Solar Inverter FAQ

Solar Inverter FAQ. A solar Inverter is an electric device that converts 12/24v DC power into 110/220v AC power at 60/50Hz frequency and vice-versa through electronic switching. It converts Solar panel-produced power to a standard level of battery to provide regulated 12/24v DC power to batteries. Then the inverter converts battery 12/24v DC power into standard 110/220v grid voltage at the efficiency of 93-96%. This smart device plays a crucial role in solar panels, batteries, and loads. The solar inverter has a built-in charge controller. As the incoming voltage from the solar panel changes with a change in sunlight density, fluctuating power becomes a problem for the batteries. So, a solar inverter maintains the voltage supply to the battery, which makes your whole solar power system more reliable and durable.

Solar inverters enable domestic solar power system owners to sell electric power to grid supply by following proper mechanisms and necessary approvals given by states.

 Solar Inverters which type of inverters?

There are three types of inverters. Square wave inverter, modified sine wave inverter, and pure sine wave inverter. Solar inverters are pure sine wave inverters, which are top-quality inverters and can be used with any type of load. Whether it is an AC machine or an electronic gadget, a solar inverter works perfectly for it.

Solar Inverter FAQ. What is the life cycle of a Solar Inverter?

The regular inverter lasts a maximum of 10 years, whereas the Solar inverter has a life of 10-12 years. It has a longer life cycle than an ordinary inverter because of the high technological protection scheme installed in it, which trips or turns off the power system due to voltage, current, or load surge, and has better heat dissipation methodologies as heat sinks or focused fans.

 What type of battery should I use for a pure sine wave inverter?

Lithium-ion batteries are the latest battery technology, and we suggest you prefer them over other types of batteries because of their longer life span and no regular maintenance required. Lithium-ion batteries have an efficiency of 95% or even above, whereas lead-acid batteries have a maximum efficiency of up to 85%, which makes lithium-ion batteries fast in charging. To make your lithium-ion battery long, make sure that it doesn’t last at 0% or 100% charging for too long.

 What are the significant differences between a Standard inverter and a Solar Inverter?

Solar Inverter FAQ, The significant differences are as follows.

• A standard inverter might be a modified sine wave inverter whereas solar inverters are always pure sine wave inverters.
• Standard Inverters do not have built-in charge controllers to provide a steady power supply to batteries which is one of the prime features of solar inverters.
• Solar Inverter has efficiencies up to 98% or above, whereas standard inverters have efficiency up to 90%.
• Solar inverter consumes solar power for power conversion, which is free of cost, whereas standard inverter consumes power from grid supply, which is expensive.
• The solar inverter has relatively high efficiency, a better protection scheme, voltage regulation, and a longer life cycle, which makes it more expensive.

Is an inverter required to store electric energy in a battery?

Technically, you don’t need an inverter to store energy in a battery. The inverter itself is not a power-storing device, but it is a converter that converts power from DC to AC or vice versa. The battery is a DC power storage device, and to store the energy, you need a DC power supply input to the batteries. In the case of solar power, batteries can be fed DC power directly as photovoltaic cells produce DC power, but in the case of storing power in a battery from a grid supply, you will need a medium that converts Grid 120/240v AC supply into 12/24v DC, which gets done with the use of an inverter.

How much does a Solar Inverter cost?

The cost ranges from $1000 to 3000. The price tag depends upon the capability of the inverter’s wattage power conversion. And also protection schemes against load surge, current surge, and voltage surge. The actual price decider is wattage power conversion capabilities and conversion technique as pure sine wave inverters cost more than modified sine wave inverters. 

When is a pure sine wave inverter necessary?

A solar power system inverter must be a pure sine wave inverter. This is because a modified sine wave inverter isn’t capable of running electric devices. For example motors, rectifiers, and medical equipment. Every electronic device in use has a rectifying system as they consumes DC power. Also, motors are used in most AC machines. So, to make your appliance durable and reliable, they require pure AC sine wave. This is why a pure sine wave inverter is necessary. 

Is a solar inverter expensive to repair?

Solar Inverter has a normal life of up to 12 years. Moreover, it is a good life cycle for any electric machine that remains intact 24/7. It is durable and reliable because of the high protection mechanism against any kind of load, current, or voltage surge. But in any case, if its internal circuitry gets damaged, then getting it repaired is very expensive. Above all, it will lose its quality with efficiency.

What should be the size of my solar inverter?

The size of the solar inverter is calculated by its watt conversion capacity. Your inverter wattage must be more than the total wattage of your connected load to the solar power system. The technical advice is that your inverter size should be at least 1.2 times higher than the wattage of the total connected load. For example, if your load is 800 watts, then an inverter of 960 watts or 1000 watts would work well.

What happens to a solar inverter in load surge?

A solar inverter comes with installed surge protection devices. This protects it from any current/voltage/load surge by tripping off the inverter and turning ON the siren. That allows you to turn off the unnecessary load. Moreover, you will have to restart the inverter after reducing the electric load.

Solar Inverter FAQ. Does the usual inverter work with Solar Power Systems?

Yes, it will work, but it lacks performance and efficiency. The regular inverter doesn’t have charge controllers for controlling the voltage of power input to the batteries. This will damage battery durability and total life cycle in the long term. The regular inverter doesn’t have high protection schemes and isn’t completely fit to work between grid supply and solar power system.