All about solar: Inverters why is it important?

Solar Photovoltaic Panels convert sunlight energy into direct current (DC) but we need alternating current (AC) to run the appliance in our home or office. An inverter converts the DC power into AC power. The role of an inverter is to convert solar power (DC) generated to useable AC power, which can be used within the home, and the excess can be fed into the grid. Energy loss during this conversion is normal and it is safe to say that an efficient inverter, so that you can get the maximum from your investment, is the backbone of a good solar PV system. Especially since any amount though small over a period of time becomes quite significant.

There are mainly three types of inverters:

Microinverters: also called module inverters they are attached to individual photovoltaic modules in order to extract the maximum power from each module but are quite expensive.

String Inverter: These inverters are designed to be wired to a single series of 8-15 solar modules and are used in small to medium sized Solar PV systems.

Central Inverter: They are a type of string inverters that are typically used in large-scale applications.

 The most common inverters used are string inverters, mainly because of their price performance. It is more economically viable (if you measure the additional expense in relation to the extra energy obtained) to use string inverters than microinverters despite the fact that it less efficient than the latter. However, with advancements and breakthroughs in technology extremely efficient String inverters like Fornius and SMA are bridging that gap.

There are three important features to consider when choosing an Inverter:

Efficiency: The whole purpose of a installing a Solar PV system is to generate the maximum amount of energy; an inefficient inverter that loses energy during conversion is highly undesirable.

Most modern inverters currently consume 4 to 8% of the converted energy during conversion, resulting in an efficiency of around 92-96%. Transformerless inverters, due to their completely new circuit design, have an efficiency of 97%.

A transformerless inverter which means that apart from being more efficient than standard inverters it is lightweight meaning it is smaller and easier to mount, quieter than traditional inverters, and most importantly it has two MPPT (maximum power point trackers) meaning you can split your panels into two sets, treating it like two separate systems. This is especially important if there is a space constraint and you need to place some panels on the north-facing roof and some on the west-facing roof.

Safety: there are safety standards that need to be met by any inverter that is to be used in a Solar PV system. SMA and Fronius inverters satisfy all Australian safety standards and are very safe to use with solar PV systems.

Sunny Boy inverters, one of the products in the FGE Solar product ‘More for your money’ catalogue, offer OptiTrac Global Peak shade management, an SMA solution to overcome loss of solar power during shading of solar panels, ensuring maximum solar yield.

Fronius and SMA inverters are trusted leaders in solar inverter technology, with the Fronius IG series proving itself to be powerful and highly reliable, extracting the maximum energy yield from all types of Solar PV modules.

Warranty: No matter how good the product or how reliable the brand, in the end only a warranty ensures that your investment is secure. A warranty ensures that if your inverter fails you can have it repaired or replaced as the case maybe, an insurance policy for your investment.

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