When installing solar technology for your home, you’ll likely come across solar inverters, hybrid inverters, and AC-coupled inverters. To know what will best suit your needs, you’ll need to understand what each piece of tech does, as well as the pros and cons of each type of inverter.
Smartly are solar tech experts; read on to find out more and make an educated decision on what’s best for you.
What Is A Solar Inverter?
A solar inverter is a vital piece of equipment that every solar power setup will need. It converts direct current (DC power) that solar panels or solar tiles collect and converts this power to alternating current (AC power). A solar inverter can also be known as a string inverter.
All the electrical appliances in your home use AC power, so a method of converting DC to AC is needed.
A solar power inverter is designed for specialised use with solar tech, as they use maximum power point tracking and anti-islanding protection essential for solar power capture. They are usually fitted to a ‘string’ of solar panels, meaning various string inverters can be used together for various rows of panels on a roof or in a garden.
Solar inverters are also responsible for helping your solar array to maximise power output, communicate with the national power grid, and ensure the safe operation of your solar tech.
What Are The Different Types of Solar Inverters?
There are various types of solar inverters aside from the string inverters, with different functions for an assortment of solar array setups, such as:
Hybrid Inverters
A hybrid solar inverter is a specialised type of solar inverter that allows for more energy capture and storage options than a regular solar inverter.
Hybrid inverters are not only able to convert DC to AC power like a normal solar inverter, but they can also route surplus DC power to a solar battery for storage. This, in turn, allows for the inverter to provide AC power to your house’s circuit for powering appliances while also charging a solar battery.
This surplus DC energy stored in solar batteries can then be used when needed or sold to the national grid to make money.
Battery Inverters
Battery inverters (also known as AC couple inverters) convert AC power to DC power inside your solar battery. These inverters can also convert DC power to AC power in a solar battery also.
Micro Inverters
These are much smaller solar inverters that are attached to individual solar panels and operate in the same way as a solar inverter, just on a panel-by-panel basis.
Micro inverters are for more specialised setups and tend to be the most expensive option out of all the inverters.
These are generally used to help circumvent shading problems, as each solar panel essentially has its own solar inverter.
Want To Buy Solar Tech?
If you are interested in taking your first steps into solar tech investment, then reach out to us here at Smartly.
We provide all sorts of solar tech, such as:
- Solar tiles
- Solar panels
- Solar batteries
- Solar optimisers
As well as solar inverters that are provided on a case-by-case basis that will be tailored to your individual needs. Contact us now. Smartly’s specialised solar tech team is more than happy to help.
