When costing up your business or residential solar energy system it is important to understand the differences between string and micro inverters. Without wishing to become too bogged down in technicalities, either of these is necessary to convert the DC current generated by your solar panels into usable AC electricity for powering appliances. Both have their advantages and disadvantages and choosing the correct option that best matches your requirements ought to be a key consideration that underlies your entire project.
There are no straightforward ‘rules’ regarding which is overall better, as the decision is going to depend largely on the layout of your panels, their design qualities, and the amount of energy you need to generate for ‘off-grid’ sustainability. Plenty of people overlook the importance of their inverter – so here are the basics you need to be aware of when discussing your project and requirements with installation experts.
String Inverters
These are by far still the most popular inverter system throughout the USA and the majority of residential and smaller commercial solar systems will use this technology. Providing the panels are well-positioned for optimal sunlight exposure, they provide a straightforward, tried and tested way of converting your harvested energy into usable electricity. Thanks to being so popular and widely used they are considerably cheaper than micro inverters, and because they have far fewer ‘moving parts’ they are very reliable and require very little in the way of maintenance and upkeep.
So why are micro inverters becoming more popular?
Micro Inverters Are More Adaptable
Properties that experience regular shading and have more difficult layouts for their panel networks may find that micro inverters are more generally adaptable. When used alongside power optimizers they allow panels that are partly shaded or obstructed to still generate considerable amounts of power. The same is true for panels that need to be placed in less than optimal directions due to a shortage of space or unsuitable inclinations. It is not surprising that you’ll often find these used in older or peculiarly shaped buildings simply because they allow for energy to be harvested as efficiently as possible when a ‘traditional’ string inverter may not be a realistic proposition.
Micro Inverters Produce More Reliable Energy
Downtime matters when it comes to solar energy systems. Micro inverters are usually placed panel by panel rather than as the heart of a whole network, meaning that should one panel fail your entire system is not going to be compromised. All other panels connected to the network will still generate energy at maximum capacity, meaning you are still running efficiently while the troublesome panel is repaired or replaced. As micro inverters are based on individual panels you can monitor their specific output far more closely than on a string inverter system. This makes remedial work far more straightforward!
In regards to output, this is where micro inverters can provide a real daily increase in your energy production. Although the margins involved are lower than some people would suggest, micro inverters do produce more energy overall because they allow practically no wastage whatsoever during their cultivation of usable AC electricity. As months and years go by the gross yield is going to be substantially larger when these inverters are used to their maximum efficiency. The only point to really consider here is whether their complexity is worth the added investment for smaller-scale residential and commercial needs.
The Drawbacks Of Micro-Inverters
As you have probably guessed micro inverters are more expensive to install, and some believe they are a little less reliable than string inverters simply because they are more complex and often used in less than optimal conditions. If your solar panels are placed in particularly exposed locations whereby damage is feasible given inclement weather/conditions, then make sure that you have a solid warranty that runs for a good number of years. Factor in that this may become invalidated should you decide to alter or increase the size of your installation – so be certain to check these out before making any decisions.
Micro inverters may require a little more effort to maintain and monitor but can certainly provide an excellent solution for people looking to attain a level of energy independence but needing to adapt ‘less than perfect’ properties. Even when the additional costs are factored in there is a strong likelihood that this will be accounted for by the additional energy that they can generate over their lifespan.
But for most people with good quality (and sizable) roofs a string inverter is probably still going to be perfectly adequate for generating plenty of energy – providing you plan your project carefully and collaborate with good quality professional solar services.
