March 7, 2020

Solar Inverter

Solar inverter also know as solar power inverter or solar energy inverter and this the heart of solar power. It is an equipment that converts solar panel’s DC (direct current) power into AC (alternating current) power. This intelligent solar inverter also matches the required frequency, volt etc with electrical grid to run our load to be used at household and commercial premises.

Solar inverter

Apart from solar panel, the most important part of any solar system is solar inverter, because it converts power from the sun into useful energy.

Before buying solar inverter, few points should be clear.

  • Types – On grid, Off-grid or Hybrid
  • Technology – PWM or MPPT
  • Feature – Remote Or Web Monitoring
  • Brands – Delta, Luminous, Havells
  • Warranty – 2 years or 5 years

Types of Solar Inverter

The main roll of all types of solar inverters is to run the connected load on first priority. In the second priority, inverter exports the balance electricity in to battery or Govt. grid. Type of inverter we choose as per situation, grid availability, power cut and load calculation.

Accordingly, solar inverters are classified into three major types:

  • On grid solar inverter
  • Off grid solar inverter
  • Hybrid solar inverter

On Grid Solar Inverter

On grid inverter also called grid tie or grid connected inverters, generally used with on grid solar system. This inverter works with grid or government electricity. On grid solar inverter will continue run your load and send power to the power grid when solar produce extra electricity.

On grid solar inverter working diagram

These inverters are fully automatic and intelligent inverter with inbuilt protections which protect the complete solar system and solar panel from any fault. Generally, on grid solar inverter are used for home and commercial use in urban and industrial areas where electricity bills are high.

Warranty: All on grid solar inverters comes with 5 years onsite warranty.

Price of inverter may increase or decrease as per solar brand.

Brands in On Grid Solar Inverter

Luminous Solar Panel, System, Inverter, Battery & All Product Price

Havells Solar Panel, Inverter and Solar System Price

Delta Solar Inverter

Other: SMA solar inverter, Solax solar inverter, Sofar solar inverter etc.

Pros & Cons of On Grid Solar

Pros – Advantage

  • Utilization of 100% solar power.
  • No limitation of load.
  • Export extra electricity to grid.
  • Up to 70% subsidy on on-grid solar.
  • Less space for installation.

Cons – Disadvantage

  • Don’t work without grid.
  • No electricity generation during power cut.
  • No battery back-up.

Off Grid Solar Inverter

Off grid solar inverter also known as stand alone solar inverter or solar battery inverter, are used in off grid solar system. There inverters draw DC power from solar battery & solar panel and convert into usable AC power.

Of grid solar inverter working diagram

These systems place where no electricity is available such as in rural areas, off grid inverter based system is independent system. The major benefit is that power outages and other technical issues that the utility grid faces will no longer be effective, as you have your own independent power system.

Off Grid Solar Inverter Price

Off grid solar inverter price list for MPPT solar inverters. PWM (old technology) solar prices are less compare to MPPT.

Brands in Off Solar Inverter

Luminous Solar Panel, System, Inverter, Battery & All Product Price

Patanjali solar panel, inverter, battery & all products price

Sukam Solar Inverter, Panel, Battery & Product Price List

Microtek Solar Inverter, Battery, Panel & System Price

Havells Solar Panel, Inverter and Solar System Price

Pros & Cons of Off Grid Solar

Pros – Advantage

  • Stand alone inverter and system.
  • Work even without grid/electricity.
  • No dependency on govt. electricity.
  • Peace of mind with battery backup.

Cons – Disadvantage

  • Load limitation
  • Cannot export the electricity to grid.
  • Costly compare to on grid solar.

Hybrid Solar Inverter

Hybrid inverter is the combination of on grid and off grid solar inverter. This inverter manage solar panel arrays battery storage and utility grid at the same time. These modern all-in-one inverter are generally highly versatile and can be used for grid-tie, stand-alone or backup applications.

Hybrid solar inverter working diagram

Hybrid Solar Inverter Price

Hybrid solar inverter price list for transformer based solar inverters, transformer less solar inverter can be less in price.

Pros & Cons of Hybrid Solar

Pros – Advantage

  • Stand alone system.
  • Can work without grid.
  • Store electricity to batteries.
  • Peace of mind with electricity backup.
  • Export excess electricity to Govt. grid.

Cons – Disadvantage

  • Expensive compare to on grid and off grid solar.
  • Limitation of load.

Solar Inverter Brands

Luminous Solar Inverter: manufacturer of Off-grid and on grid solar inverter sells India’s most intelligent inverters for on grid solar system as well as off grid solar system. Luminous having a rich experience in manufacturing of solar inverter from more than 10 years. Read more about Luminous Solar.

Microtek Solar Inverter: manufacturer of Off-grid solar inverter established in the year 1986 and Microtek achieved 100% customer satisfaction with continuous research, development and innovation through dedicated team for the manufacturing of solar inverter, panel and battery. Read more about Microtek Solar

Sukam Solar Inverter : manufacturer of Off-grid and on grid solar inverter is the largest domestic manufacturer of solar inverters in India. Read more about Sukam Solar.

Delta Solar Inverter: manufacturer of on grid solar inverter Delta Electronics India / Delta Power Solutions Delta Electronics (Thailand) is a 100% subsidiary of PLC, operating in India since 1992. Delta is no. 1 domestic on grid solar inverter manufacturer and trusted brand in India. Considering poor grid conditions in India, for example, high voltage / fluctuations, the controller adjusts the output frequency to maintain balanced output despite imbalances against the grid. Read more about Delta solar inverter.

Solax Solar Inverter: manufacturer of Hybrid and on grid solar inverter, specialist in MPPT based technology and intelligent software helps in automatic selection of inputs like solar, battery, instrument, DG and gives you 3 phase AC output without any interruption.

SMA Solar Inverter: manufacturer of on grid solar inverter is a technology leader driving the digital transformation of industries. Having in house manufacturing in Germany and china with a history of innovation spanning 130 years, SMA has four customer-centric, globally dominant businesses.

Solar Inverter Technologies

PWM (Pulse Width Modulation)

PWM is an old technology with a maximum output efficiency of 70%. This technology used in inverters to give a stable output voltage of 230 V or 110 V AC regardless of load.

MPPT (Maximum power point tracking)

MPPT is a latest solar technology with maximum efficiency up to 97%. Maximum power point tracking in RSC control can be realized by adjusting power or torque commands. Suppose the total power will be controlled from DFIG. The total power command will be generated through the MPPT control block. The input of the control section is rotor speed.

Conclusion

Solar inverter is called brain of solar power system. Therefore, give it a good thought before making your final decision. A good inverter should have high efficiency, produced good outage.

After saying this, you should also keep your requirements in mind and choose accordingly. However, if I need to go with any of the above products, I will go with the reputed solar brand only. The cost is a bit high, but it is a one-time investment and totally worth it.

Source - Solar inverter