Solar inverters are the core components required for a solar power system installation that converts direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC), used in homes and businesses. The conversion process is essential since most appliances use AC power, not DC ones. Without an inverter, the DC electricity produced by the solar panels wouldn’t be safe to operate electrical devices.
Hybrid inverters are the latest model of solar technology and promise to be an innovative solution in the upcoming years by integrating the benefits of a traditional solar inverter with a flexible battery inverter into a single device. This proves to be an ideal option for future upgrades in solar power systems.
To understand if a Hybrid inverter is worth your investment, you need to have a basic knowledge of its functions, different types, pros, and cons. Additionally, the comparison with string inverters and microinverters gives you a clear idea about the Hybrid inverters’ operational modes, energy management, power charging, and backup support. Most importantly, you should consider factors like affordability and space efficiency for consistent monitoring and energy optimization.
What are Hybrid Inverters? How doest it work?
Here’s a short explanation on how hybrid inverter works:
- DC electricity transferred through transformers enters the primary coil repeatedly than the other through transistors.
- Transformer processes the energy and electricity exits through secondary coil called AC current and hybrid inverter undergoes same process.
In contrast to the traditional inverters, hybrid inverters equipped with battery storage systems, store energy produced during the day and utilize it during nights or power outages.
Various sources that help hybrid inverters manage power from solar panels, batteries, and the grid include:
- Solar Priority Mode allows generated DC power to be optimized, converted, and utilized to power connected loads. Suppose the solar output is inadequate to satisfy load demands, the inverter draws extra power from the battery or grid and surplus energy can be fed into the grid using net metering.
- Battery Priority Mode allows the inverter to utilize the stored energy from the battery to the power-connected loads, and the excess power is fed into the grid if the battery is fully charged.
- Grid Priority Mode is activated when the inverter opts to use grid power to satisfy the load demands.
The key technologies that allow their dual functionality include:
- DC-to-AC Bi-Directional Power Conversion: A hybrid inverter performs the DC-to-AC conversion process and the additional AC power from the grid is converted into DC power that can be stored in batteries for future use.
- Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technology: Hybrid inverters ensure the direct power consumption needs of connected loads and efficiently charge the battery storage.
Functions of Hybrid Inverters
These are the 6 main functions of Hybrid inverters which will be discussed in detail:
- Different Operational Modes
- Energy Management
- Power Charging and Conversion
- Backup Power Support
- Affordability and Space Efficiency
- Energy Monitoring and Optimization
Different Operational Modes
These are the three main operational modes of hybrid inverters:
1. Grid-tied mode activation takes place when the inverter is wired to both panels and the grid.
Homeowners and business individuals can earn extra credits or payments for producing excess electricity. This system is ideal for those individuals aiming to reduce their electricity bills and gain benefits from net metering programs. It’s mandatory to know that during a power failure, a grid-tied solar power system doesn’t operate and shuts down to protect the safety of utility workers.
This method can be used when solar production is greater than consumption and the battery is fully charged.
2. Battery Backup mode is switched on when the energy is drawn from the battery to power the required loads and once it is restored, the inverter automatically switches back to its original mode.
This mode Provides emergency power during grid outages and solar system faults.
You can opt for the battery backup mode when the electricity grid becomes unstable or there is a blackout. In such scenarios, several hybrid inverters automatically disconnect from the electricity grid known as “Islanding” and provide immediate backup power through UPS.
3. Off-grid mode, also known as standalone mode, allows the inverter to operate independently from the grid, thereby powering the loads using solar and stored battery power. The system consists of a battery bank to store additional solar electricity for use when there is a lack of sunlight.
One of the main benefits includes advanced monitoring and control features that allow the inverter to regulate the charging and discharging of batteries to maintain voltage regulation and protect the system from overloads or electrical faults.
This mode is suitable for remote or standalone systems where the grid power is unreliable.
Energy Management
Hybrid inverters have advanced energy management systems that can distribute energy between solar panels, battery storage, and grids to ensure maximum efficiency and savings based on factors like time, energy availability, and demand. It includes a combination of advanced technologies such as:
- Intelligent Control Systems: Hybrid inverters equipped with intelligent control systems manage the energy flow between solar panel batteries and the grid. The excess energy produced by solar panels is stored in batteries for future use. When the energy demand is higher than the output of the panels, the hybrid inverter obtains power from batteries. Also, these inverters switch to the grid acting as a source of backup power if the batteries are depleted.
- Multi-Purpose Power Input and Output Interfaces: Combining the multipurpose input-output interfaces as well as newly built modules like battery inverters into a single unit enables optimization of energy generation and utilization for off-grid and on-grid.
- Smart Home Integration Technology: Few inverters equipped with smart home integration technology allow homeowners to track their energy consumption and manage their solar power systems from anywhere using their smartphones.
Power Charging and Conversion
Hybrid inverters manage the charging of batteries with grid power and the conversion of solar energy to electricity using these three main techniques:
- Power Regulation: A hybrid inverter controls the inconsistent solar power received during fluctuating sunshine levels (increasing and decreasing patterns) to ensure that the entire system operates within the specified parameters.
- Power Monitoring: Hybrid grid-tied inverters attached to the solar power monitoring software help to measure and keep track of your PV system with the help of a display screen or connected app. This helps you to identify any faults within the system.
- Power Maximization and Conversion: Hybrid inverters equipped with Maximum Power Point Trackers (MPPT) measure your solar power output and equate it to battery storage. This ensures maximum power output and converts DC electricity into the best voltage for the highest battery charge.
DC Coupled system integrates the solar panels and the battery storage system that are connected on the direct current (DC) side of the inverter, thereby avoiding the immediate conversion of alternating current (AC). Mainly, the battery stores the generated power without undergoing unwanted conversions to prevent energy loss.
There are several benefits of DC-coupled design in increasing the power efficiency:
- Scalability: The expansion of solar power generation and storage capacity can be expanded by adding more panels or batteries to the existing setup.
- Minimized energy loss: DC coupling minimizes energy losses during the conversion process to enhance overall system efficiency.
- Simple Design: DC-coupled systems require fewer components to simplify design and maintenance needs.
- High performance in low-light conditions: DC-coupled systems exhibit high performance in low-light conditions by storing the DC power directly in the battery to ensure a reliable energy supply in areas with reduced sunlight.
Backup Power Support
Hybrid inverters play an important role in providing backup power during grid failures or power outages and contribute greatly to energy independence for homeowners with these features:
- AC Bypass: Also known as the grid bypass, the inverter easily swaps between different power sources such as solar panels, batteries, and the grid. This ensures a smooth transition between these power sources depending on the system requirements and external factors.
- Grid failures and power backup: If the grid fails, the inverter can automatically connect to the stored energy in the batteries or solar panels to ensure continuous power supply, especially in areas with regular power outages. Based on the type of inverter, the conversion time from grid-tie to backup or off-grid mode is less than 30 milliseconds (0.03 seconds).
- Load management: When excess solar energy is being generated, the hybrid inverter can shift the additional power to change batteries or sell it back to the grid. This is only possible if you have a net metering system to optimize energy utilization and reduce electricity bills.
- Grid interaction and stability: At times, hybrid inverters feed extra energy back to the grid that allows you to earn credits through net metering or feed-in tariff programs. AC bypass plays an important role in enabling a smooth connection when required. Also, the grid is stabilized during peak demand or voltage fluctuations. By injecting power into the grid through hybrid inverters, it contributes to a more stable and energy-efficient electrical system.
Affordability and Space Efficiency
For long-term usage, Hybrid inverters can prove to be cost-effective when compared to installing individual inverters, charge controllers, and related accessories for a solar and grid-tied system. On the other side, any additional energy can be fed into the grid and sold to the utility for money in the form of credits and savings.
Hybrid inverters with compact size and design maximize the available space to integrate with existing systems and require few components compared to traditional inverters.
The simultaneous use of multiple power sources offers a higher degree of efficiency for Hybrid inverters to ensure that the system uses more efficient and cost-effective energy sources. This makes it more appealing to homeowners since they will have surplus power even during power outages or cloudy conditions.
Energy Monitoring and Optimization
Hybrid solar inverters facilitate detailed energy monitoring and optimization by switching different modes such as the solar, battery, and grid priority modes. Additionally, the off-grid, backup, and grid-tied modes provide greater flexibility and enable real-time monitoring and control by combining with the battery management system.
The synchronization guarantees cost-effective energy distribution and utilizes stored energy when solar production is low. This method helps to reduce dependence on grid power which might be expensive in some localities. Also, the efficiency is maximized, and the energy losses are minimized by allowing you to track the usage through the real-time data provided.
Types of Hybrid Inverters
These are the four main types of Hybrid inverters namely:
1. Basic Hybrid Solar Inverter:
- Features: These inverters function like grid-feed inverters that manage the electricity flow between solar panels, batteries, and electrical grids in a hybrid solar power system.
- Benefits: Feeds excess solar electricity back into the grid through the net metering process.
- Applications: Used for residential, commercial, and industrial applications to reduce energy costs.
2. Multi-mode Hybrid Inverter with Battery Backup:
- Features: It is an advanced solution that offers power backup as a built-in or separate unit when required. These inverters can be used to power your homes, charge batteries, and feed additional power to the grid.
- Benefits: Increased self-reliance, higher cost savings, and improved grid stability to reduce environmental impact. The unit switches over to the battery supply and operates independently from the grid in case of any failures.
- Applications: Operated in homes and businesses to lower power costs, enhance power reliability, and maximize environmental advantages.
3. All-in-one Battery Energy Storage System (BESS):
- Features: BESS captures energy from various sources and stores it in rechargeable batteries for future use. This hybrid system is available in various sizes and features that can be installed with your current solar setup.
- Benefits: Combines and upgrades renewable energy sources and enhances grid stability and reliability to adapt to variations in demand and supply quickly.
- Applications: Used in microgrid systems and is scheduled to be a part of highly flexible, scalable, and efficient design.
4. AC-Coupled Hybrid Systems:
- Features: These hybrid systems have a standard solar inverter included with a multimode battery inverter to satisfy the power management system and optimize energy usage with the help of software.
- Benefits: Simple to upgrade, easy to install, budget-friendly, and allows charging solar panels from batteries and grid.
- Applications: Used in large-scale off-grid systems.
Pros and Cons of Hybrid Inverters
Let’s see the advantages and limitations of Hybrid inverters:
Pros of Hybrid Inverters
Efficiency and Space Saving: Hybrid solar inverters increase system efficiency by simplifying the DC-to-AC conversion process from solar panels into AC used by electrical appliances and grids. These inverters require less space when compared to traditional inverters and require an experienced installer to optimize energy efficiency without sacrificing their performance.
Backup Power: The home battery storage system is a device that allows homeowners to store additional energy when required such as power outages or during high energy demand. Typically, the best home battery and backup system is the Tesla Power 3 due to its 10-year warranty with great power distribution and energy capacity of 13.5 kWh.
High-Tech Monitoring: In the healthcare industry, technologies such as wearables and mobile health apps collect health data to provide information about a patient’s health status. With the technological advancements, farmers and agricultural professionals are offered with variety of high-monitoring methods designed to measure crop health, yield, and resources.
Cons of Hybrid Inverters
Complexity for Existing Systems: Hybrid inverters can be challenging to integrate with existing systems and there isn’t any possible option for upgrading.
High Initial Costs: Compared to standard inverters, the initial cost is higher for hybrid inverters. For example, a normal grid-tied inverter might cost around $1,000 to $2,000, whereas a hybrid system with larger capacity batteries and additional hardware could range from $5,000 to $10,000 based on the system capacity and specifications.
Limited Design Flexibility: Hybrid systems might limit certain system design features. Particularly, the adaptive design focuses on the building requirement to be flexible and responsive to adjust with response to environmental technology and human factors, which might be limited due to the restrictions of the hybrid inverters.
Backup Limitations: The backup limitations for hybrid inverters occur due to battery life, grid failure, decreased efficiency, grid isolation features, and several other factors, which can vary based on the model and manufacturer of the hybrid inverter.
Comparing Hybrid Inverters with Other Inverters
Hybrid inverters can optimize energy generation and utilization in both grid-tied and off-grid scenarios for residential, commercial, or industrial projects. In contrast, a string inverter consists of a group of solar panels wired together in series known as strings for DC-to-AC conversion that can be used to power the home appliances. A microinverter is attached to each solar panel known as module-level power electronics (MLPEs), to operate at its full potential to convert DC power into AC power without affecting the performance of other panels.
Let’s compare hybrid inverters with string inverters and microinverters based on several factors in detail…
Hybrid Inverters vs String Inverters
The comparison between Hybrid and string inverters can be done based on factors like flexibility, backup capability, and energy management:
- Flexibility: Hybrid inverters are highly flexible when compared to string inverters by having the ability to switch between different modes.
- Backup Capability: During a blackout, a hybrid inverter connected to the battery continues to supply the household with power, whereas string inverters don’t have such capabilities and automatically shut down for safety reasons.
- Energy Management: Hybrid inverter optimizes energy usage that handles the flow of electricity between solar panels, battery storage systems, loads, and power grids. In contrast, string inverters regulate the electricity flow from solar panels to the grid, but they cannot handle battery storage systems.
The shading and partial system failures can influence the system output and efficiency of a hybrid inverter. In the case of string inverters, a failure or shading of one solar panel can affect the performance of the entire string, and the only way to increase efficiency is by pairing it with power optimizers.
Hybrid Inverters vs Microinverters
The hybrid inverters and microinverters differ in terms of placement, conversion efficiency, and scalability:
- Placement: Hybrid inverters are generally mounted externally or internally at a centralized location to convert the DC electricity of your solar panels into AC electricity. Whereas, microinverters are installed on the roof below each solar panel module to reduce fire hazards and ensure safe maintenance and repair process.
- Conversion Efficiency: Hybrid inverters can switch between different modes smartly and effortlessly with greater flexibility to optimize, convert, and use the generated DC power to charge the connected loads directly. Microinverters can help each solar panel produce more energy by using the MPPT technology at each panel to operate at its maximum performance. This is regardless of other panels in the system not being able to perform well.
- Scalability: Based on the power rating of a hybrid inverter, the potential for expansion of the solar system might be limited. On the other side, there is an option of including additional solar panels, each equipped with its microinverter without having the necessity to replace or upgrade the main inverter to control the entire system.
Is A Hybrid Inverter Worth It?
Yes, A Hybrid inverter is worth your investment as the functionalities of a traditional solar inverter and battery inverter are combined into a single device. You can expect several long-term benefits from a hybrid inverter such as energy independence, cost savings, increased efficiency, flexibility, and reliability.
When considering its compatibility with future technological advancements, Hybrid inverters are improving and accelerating the revolution of renewable energy sources. The latest power electronics, digital controls, and artificial intelligence help to convert energy more efficiently and operate it in a better and more reliable way. Additionally, through machine learning, we can gain knowledge about how to use energy efficiently. As technology advancements keep improving, hybrid inverters will continue to surpass the limits of solar power.
The future of hybrid solar inverters looks promising with some interesting changes coming soon. Also, the improvised batteries at a reasonable price help to store higher levels of energy, thereby making the system easier to purchase and install.
In conclusion, the hybrid inverters can be your preferred choice based on these scenarios such as:
- Combining the functionality of grid-tied and off-grid systems
- Compatible battery storage systems
- Higher Flexibility
- Affordable costs
- Suitability in areas with limited power supply
- Reducing environmental impact by minimizing the dependence on fossil fuels to support a greener grid.
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.