Not All Solar Inverters Are Equal
While solar panels command a lot of attention, the quality of the inverter is often overlooked when people buy a solar power package.
The solar inverter is a box situated away from the panel array that converts solar panel output from Direct Current (DC) to Alternating Current (AC) electricity, suitable for use by home appliances and feeding into the mains grid.
The solar inverter can be subject to high and varying voltage levels, extreme temperature ranges, moisture and dust. Of all the components required, the inverter is the key to the safety, efficiency, reliability, and usability of solar PV systems.
As is the case with solar panels, not all inverters are equal - even when the manufacturer makes claims of producing a quality unit. Just like a chain is only as strong as its weakest link; poor quality inverters can impact heavily on the performance of solar power systems; tend to have a high failure rate and may pose an electrical safety threat.
Lesser quality solar inverters will often feature poor seals, shoddy circuitry and may also heat up more than a good quality inverter; all of which may impact on efficiency and the serviceable life of the unit. A heat test performed by Australia solar provider Energy Matters involving the use of a thermal imaging camera showed the temperature difference between two inverter brands can be considerable.
IP rating - defines the ability of the inverter seals to prevent water and dust ingress. Although some inverter manufacturers claim high IP ratings suitable for outdoor installation, the quality and location of the seals and ventilation will greatly affect the ability of the inverter to outlast the many years solar installations are expected to work. solar power plant inverter
Peak efficiency - represents the highest efficiency that the inverter can achieve.
Inverters represent a significant part of the cost of a system and with consumer attention often on the solar panels in a package, some providers are cutting corners on inverter quality in order to boost profits and/or reduce system prices.
While shoddy solar inverters may feature the same duration of warranty as their higher quality counterparts; the inconvenience of making a warranty claim should be considered when making a purchase decision; as should the scenario of the inverter manufacturer or retailer disappearing - making a warranty claim even more difficult.
A symptom of a shoddy or faulty inverter may be where a household's energy use doesn't change after installing a system, but the expected electricity bill savings are not achieved.
Michael Bloch is a consultant for Australia-based Energy Matters - an award-winning national provider of solar power systems and solutions. The Energy Matters web site contains a wide range of information on equipment including solar inverters, solar panels and other renewable energy components and systems.
