certification bearing the same serial as the chassis
• Installed and signed off under a valid EPRA licence
• Any warranty claim is chased down by us at the distributor
• Delivered countrywide, with parts and technical help thereafter