Many people want to go solar but do not know where to start. Greentech’s advice is to get your solar inverter size right, then the rest can follow! Why? Because one of the key benefits of solar is that it is scalable. And panels and batteries are the easiest pieces to scale at a later time.
Why solar inverter is the most important?
There are three main components to a solar system – panels, inverters, and batteries. Of these components, inverters are the most complicated and also the most important to “size up” correctly from the beginning. Though inverters can be paralleled (e.g. two 5kW inverters could be connected to create a 10kW system). It is not the easiest exercise due to the rewiring of the loads running through the system. Also, when determining what is essential vs. non-essential things can get complicated once the inverter size increases. However, if the inverter is sized correctly from the beginning of the system design, there will be fewer problems down the road.
Things to consider when choosing your inverter
- Is your home a single or three-phase system? This is important simply because it will determine whether a 3-phase or single-phase inverter should be chosen in the system design. Increasingly, 3-phase inverters through brands such as Sunsynk or Deye are being utilized at 8/10/12kW sizes to make it easier. It is also more cost-effective than adding x3 5kW single-phase inverters to make a 3-phase system (one is required per load in such a configuration).
- What are you trying to achieve with your system? Such as backup-only, cost savings, or both? The answer to these questions will help determine your inverter size. By creating room to maximize panels (and thus cost savings) – requiring a larger inverter – or running essential loads only without cost savings (likely a smaller and less expensive inverter). If the desire of the household or business is to achieve both cost savings and backup (most common). A slightly oversized inverter to the typical load requirement is suggested.
- Do you plan to increase your load? Often homes or businesses have plans for expansion. In such scenarios, such as a growing family or a new company division, it is suggested to plan accordingly and choose an inverter that can accommodate the loads. Though it may mean a little more money upfront for the inverter, it does not mean more money upfront for the complementary panels or batteries that can be added later. This is good for your pocket!
- Warranty! Warranties are reflective of the quality of the inverter! Greentech prefers to only install inverters that come with a 5-year manufacturer’s warranty. This is simple – a more quality inverter means fewer headaches and future problems. The next / lower “tier” of inverters comes with a 1 or 2-year warranty. The primary difference between such brands (such as Growatt, Kodak, Mercer, and LuxPower) is they are less robust and versatile. For instance, on robustness, most 1 or 2 year warranty inverters do not come with power-electronics or transformer-based systems that the Deye, Susnynk, Huawei or Victron inverters offer (Greentech’s preferred brands). And on versatility, most do not offer opportunities to split loads easily from essentials and non-essentials. This makes it difficult to achieve both maximum cost savings and backup. Regardless of all this, 1-2 year warranty inverters may be a good fit for homes and businesses requiring budget-friendly solutions (and as long as expectations are managed about durability).
Conclusion
So choosing the right solar inverter is very important. Make sure to choose quality inverters (coming with a 5-year warranty) if your budget allows, and then add (more) panels and batteries later if your load requirements aren’t there yet or you simply don’t have the money yet to maximise your backup (batteries) and cost-savings (more panels). Questions? Contact us today to learn more!
