While browsing the Backwoods Solar website I came across a kit they sell called the Backwoods Battery Booster Kit. This sells for about $1,000 and gets you a 6.5 HP gas engine and a 24 volt alternator, plus the frame and pulley and electrical components to hook it all up.The idea is you use this to charge your battery bank and power your inverter for less money than buying a generator.
...The Kohler documentation says the diesel engine produces 5,000 watts of energy. They also list the capacity as 6.5 HP. The Backwoods Solar site says I will get 30 amps of power at 24 volts from the 6.5 HP gas engine they are selling.How do I calculate if my proposed setup is large enough to produce say 4,000 watts of AC power through my inverter? The Kohler spec of 5,000 watts suggests it is. But I suspect I need a larger alternator. How large?
"...Would you think it makes sense to get maybe an engine toward the 12 HP range, but with the intention of running it close to idle speed to keep the noise low?..."