If that generator doesn’t put out clean enough power on initial start up, and 
maintain a tight enough range dyring operation, the solark will likely power 
cycle until they sync up.
Attempted a grid side connection of a Ford Lightning for a customer and long 
time friend, to the grid inputs of his Solark dual 15kw with a 400amp service. 
He wanted to do the experiment (and was willing to take the financial risk’s 
involved, which I explained at length, spent two years telling him no before 
finally saying ok about 3years ago), but that frequency variance on startup is 
just too wide coming from the lightning inverter and the tolerance is too 
narrow on the solark to reliably sync up. In solarks defense it does keep 
trying and does sync up eventually but I would not run this experiment again 
without an improvement In either products capability to handle more frequency 
variance. The devil is in that initial startup. Once synced up and under load 
the solark and lightning inverter seem to get along well enough. But it’s jenky 
enough that I set that option as emergency only configuration, the customer can 
enable the sync if he chooses by flipping two levers. I have an automatic 
transfer switch built in but I disabled the automatic switch until a more 
stable option on startup presents itself.
In answer to another question that was asked, yes you can set what load the 
solark will place the grid input generator under and what state of charge the 
batteries need to be at to call for gen start. Just make sure the start up 
frequency variance of the generator is tight enough to be well inside what the 
solark requires. And remember sales reps may paint a better picture of the 
frequency ranges than actually exist, so get it in writing.

Sky Sims
Ecological Systems

Sent with Spark
On Oct 19, 2026 at 9:43 PM -0400, [email protected], wrote:

> Can you AC couple the old fashion way, by back-feeding a breaker in the 
> protected loads panel, to save the generator input?
>
> Drake
>
>
>
> On 2026-10-19 19:31, Jay wrote:
> > I agree why wouldn’t you install the generator at the Gen input?
> >
> > Ok if you’ve got a ac couple then that eats up the Gen input.
> >
> > But yeah brings up a lot of questions as to integration.
> >
> > Here is another. Does the sol ark know to reduce the charge rate if
> > the generator is not as big as the grid which I would expect?
> >
> > Makes the case for multiple sets of CT’s to measure and allow for
> > control.
> >
> > I’ll be curious what others think/know
> > Jay
> >
> >
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