Solar and Power Inverters Explained: How They Work Together for Maximum Efficiency

Purchasing solar panels alone for power your home is often not enough. You will also need an inverter. Solar panels produce DC (Direct Current), while your home runs on AC (Alternating Current).  The inverter’s job is to convert DC into AC, providing usable power for your household. Let’s dive into the issue a bit further. 

What Is a Solar Inverter?

As mentioned earlier, your solar panels produce Direct Current, DC. This form of energy direction has its drawbacks: 

• Only specialised types of devices and appliances can use DC electricity, and  
• Transportation of DC electricity results in significant losses, even in a small residential solar system. 

For these reasons, it is necessary to install a solar inverter, or a device that will transform the DC electricity coming from your panels into AC and supply it to your house. This device also needs to be connected to the panels as close to them as possible. This is done to reduce the losses even further. 

What a Solar Inverter Does? 

So, a solar inverter transforms electricity coming from your solar panels. This electricity can then be safely used in your home, sent to the power grid or to a solar charger to charge your solar batteries. But how about a power inverter? 

Here are the two models that can cover the needs of most Australian homes and small businesses: 

	Fronius Gen24 Inverter	Goodwe Inverter
Capacity	5kW, 8.2kW, 10kW	5kW, 8.5kW, 10kW
Maximum Efficiency	98.2%	97.7%
Dimensions	595 × 529 × 180mm	415 × 511 × 175mm
Warranty	10 years	10 years
Cooling	Yes, Active	Yes, Passive

What is a Power Inverter? 

A power inverter is another common type of inverter that you may or may not need if you have a solar panel system. A power inverter transforms the DC power to AC, just like a solar inverter does. However, a power inverter uses power from your batteries, rather than power coming from your solar panels. 

In fact, the biggest choice that you need to make is whether to opt for: 

• Panels with microinverters, a more costly solution, or 
• A string inverter, with a lower price tag. 

Microinverters 

Microinverters cost more than string inverters, but can help you increase the total power output of your solar panels. On top of this, they also last longer, generally around 25 years. They are installed in the panels themselves and are a cost-effective solution overall. 

String Inverters

On the other hand, string inverters yield less electricity. This is because of the cable length needed to take the current from the panels to the inverter itself. And while they do cost less, they last for a shorter time, too. In general, they come with a lifespan of 8-12 years. 

To summarise: 

• Microinverters:
  • Installed on individual panels, 
  • Enhance overall energy output, 
  • Typically last ~25 years, 
  • Higher initial cost. 

• String Inverters:
  • Serve multiple panels from a single unit, 
  • Lower upfront cost, 
  • Energy losses occur due to cable length, 
  • Lifespan 8-12 years. 

Sending Electricity Back to the Grid

As the grid operates on AC, to enable the current to be delivered across vast distances, all the inverters synchronise themselves with the grid. In reality, this means that you will never see a light flicker whatever your solar production. However, it also means that you can send your excess electricity back to the grid, to reduce your energy bills in the future. 

Storing Electricity in Solar Batteries

If, however, you want to bring down your energy costs even further, you will need to invest in a set of solar batteries. This way, the excess energy from the inverter can be diverted to your batteries, with little losses. Then, when you need this power again, your inverter will supply it to your house, but will use the home batteries if the sun is not shining. 

Here are some benefits of adding a solar battery pack to your system, despite an increase in overall costs: 

• Stores energy for later use, 
• Provides backup power during power outages, 
• Reduces reliance on the grid during sunset or other low-light conditions, 
• Reduces overall dependence on the grid, and 
• Further reduces energy costs over time. 

Solar and Power Inverter: Final Thoughts 

Whatever solar setup you may have, it is always the best to let professionals choose the best type of inverter for you. Smaller and handier models may seem tempting, but they may not be enough to let you utilise all the power your solar panel can produce. At Volteam, our experts offer consultations and inverter installation. Contact us today for a quote.