Here's a hypothetical battery-inverter-load setup:
[Battery w/ 1KWHr Energy]------->[Inverter w/ 100% Efficiency]------->[Load w/ Real Power = 1000W, and Apparent Power = 2000VA]

In the hypothetical setup above, how long will the battery supply power for? Is this determined by the Real Power or is it determined by the Apparent Power? This information is vital to helping me spec my personal off-the-grid system properly. Thanks!

 

It depends upon how the inverter handles apparent power.
It it truly is 100% efficient, then the apparent power will have no effect on the battery capacity.

 

It depends upon how the inverter handles apparent power.
It it truly is 100% efficient, then the apparent power will have no effect on the battery capacity.

Ok, now assuming a non-ideal inverter, for the sake of estimation purposes, is it ok to ignore Apparent Power when trying to determine battery runtime under a given load? Would this be a better question for the people that make my inverter? It seems to me that most people use Real Power to size there battery banks and solar needs, but I'm not sure. Thanks.