Solar inverters for homes are becoming increasingly popular. Solar inverters for homes are mainly used to convert direct current to alternating current in household appliances. Nowadays, inverter monitoring systems are available in the market to help you monitor the operation of the entire inverter. The excess electricity generated can also be sold to the national electricity administration.
Types of solar inverters for homes
String inverter
As the name suggests, multiple solar panels are connected in series to the inverter, converting the DC power generated therein into AC power. This is also one of the first few solar inverters for home. It is inexpensive and closer to the fuse box and the electric meter. The problem with these solar inverters for homes is that if the efficiency of one panel decreases, the rest of the panels will decrease as well.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Low cost | Inability to monitor performance of individual panels |
| Efficiency highly influenced by shadows | only use for simple systems |
| Durable | Single point of failure |
| Easy to maintain |
Micro inverters
This is not to be confused with a power optimizer. The collected power is usually sent to a central inverter, which converts DC power to AC power. At the module level, the microinverters fitted for each panel tend to optimize the power of each panel. As a result, each inverter attached to each panel converts DC electricity to AC.
Shadows on one panel have little effect on the other panels, resulting in a reduced variety or inefficient performance. Microinverters have been identified as the best solar inverters for household use and business application. While they were once prohibitively expensive, they have recently become more affordable.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Flexible system, easy to operate | High cost |
| High performance | Difficult to maintain |
| Panels can monitor individually | Electrical components are located on the roof |
| Easy to replace |
Hybrid Solar Inverter
This is a multi-mode inverter that requires both battery and inverter installation. In addition to providing DC power to the batteries, a solar hybrid inverter also offers AC electricity to the grid and your household appliances. When MPPT is enabled, it maintains track of how much power the batteries require and when they can acquire it cheaply from the grid.
You can use this charge controller to transfer the extra power back to the grid once the battery is fully charged. Instead of shutting down completely, this solar inverters for home can go into standby mode if any problems emerge.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Flexible system, easy to operate | High cost |
| High performance | Difficult to maintain |
| Panels can monitor individually | |
| Can use Off-grid and grid-connected status |
Central inverter
It is similar to a string inverter, but instead of putting the panel strings into the inverter. Instead, all the panel strings are connected and inserted into a bus bar. Since the inverter uses only the sink box and pads, its installation cost is meager. In addition, it is less susceptible to any physical or natural damage.
This is because it is kept in a protected area that is not affected by any bad weather as they have a larger capacity than string and microinverters. Therefore, they are mainly used in large properties.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Cheap price | Large volume |
| Durable | Difficult to maintain |
| Large capacity |
Inverter battery for home
The majority of off-grid solar systems charge their own batteries. On the other hand, solar systems have a hard time fully charging their batteries in the winter or when there are a lot of shadows.
This sort of home inverter battery is bi-directional, meaning it may be used as a battery charger as well as an inverter. Off-grid, grid-tied, or grid-interactive inverters can use in the home. This system requires an alternator to initiate the AC to DC conversion and vice versa.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Cheap price | Small capacity |
| Improving Performance | Difficult to maintain |
| small volume | Electrical components located on the roof |
| Monitor the performance of individual panels | Maintenance |
What type of solar power inverter for home to choose?
This is a question that has no single answer but is particularly common. Because it is the best solar inverters for homes, the price of an inverter is not low. And inverters play a very critical role in the overall solar system. So when considering which type of inverter to buy, many factors need to be taken into account.
3 phase or single phase
Your grid-tied solar inverter must be compatible with your grid. This means that you can install a larger system in most places and still export electricity to the grid. You’ll have a smaller number of inverters to pick from if you have a 3 phase connection (which is less prevalent in residential premises). They are also typically more pricey.
Roof area
If you’re thinking about buying a string inverter, you’ll want to know how much MPPT it has. This defines how many various orientations can install the panels. If you wish to place solar panels on the roof’s east, north, and sloping west areas, a typical home string inverter with two MPPTs will not be very efficient. Will limit output because both directions will be on the exact string.
If you have three or more directions, check if your solar inverter has three or more MPPTs, or tackle the problem using a microinverter or power optimizer.
Shading Impacts
Check to see if shadows will influence your roof at different times of the day and year. You can even climb up to the top and look about if it’s safe. However, keep in mind that the sun casts a significantly larger shadow in the winter than in the summer.
If shadows are a problem on your roof, you’ll have no choice but to install a microinverter or power optimizer. The additional initial expense will quickly pay for itself, and shadow resilience will enhance production. It’s also good to use half-cut solar panels, which can help with shade resistance.
Budget
Suppose a solar power inverter for a home is chosen solely based on its efficiency. Then micro-inverters are a no-brainer. However, most home system owners cannot afford them due to their exorbitant cost. A string inverter will produce comparable results if the primary electrical system and the roof are not shaded by the sun. Furthermore, the better manufacturers with the best warranties are usually more expensive.