The solar panel system consists of different parts such as the solar panels, the solar inverter, solar battery, and others. While every component of the solar panel system has an important role to play, the solar inverter can be termed as one of the most important components of a solar panel system. Its main function is to convert the DC power produced by the solar panels to AC power. If you are planning to install a solar panel system on your property, it is very important that you pay special attention to the solar inverter as it is the brain of the system. To help you choose the right solar inverter, in this post, we tell you all that there’s to know about solar inverters.

The importance of solar inverters

As mentioned earlier, the solar inverter is the brain of a solar panel system. Most appliances that we use in our homes and offices cannot work on DC energy. In fact, even most industrial machines work on AC energy. And therefore, it is important to first convert the DC energy to AC energy. A solar inverter does just that.

How solar inverters function

When solar panels receive the sun’s rays they convert it into DC energy. The DC energy is then sent to the solar inverter so that it can convert into AC energy as our home and office appliances work on AC energy. The solar inverter converts the DC energy through a transformer that helps convert DC energy to AC energy.

Other Important Functions of a Solar Inverter

• It ensures optimal charging of the solar battery.
• It maximizes power output.
• It helps regulate power from and to the local grid.
• It keeps a check on voltage thereby preventing any damage to the home appliances.

Types of solar inverters

There are different types of solar inverters available on the market. The two main types of solar inverters include the On-Grid (or Grid-Tied) Solar inverters and the Off-Grid solar inverters. Here’s some information (about these two inverter types) that you would find useful when choosing a solar inverter for your property. 

Grid-Tied Inverters

As the name suggests, grid-tied (or on-grid) inverters are tied to the local grid. They are best suited for homes that lie in areas that experience rare and short-duration power cuts. In a normal scenario, when the solar panels are generating enough energy to power the entire household, the grid-tied inverters draw power from the solar panels. However, when the solar panels aren’t generating enough power, the grid-tied inverters draw power from the local grid. The best thing about grid-tied inverters is that if there’s any surplus energy being generated by the solar panels, it gets transferred to the local grid. The surplus energy gets adjusted later in the monthly energy bill thereby cutting down the monthly energy expenses.

Off-Grid Inverters

Unlike on-grid or grid-tied inverters, the off-grid inverters are not connected to the local grid. Properties that have an off-grid inverter installed on them, rely only on the solar panel system for their energy needs. And as the intensity of the solar energy received by the solar panels varies during the day, off-grid solar inverters store energy in the solar batteries so that it can be used when the solar panels aren’t generating enough energy. Remember, solar batteries are quite expensive, and therefore, installing off-grid inverters is recommended only for those areas where there is no local grid nearby or the ones that experience frequent and long power cuts.

Factors to consider when buying a solar inverter

Here are some of the factors that you should consider when buying a solar inverter.

Load Requirement

Determining your load requirement will help you choose a solar inverter with the right VA Rating. In case, you are opting for an off-grid inverter, it will help you choose a solar battery with the right battery capacity. It is advisable that you choose an inverter with a higher VA rating and battery capacity as your load requirement may increase with time.

Frequency of Power Cuts

As discussed earlier, if you live in an area that experiences frequent and long power cuts then you should install an off-grid inverter that will help you reduce your dependence on your local grid. However, if you rarely face any power cuts in your area then it is advisable to go with a grid-tied inverter so that you can draw power from the local grid whenever required. 

Last But Not Least - Buy from a Reputable Brand

This is one of the most important factors when buying a solar inverter. We recommend that you go with Luminous India, one of the most reputable brands when it comes to choosing solar products. They are one of the pioneers in the solar products space and have earned the reputation of manufacturing quality products and delivering excellent after-sales support.