Stromtank - FAQ - Solar systems.

[RadianceAV]

As a Stromtank owner myself I was interested to investigate what benefit if any Stromtank can bring when I already have a Solar system including a battery.

 

The information I received was as below.

Photovoltaic for High End Audio / Video Systems
The question of whether it makes sense to use a solar installation with a storage
system to power an audio setup has been repeatedly asked of us lately.
To provide a technically satisfactory answer, we need to delve a bit deeper into the
details.
For every task, there are solutions that correspond to the requirements. In the realm
of music, for example, we find both the double bass and the violin, both string
instruments. However, no one would think of playing a violin piece with a double
bass. Or from the practical perspective, a folding ruler and a caliper both measure the
length of an object, but with different levels of precision.
Let's take a look at a solar installation with a storage system. The radiant energy of
the sun is converted into direct current (DC) in the solar panel, and then the transformation
into alternating current (AC) takes place through an inverter. The primary
task of a solar inverter is the conversion of DC to AC with minimal losses.
Three factors are crucial here: efficiency, high currents, and price.
Appliances like refrigerators, ovens, air conditioners, etc., do not require a pure sine
wave to function. Therefore, the AC output of a solar inverter is quite "dirty" (in terms
of waveform) due to cost considerations. The same applies to the battery storage
system, where DC is converted to AC – maximum efficiency, high current delivery,
and cost-effectiveness.
As a result:
A solar installation with storage is unsuitable to power a precision instrument like an
audio setup – there is too much distortion on the AC lines.
If you operate a solar installation to reduce electricity costs, you will have significantly
more distortion on the power lines than before installing solar panels.
The sound quality of the audio setup will deteriorate significantly, and using a
POWER TANK becomes an absolute "MUST" to restore the audio quality, as
the power tank is specifically designed for audio setups.

 

Now with this in mind I decided to test myself. With the Stromtank off - my Karan amplifiers had their usual light hum powering off my Solar Battery. Voltage was stable at 240volts thanks to the battery but still a light transformer hum could be heard.

 

Then I turn my tank on. The hum disappears completely. Sound quality lifted as well. I can only assume that the inverter may not be doing my sound quality a great deal of justice thus one battery can't possibly be the same as the other

If you want to hear the difference track down your local Stromtank Stockist. 

 

NSW - Sydney Hi-Fi Castle Hill and Audio Connection

QLD - Indie Hi-Fi

VIC - Sound Gallery

SA - Hi-Fi Guru 

Edited August 30 by RadianceAV

[Marc]

I have no doubt. I don't have battery storage, but I am 100% convinced my system sounds better at night when there is no solar generation, which I've only had for two years at most.

 

It was puzzling me - I almost never ever listen to my system in the day now (working - only ever late into the evening. A few times I'd used it in the day was because someone would come over and I'd give them a demo - and each time I felt (heard) something was really lacking and not what I was used to. 

 

It took a while for me to realise this was only happening when playing in the day and I now know it's 100% related to the solar generation, probably both locally and on the grid.