Inverter technology has been improving gradually over the past few decades to assist homeowners in maximizing the potential of their PV systems. The primary task of solar inverters is to change the direct current (DC) generated by solar panels into alternating current (AC), the form of power used in your home.
As a solar homeowner, either string or microinverters perform this function for you, but they approach the work in various ways.
Let me examine string inverters and best micro inverters for solar in more detail and see how they compare when using them in solar energy systems.
What is a Micro Inverter?
A string inverter for solar and micro inverters serves the same fundamental purpose. Furthermore, beneath each solar panel on your roof are microinverters. Each one of these microinverters is about the size of an internet router. A solar panel setup using microinverters typically includes the same number of microinverters as there are solar panels, which is a significant distinction between them and string inverters.
Advantages of Micro inverters
- Higher electricity: The main benefit of having microinverters is that you can generate more solar electricity. The slight changes in currents among solar panels bring this on when solar panels are connected in a string, the current decreases to the panel with the lowest output.
- Capacity to shut down quickly: New electrical rules require a rapid solar system shutdown to protect first responders and firefighters from high voltage when working rooftops and maintaining power lines. Microinverters are compatible with these rapid shutdown specifications, so each module includes this functionality.
- Panel-level supervision: Whereas a typical inverter could only track the production of the entire system, microinverters allow you to track the output of each specific panel.
Disadvantages of Micro inverters
- Cost: The cost of microinverters is their primary drawback. A typical 5kW household solar installation costs about $1,000, more significant than a string inverter.
How much hardware is on your roof?
There is a microinverter connected to each solar panel on your roof, so there is a lot of expensive metal equipment up there. Also some time protecting solar panel form hailstorm is also a thing to care about.
You could use a microinverter as a tiny lightning rod. If your old wooden house has to shake roofing materials while you live in a storm-prone area, consider adding them.
Which are The Best Solar Panel Inverters?
Inverters for solar and energy storage systems come in a wide variety. Some of them are:-
Micro inverters for solar
Extremely tiny solar inverters, called microinverters or micros, are connected directly to individual solar panels. Micro inverters and panels are an excellent choice for complex roof designs and areas with shading because each one acts independently.
Despite being slightly more expensive, micros are popular due to Enphase’s extensive presence in North America. They have several advantages over string solar inverters, so they are rising in popularity worldwide.
String solar inverters
The most prevalent kind of solar inverter—commonly referred to as “string” inverters—is the subject of this review. These inverters are linked to a line of solar panels connected in series. In the US, where micro inverters are common, string inverters are becoming increasingly popular. In Australia, the UK, Europe, and Asia, string inverters are the most popular type of inverter.
Hybrid inverters
Similar to string solar inverters with the ability to directly link a battery storage system for increased solar self-sufficiency, hybrid inverters, also known as battery-ready inverters, are an alternative to string solar inverters.
Hybrid inverters are much more expensive than solar inverters; however, as the best hybrid inverter technology develops and batteries become more affordable and appealing, they are becoming increasingly cost-competitive against solar inverters. In the case of a blackout, most hybrid inverters can offer minimal backup power, but they are often only built for short-term off-grid operation.
What is a String Inverter?
A solar array comprises a string of solar panels linked to a string inverter. It can connect a series of solar panels in a variety of ways. Around 15 250Wp solar panels could be found in a standard solar array. The string inverters are wired in series with each solar panel.
The inverter transforms all the direct electricity each solar panel receives into an alternating current. The inverter’s input-rated voltage determines the maximum number of solar panels linked to a string inverter.
Valuable Aspects of String Inverters
The most popular and long-used kind of solar inverter is a string inverter. Their strength and durability, for which there were no substitutes a few years ago, are the primary factors behind their popularity.
Trustworthy Technology
As was previously noted, string inverters have been used for many years. Because of this, most string inverters are dependable, and electricians are familiar with the technology.
Lower prices
String inverters presently cost less than micro inverters in terms of price. String inverters only require one per installation, whereas micro inverters require one for each panel.
The simplicity of maintaining and troubleshooting
Most of the string inverters are placed and wall-mounted in a communal area. This is a significant benefit in locations with severely cold or hot weather. Eliminating the need to visit the field for troubleshooting repeatedly makes maintenance easier.
Disadvantages of String Inverters
- Expandability: Future expansion is limited if you purchase a bigger string inverter since the inverter’s rating cannot be changed once placed for a specific rating. You would have to buy an additional inverter throughout this situation.
- A single potential point of failure: The entire solar array will be rendered inoperable if the inverter fails. There could be a considerable loss in electricity generation as a result.
Solaredge vs. Enphase
- Solaredge
Since 2006, it swiftly rose to prominence in the solar sector because of its ground-breaking technology for gathering and controlling energy in PV systems. With an emphasis on ongoing innovation, SolarEdge has developed award-winning solutions that power homes, businesses, and transportation systems globally.
- Enphase
Since 2006, Enphase, a leader in solar-plus-storage technology and a microinverter manufacturer, has been at the forefront of solar innovation. Their cutting-edge energy management method, including individual module-level conversion, is made possible by their semiconductor-based microinverters.
Which is Better For Your House, Microinverters and String Inverters?
Most microinverter manufacturers tout meager failure rates; however, with these reviews, I will continue to be dubious of these assertions. As per the decades-long experience in the solar installations industry, the inverter, the most complex electronic component in a solar system, also seems to be the part that often fails.
While micro inverter manufacturers promote the ability to observe each panel as just a feature (and it is), they need to offer the tracking which allows the user to achieve this. Unless you agree to purchase the higher level of monitoring as an upgrade, they only permit the installer to see the panel-level data from your system, not you as the client.
This implies that as a client, all the monitoring data displayed to you is information about the system. A skeptic would counter that they are doing this to shield themselves and their installers from support calls relating to malfunctioning inverters.
Frequently Asked Questions:-
- Do solar micro inverters make sense?
Overall, microinverters provide value, but you should only use them if you have panels that need to be oriented in many directions, need to comply with rapid shutdown requirements, or have shading concerns. Otherwise, the conventional inverter costs less and is usually more economical.
- What is the best solar inverter?
Every power conversion results in some energy being lost. Therefore, a pure sine wave inverter is the most effective way to transform your battery bank’s DC to AC electricity.
- What do solar panel micro-inverters accomplish?
Microinverters, hidden beneath each solar panel, change the solar panels’ gathered direct current (DC) power into alternating current (AC), which your home can use. One of the most important choices when adopting solar is selecting the appropriate inverter technology for your setup.
- Are micro-inverters worth the cost?
Microinverters provide value, but you should only use them if panels are oriented in many directions, comply with rapid shutdown requirements, or have shading concerns. Otherwise, the conventional inverter costs less and is usually more economical.
- Are micro inverter-equipped solar panels better?
However, the ability of each panel to operate independently using microinverters allows for enhanced energy production and utilization when only a few panels are in the shade or covered by snow. Although most roofs have some degree of shadowing, microinverters were advised for most solar house setups.
- How does a solar inverter work?
A solar inverter, also known as a PV inverter, is a type of power inverter that transforms a photovoltaic solar panel’s varying direct current (DC) output into just a utility-frequency alternating current (AC) that may be used by a local, off-grid electrical network as well as fed into a commercial electrical grid.
- What is a string inverter’s benefit?
The main benefit of a string inverter is that only one of them is required to transform the DC electricity produced by your solar array to AC power. The inverter is most apt to malfunction in a solar system, which makes troubleshooting very simple when something goes wrong.
- Why are string inverters effective?
The main benefit of a string inverter is that just one of them is required to convert the DC electricity produced by your solar array to AC power. The inverter is most likely to malfunction in a solar system, which makes troubleshooting very simple whenever something goes wrong.
- How reliable are microinverters?
Overall, microinverters provide value, but you should only use them if you have panels that need to be oriented in many directions, need to comply with rapid shutdown requirements, or have shading concerns. However, the conventional inverter costs less and is generally more affordable.
- What do solar panel micro-inverters accomplish?
Microinverters, hidden beneath each solar panel, change the solar panels’ gathered direct current (DC) power into alternating current (AC), which your home can use. One of the most important choices you must consider while adopting solar is selecting the appropriate inverter technology for your system.
Conclusion
A solar micro-inverter is one of the two inverters you can utilize with a residential solar system. Microinverters have several advantages compared to typical string inverters. All incoming DC energy is converted into usable AC energy by string inverters linked to several solar panels in a row or string.
This technique has many advantages because the microinverter is connected to a single solar panel rather than a string of them.
Ray is an avid reader and writer with over 25 years of experience serving various domestic and multinational private and public energy companies in the USA.