With electricity prices continuing to rise across many parts of the country, solar power with the right inverter technology is an extremely smart long-term investment. However, the inverters that convert the panels’ DC output into usable AC power come in two main types – microinverters a Contact online >>
With electricity prices continuing to rise across many parts of the country, solar power with the right inverter technology is an extremely smart long-term investment. However, the inverters that convert the panels’ DC output into usable AC power come in two main types – microinverters and string inverters.
Choosing the right option up front is crucial because inverters are expensive to replace later. Microinverters are best suited for small, complex, or shaded rooftops while string inverters perform well on larger, unshaded south-facing roofs.
Understanding these key distinctions will ensure your panels can operate at peak efficiency over their 25+ year lifetime. Read on to learn the detailed differences to determine which is better for your particular solar design.
Inverters convert the panels’ DC output into alternating current (AC) that can be used to run lights, outlets, and devices. They also regulate and synchronize the voltage to match your building''s electrical system.
Hopefully, this gives you a high-level sense of the comparative strengths and limitations of each approach. Next let’s get into more detail on how these differences apply specifically to small, average, and large solar arrays…
Homes with tight roof spaces under 6 kW (18 panels) are often better served by microinverters. Their module-level MPPT tracking and power optimization ensure maximum production from constrained areas.
Limitations like inter-row shading, low light levels on certain sections, and panel mismatches have minimal impact on string designs. Microinverters also simplify incrementally adding more panels over time.
As small roofs see the greatest variance in sunlight exposure based on angles and surroundings, the panel-specific flexibility of microinverters is extremely useful. It allows for greater customization of orientations to maximize total energy yield.
The downside is microinverters do cost more upfront. However, the benefit of greater solar harvesting, especially in complex or suboptimal installations, tends to make that premium money well spent over the system’s lifetime.
When moving into the 6 to 10 kW range (around 18 to 30 panels) suited to average-sized family homes, the decision between micro and string becomes less clear-cut. And there is a crossover point system-size-wise where string inverters gain substantial advantages.
Here string inverters can provide better economies of scale thanks to their consolidated design. By converting a greater volume of DC watts at once, conversion efficiencies reach upwards of 98% versus 95-97% with microinverters. So while less optimization occurs at the individual panel level, significantly higher aggregate efficiency balances this out on suitable roofs.
South-facing panels without major shading allow string inverters to perform extremely well for typical suburban constructions. Their lower costs also make these mid-range installs more affordable while still meeting 100% of most households'' power needs.
So for conventionally oriented arrays on 6 to 8 kW homes, string inverters with solar optimizers may provide the best performance-to-value ratio. If your site has higher shading/layout complexities though, microinverter optimization is worth the extra expense. Carefully consider the roof geometry and use case specifics before deciding.
Once systems grow into the high kW ranges (25+ panels / 10 kW+ size), central string inverters tend to provide the best turnkey solution. Their ability to aggregate DC inputs from multiple large panel strings achieves economies of scale. This drives down kW costs while benefiting from very high (98%) peak efficiency at the utility-scale.
The superior warranties of heavy-duty string inverters also provide better long-term protection for expensive high kW installs and commercial solar projects. Outweighing benefits of micro-level optimization or incremental additions over time. 25-year manufacturer performance guarantees give helpful peace of mind.
So in summary – bigger unconstrained south-facing roofs allow string inverters to perform beautifully as a robust and affordable single-point AC conversion solution. Their cost-efficiency simply out-scales microinverters for large resi and commercial solar.
Most solar panels have 25+ year rated lifespans and degrade performance minimally over decades. So having inverters designed for longevity matching the array is extremely important, especially for permanent mount structures.
Premium string inverters are built to withstand elements and come with 10 to 25-year warranties. Costing $0.15 to $0.65 per Watt. Budget units with shorter 5-year protections can be found for under $0.10 per watt, but longevity and performance are compromised.
Microinverters also provide 10 to 15-year manufacturer warranties, covering replacement if degradation exceeds guaranteed levels. However, their sophisticated electronics have more points of failure. Requiring $0.20 to $0.80 per Watt for long-lasting Enphase or SolarEdge models.
In real-world reliability tests across thousands of systems, both technologies see very low annual failure rates around 1-2% (for mature quality products). So neither has a distinct real-world advantage overall in robustness. But longer string inverter warranties do offer more future-proofing, especially on large projects.
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