Lithium battery and inverter are essential components in battery energy storage system or PV + ESS system. When installing and configuring the PV + ESS system, one common question arises: Does lithium battery need to communicate with inverter?

The answer is not straightforward, as it depends on the specific application, system efficiency and safety requirements.

Why Is Communication Important?

Lithium battery include a Battery Management System (BMS), which monitors key data like voltage, current, and temperature. When integrated with energy storage inverters,  it can provide more precise battery management and energy scheduling.

✅ Optimized efficiency of charging & discharging

With communication, the inverter can charge or discharge the battery efficiently. When connected, the inverter can automatically adjust voltage and current based on real-time battery conditions, ensuring optimal work efficiency and longevity.

✅ Accurate monitoring & remote management

Users can directly check the real-time status of the battery on an inverter’s screen or phone App, like energy usage and battery health. When warning or failure arise, technicians can remotely control and provide guidance.

✅ Enhanced safety & protection

Lithium battery is sensitive to overcharging, over-discharging, and high temperature environments. With communication, the system can prevent damage by sending real-time alerts or automatically shutting down in case of abnormal conditions.

Can inverters and batteries of different brands communicate?

Different brands or models of lithium batteries may use different communication protocols or communication interfaces, so the inverter needs to have corresponding compatibility to communicate and work properly. The common BMS: CAN, RS485, RS232, Wifi, GPRS...

Therefore, before purchasing equipment, we recommend that you consult with the manufacturer to understand its compatibility to ensure that your inverter and lithium battery can work well together.

Without communication, can lithium battery work?

Yes, lithium batteries can still work without direct communication with the inverter.

In this case, the inverter usually adopts the default settings or preset working mode, and cannot obtain detailed status information on the lithium battery. This may reduce the efficiency and performance of the energy storage system or increase the risk of system faults.

For 3-5kW household energy storage system, the charging and discharging power is relatively low and the lithium battery capacity does not exceed 5KWh, it is feasible without a communication. However, if it is a high-power energy storage system above 5KW, the communication function is essential.

Conclusion & Suggestion

Even through a lithium battery can work without inverter communication, But we strongly recommend configuring a proper communication system to improve the efficiency, security, and monitoring of the entire system.

Need expert advice on choosing the right battery and inverter combo? Contact us today!

Business Consulting: Karen Wang

Mobile/Whatsapp/Wechat:  +86 189 0569 0996 / Email:  info@ue-pv.com  

Technical Consulting: Simon Peng 

Mobile/Whatsapp/Wechat:  +86 186 1698 9760 / Email:  simon@ue-pv.com