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Solar Inverters Explained

Last Updated: 17th Dec By Finn Peacock, Chartered Electrical Engineer, Fact Checked By Ronald Brakels 

So, you&#;ve got quotes for a few different solar power systems and each company says their system has the best inverter &#; no surprises there. How do you decide which inverter is right for you?

My website is here to help&#;

Solar Inverter Comparison Table

Note: The prices displayed above are our best estimate of retail pricing, including GST. 

Table of Contents

Budget vs. Premium Solar Inverters

When buying solar, your installer will likely give you the choice of a &#;budget&#; or &#;premium&#; solar inverter. Is it worth paying more for premium? 

A premium inverter may:

• have a longer warranty
• have better support
• have a better monitoring app
• handle shade better
• allow more flexible solar array design
• and last longer

&#;than a cheaper inverter, and command a price premium:

Inverter size & phases approx. extra $ for premium (Fronius, SMA, SolarEdge) 5kW Single-Phase $1,000 5kW 3-Phase $1,200 10kW Single-Phase $2,000 10kW 3-Phase $2,200 15kW Single-Phase / 15kW 3-Phase $

Only you can decide if the extra money is worth it. Ask the quoting installer what benefits your extra money gives you over a good budget option. Personally, I always look for mid-range (e.g., Sungrow, iStore) or premium (e.g., Enphase, SolarEdge, Fronius) inverters. I know they are less likely to give me grief over the years.

What Is A Solar Inverter &#; What Does It Do?

All grid-connected PV systems require a solar inverter1. It&#;s a box of power electronics with more functions than you might think.

A fully featured, modern inverter should:

• take the high-voltage DC power output from your solar panels (up to 1,000V DC)
• convert it to 230V AC for home appliances
• find the optimum voltage and current to push into your solar array every few seconds using one or more Maximum Power Point Trackers
• export surplus solar to the grid &#; whilst respecting any local export limits
• allow flexible exports depending on your location
• allow a remote &#;emergency shutdown&#; signal to stop exports when the grid is under stress
• if you don&#;t have a battery, shut down immediately if it senses a grid outage (technical term: Anti-Islanding Protection.)
• provide monitoring via an app that &#; at a minimum &#; shows you how much solar it generated and compare that to your home energy consumption
• alert you to faults with alarms, whether that&#;s a flashing light, an annoying beep, an or app notification
• provide a software interface to help other appliances, such as EV chargers, know how much solar is available

So it&#;s pretty important to get a decent one.

Inverter Brands For Dummies

But I&#;m guessing you don&#;t know one brand of solar inverter from another &#; you certainly aren&#;t alone. The simplest, quickest way I can think of to describe how each brand stacks up is to compare them to cars &#; because I&#;m also guessing most of you will know the difference between a Mercedes, a Ford and a Hyundai.

Types Of Solar Inverters

There are six main classifications:

a) String Inverters

All the solar panel inverters shown above (apart from Enphase) are string inverters. They&#;re the most common type available and are called string inverters because panels are wired together in series strings. These units are usually installed on the wall, ideally close to your meter box. 

b) Central Inverters

You won&#;t find these in home installations. Only large commercial installations or utility-scale solar farms use these monsters &#; usually housed in big industrial cabinets.

c) Microinverters

Microinverters are tiny solar inverters about the size of a paperback book. You generally need one micro-inverter per solar panel, although some models can handle the output from two, four, or even more modules. You can read about the advantages of microinverters here. The main benefits are they operate at a safer, lower voltage and have design flexibility for complex roofs.

Microinverters can also be helpful if you have partial shade conditions. However, good string inverters are catching up with shade tolerance through increasingly advanced MPPT algorithms.

In my opinion, the only microinverter brand worth considering is Enphase. I&#;ve got 35 of them on my straw house.

d) Optimised String Inverters

These provide similar performance benefits to microinverters with different technology. An optimiser system requires a string inverter with optimisers on each solar panel. These devices work to maximise each panel&#;s output under a variety of conditions.

SolarEdge optimisers require you to optimise every panel in an array and use a SolarEdge inverter.

Formerly known as Huawei, the locally supported iStore systems are more flexible than SolarEdge because they can deploy optimisers selectively, and iStore MPPT inverters work across a broader voltage range instead of just a simple target voltage.

Tigo optimisers are inverter agnostic, which can keep costs down because you can also deploy them selectively if the shade only affects a couple of panels. However, there is an extra cost to add Tigo monitoring hardware, an option that gives you panel level data, which is particularly handy to know if the panel or the Tigo itself has failed. 

e) Hybrid Inverters

Also known as multi-mode, a hybrid inverter lets you add batteries to your solar power system without a separate battery inverter. A hybrid combines the functions of battery and solar management. In most cases the solar input interfaces with the battery using a technique called &#;DC coupling&#;.

Electronics coordinate the battery charging with direct current, straight from the solar array, so there are fewer conversion losses and more capacity to charge the battery and simultaneously run AC loads in the house.

I&#;ve listed all the makes and models I know about on my hybrid inverter comparison table. Check it out if you are considering buying batteries with your solar power system, or adding batteries in the next year or two.

f) Modular Hybrid Inverters

Sigenergy has pioneered a new style of inverter installation, as a part of their &#;five-in-one&#; SigenStor battery system. The top module of the system is essentially a hybrid inverter of up to 25 kW (if you get the 3-phase version). You can buy the inverter module first and easily add battery modules or the bi-directional DC EV charger module underneath later. They all simply stack together.

This modular design is more straightforward to install because it eliminates DC battery wiring, saving money on installation costs. Adding more batteries is also simple enough, they stack just like Fronius/BYD or Sungrow.

However, the remote AC switchboard which offers much greater flexibility and backup features, is much like other brands and models. 

g) Battery Inverters

Often referred to as AC coupled batteries, these units can be more brand agnostic, so they&#;re often used to retrofit a battery to your existing solar power system.

They offer more flexibility because your battery system can be separate from your solar panels, or even on a separate building or compliant location. (i.e. not connected straight to the same inverter). 

The battery inverter simply monitors export or import from the grid in real-time and then charges or discharges as needed, to reduce or eliminate grid power use.

What To Look For In A Good Solar Inverter

1) Can it be used in Australia and is it Clean Energy Council approved?

When choosing a solar inverter, the first thing to look for is whether it complies with the relevant Australian Standard (AS). You can quickly check this by checking out the Clean Energy Council&#;s approved products list.

All grid-connected solar inverters certified for Australia should be on this list. If one you&#;re considering isn&#;t, don&#;t buy it, as your Distributed Network Service Provider (DNSP) likely won&#;t permit you to install it.

Another reason to buy CEC-approved inverters as part of your full system is to be eligible for Australia&#;s solar rebate, which can knock thousands off the up-front cost of a system. Note that the device must be on the Clean Energy Council-approved list at the time of installation to be eligible for the subsidy.

It&#;s also worth looking at the company behind the product&#;how long has it been around? Do they have an Australian office? What is their track record in Australia with warranty claims? Again, this is where our reviews section can help.

2) Inverter price &#; how much do good ones cost in ?

The inverter can represent around 20% of the cost of a solar power system.

For example, decent-quality 5kW solar inverters, which can support up to 6.6kW of panels, start at $1,000 for budget single-phase models (e.g., Sungrow, Goodwe, or Solis) and up to $2,000 for premium single-phase models (e.g., Fronius or SMA).

If you want a 3-phase, 5kW inverter; add around $400 to those prices.

However, when considering 10kW inverters, an older 3-phase version is sometimes a bit cheaper than the newer single phase version:

Tip: While the price is steeper, if you have a 3-phase power supply at your house, I recommend getting a 3-phase inverter.

Whatever you do, never buy the cheapest solar inverter on the market! Trust me on this&#;really cheap products have no chance of lasting 15+ years in Australia. It is difficult and expensive to design and manufacture a good solar inverter that will endure, particularly in Australia&#;s often harsh conditions. 

3) What is the best solar inverter size (capacity) to buy?

There&#;s often confusion about inverter capacity, but generally, it should be less than solar panel capacity.

Your inverter needs to handle the maximum power your system can generate. For example, a 5kW solar system needs 5kW of panels and a 5kW inverter. Simple, right? Actually, it can get more complex.

According to Australian guidelines, the size of your solar panel array (in kW) can be up to one-third larger than the inverter capacity. This practice is called &#;oversizing&#; and is common and recommended.

Tip: If you buy a battery with your solar, you can exceed this limit. A good installer will explain how to do this.

Generally, it&#;s best to install as many panels as you can afford and fit on your roof. Buy a good-quality inverter to suit, staying within any limits set by your local electricity network.

4) What are your installation location options?

Inverters are generally installed as near as practicable to your electricity meter and should always be situated in the shade for best performance. Note that a shaded installation location can also be a warranty requirement. If you don&#;t have a suitable shady spot, then you should have a simple shade cover made or purchased for it. There are model-specific covers available, or a cheaper option is a small awning available from hardware stores.

5) Is it weather-proof?

Most grid-connected inverters are weather-proof (generally IP65 rated) so they can be located in areas with exposure to the elements. 

Your solar inverter is a box of sensitive electronics. The better you protect it from heat and weather, the better it will perform and last. 

Check these aspects on specification/warranty documentation, or ask your retailer where to install your solar inverter and how they intend to protect it if necessary.

6) How long will the inverter last, and what&#;s the warranty?

Typically, grid-connected inverters last from 10 to 20 years and you should expect most good-quality units to have a lifespan of 10 years minimum.

Solar inverters have warranties ranging from 5 to 15 years. An increasing number of manufacturers offer service warranty extensions to those willing to pay for them. Obviously, the longer the warranty, the more protection you have.

Some manufacturers (such as Fronius and SMA) offer a &#;5 + 5&#; year warranty &#; where parts and labour are covered under warranty for the first 5 years, but only parts are covered for years 6-10. If yours conks out in year 7, you&#;ll need to pay around $300 in labour costs to replace it.

Check out the unit&#;s warranty and balance this against other features of your system to help you make an informed decision on which solar inverter is best for you. Scrutinise the warranty carefully for any unreasonable conditions and determine where repairs will occur. If it has to be shipped overseas for repairs, you could wait for a long time for a fix or replacement.

Remember: while Australian Consumer Law can trump what a manufacturer states in a warranty, you don&#;t want to have the stress and unpleasantness of a drawn-out claim if something goes wrong.

7) Is the inverter expandable?

If you&#;re considering expanding your solar system down the track, it&#;s a good idea to plan ahead. While adding more panels later is definitely possible, it requires some forethought.

Most solar inverters in Australia come with two or more MPPTs (Maximum Power Point Trackers). These MPPTs allow your system to manage different sets of solar panels. If you want to expand later, it&#;s crucial to leave one or more MPPTs free during the initial installation. This way, you can easily connect more panels down the line, even if they&#;re different from your original ones.

However, solar technology moves fast. The panels available now may not be compatible with your system in a few years, due to rapid advancements. Both inverters and panels are subject to approvals, and if a product falls off the approved list, you might not be able to claim government rebates like STCs (Small-scale Technology Certificates).

If flexibility is your priority, you might want to consider microinverters like Enphase. These manage each panel individually, making it simpler to add on later. But even with microinverters, you could still face challenges, such as changing approval rules from your energy network.

8) What about the display and remote monitoring?

Most solar inverters have display lights indicating whether the unit is on, off, or on standby.

They can also have digital displays that indicate some or all of the following information:

• the amount of energy (kilowatt hours) generated that day,
• the amount of electricity (kilowatt hours) produced since the unit was installed,
• the amount of power (kilowatts) the system is currently generating,
• the number of hours the unit has been producing power,
• error codes

Nearly all inverters also offer an app that allows you to view detailed performance information and alerts more easily on your PC or .

 

9) How efficient is a grid-connected inverter?

Inverter efficiency measures how well a device converts the electricity it receives from the solar panels into power that can be used by your home or exported to the grid. Older grid-connected transformer-based solar inverters have an efficiency of around 93% or better, while the transformer-less devices sold today are typically around 96% or better.

Higher efficiency is generally better, but some inverters&#;such as Fronius&#;have active cooling. This can increase the unit&#;s lifespan but give them a slightly lower efficiency rating than inverters without it. So, higher efficiency isn&#;t always necessarily superior.

An inverter&#;s standby power consumption, for example, during the night or in other very low lighting conditions, also impacts overall output, but this draw is tiny &#; usually in the range of 1 to 5 Watts, although 5 Watts would be considered high.

How To Spot A Bad Solar Inverter

Most solar inverters supplied by reputable retailers in Australia are OK, with the emphasis on &#;most.&#; However, some horrible devices still being installed today have somehow managed to pass Australian compliance testing. These will likely cause their owners some heartache and hip pocket pain down the track, so make sure you&#;re not one of them.

Note: walk away if there is no written warranty offered on the solar inverter or no specification sheet is supplied. And make sure the organisation issuing the warranty has an Australian office &#; you don&#;t want to be calling Shanghai if you have warranty-related issues!

And bear in mind that even the best solar components can be negatively impacted by poor installation, so choosing a good accredited installer is as important as choosing the right device.

Best Solar Inverters In

The following chart shows solar inverter brands I recommend in ; the best for Australian conditions ranging from top &#;budget&#; models on the left, to top-of-the-line premium brands on the right. See the criteria I base these recommendations on.

If you want to be sure of getting a good inverter as part of a system purchase, get a quote from installers I trust here:

GET QUOTES FOR SOLAR FROM PRE-VETTED INSTALLERS >>

 

The main function of the photovoltaic inverter is to realize the conversion of electrical energy, converting the direct current generated by photovoltaic modules into alternating current for grid transmission and user use. From the perspective of application scenarios, microinverters are usually suitable for distributed power generation systems and are often used in residential rooftops and industrial and commercial rooftops.

Due to the early development of household distributed photovoltaic power generation markets in Europe and the United States and the impact of mandatory regulations on DC high-voltage risks, so the solar inverters in Europe and those USA made inverters account for about 70% of the global micro-inverter market.

This article will introduce you to the top 10 solar inverter best brands in USA, namly Enphase, Generac, TYCORUN, SolarEdge, SMA, Sol-Ark, Fronius Solar Energy, First Solar, NEP, EPC Power.

 

1. Top 10 solar inverter best brands in USA in

&#; Enphase

Established date

Global headquarter

Fremont, California

Company website

enphase.com

Enphase, founded in , was the first company of top 5 home energy storage manufacturers to successfully commercialize solar microinverters by converting DC power generated by solar panels into AC power.

Enphase's products are primarily microinverters, and its home energy storage systems received the first UL certification, while Enphase's energy storage systems are safe and effective due to the use of LFP battery, which provide higher current ratings, long cycle life, and excellent thermal stability.

The company has shipped approximately 68 million microinverters, and approximately 3.5 million Enphase-based systems have been deployed in more than 145 countries. In recent years, Enphase has integrated most AC home backup generators to further extend battery life and system capabilities.

And it has contracted with Green Mountain Power (GMP) to provide residential battery storage systems for GMP's Virtual Power Plant (VPP) program.  

&#; Generac

Established date

Global headquarter

Waukesha, Wisconsin

Company website

www.generac.com

Founded in , Generac was the first to engineer affordable home standby generators, along with the first engine developed specifically for the rigors of generator use, and is now one of the top manufacturer of home backup generators. Generac manufactures the widest range of power products in the marketplace including portable, residential, commercial and industrial generators.

It is also the leading designer and manufacturer of manual and fully automatic transfer switches and accessories for backup power applications up to 2 MW. Generac's modular power system, PWRcell, can be used for both household and commercial applications. Its new micro inverter is also entering the solar energy storage market.

The cost of both storage systems is comparable for most homes, but Generac can offer homeowners the flexibility and customization to fit their home energy storage systems. And in the future, Generac will expand into the clean energy market and continue to launch new products to help customers manage their home electricity use with off grid solar batteries and solar power.

At the same time, Generac will enter into a strategic partnership with U.S. residential solar developer Sunnova Energy to provide Generac with energy storage systems as well as backup home generators, microinverters and load managers.  

&#; TYCORUN

Established date

Global headquarter

Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Company website

www.tycorun.com

TYCORUN is a high-tech lithium ion battery and inverter manufacturing company that provides reliable and safe customized solutions for special lithium battery systems and lithium battery products for global users. 

TYCORUN w inverter pure sine wave delivers outstanding performance for back-up power and off-grid system, which is widely used in emergencies or household. The advanced pure sine wave technology provide cleaner, smoother and more reliable power for sensitive equipment without any interference. Brilliant design using top electronic materials makes it safe, stable with long service life. For further details, you can click the links below for product information:

 

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As one of the best solar inverter brands in USA, TYCORUN's full series of inverters comply with ETL safety regulations and have passed various certifications such as UL458, PSE, CE, FCC, UKCE, etc., which guarantees the product safety.

The inverters have all come with voltage stabilization function, supports fast charging, and has low no-load current (0.6A), with LCD LED display, which can detect voltage, power and other values in real time with an accuracy of 98%, which is at the leading level in the industry.

&#; SolarEdge

Established date

Global headquarter

Delaware, United States

Company website

www.solaredge.com

Founded in , SolarEdge is a global leader in high-performance smart energy technology and one of the best brands of solar inverter made in USA. By leveraging world-class engineering capabilities and with a relentless focus on innovation, SolarEdge's intelligently optimized inverter solutions have made it a top inverter company by revenue for 4 consecutive years.

SolarEdge addresses a broad range of energy market segments through PV, energy storage, EV charging, power wheels battery, electrical vehicles and grid services solutions. The SolarEdge DC-coupled architecture maximizes PV power generation, solar energy storage and self-consumption, lowering the overall cost of energy produced by PV systems.

&#; SMA

Established date

Global headquarter

Niestetal, Germany

Company website

www.sma-china.com

SMA is the world's leading provider of solar system solutions and services and one of the best solar inverter brands in Germany. It was founded in and went public in . Since its establishment, SMA has been at the forefront of the industry with its breakthrough inverter technology and more than 1,700 patents, organically combining photovoltaics with energy storage, electronic mobility and other categories and integrating them into the entire system.

SMA's products include solar inverters, total solutions for solar and energy storage systems for different power levels, smart energy management systems, and charging solutions for electric vehicles and green hydrogen production applications. To date, the company has more than 120GW of inverter installed capacity, and its products have been successfully applied in more than 190 countries around the world.

&#; Sol-Ark

Established date

Global headquarter

Plano, Texas, United States 

Company website

www.sol-ark.com

Sol-Ark is a is a solar and energy storage technology firm founded in . As a global energy technology company with over 6 generations of hybrid inverters, powered by a vast ecosystem comprising thousands of distributors, installers, EPCs, integrators, and battery manufacturers, Sol-Ark is transforming energy resilience for homes and businesses.

Its products are applied on various field such as telecommunications, retail, big tech, and restaurants. Sol-Ark energy storage inverters can ship thousands of units a month, mainly for the North American market.

Sol-Ark hybrid inverter/chargers are the choice of utilities for demand response, integrators like Beam Global for charging stations, the Navajo Nation for self-reliance, C-level executives, HNW individuals demanding extra power security for large estates, hospitals, banks, clinics, IT server rooms, military, government, as well as thousands of homeowners.

&#; Fronius Solar Energy

Established date

Global headquarter

Pettenbach, Austria

Company website

froniusinverters.com

Fronius International is an Austrian manufacturer with a long history behind its back. The company was founded in in Pettenbach. It was specialised in welding, photovoltaics and battery charging technology.   

The company entered the solar market in and made their first solar inverter &#;Sunrise&#; in . By now Fronius has been making solar inverters for sale for more than 30 years. Their products are known for great performance and high reliability and are suitable both for residential and commercial use. 

Fronius inverters are known to be high quality. The manufacturer always makes sure that its product is ready for the extreme weather conditions. Every Fronius inverter undergoes at least 13 extensive endurance tests. All models have to be able to endure high temperatures, freezing, humidity, dust and dirt.

Other advantages of Fronius inverters include easy installation and high production levels. The efficiency of Austrian inverters varies around 96%-98% which means that almost no energy is lost in the process.

&#; First Solar

Established date

Global headquarter

Tempe, Arizona

Company website

www.firstsolar.com

First Solar is one of the world's leading solar photovoltaic module manufacturers, with production bases for inverter made in USA, Malaysia and Germany. By , the company's production capacity had exceeded 1 gigawatt peak (GWp). At the same time, First Solar is also the world's most important manufacturer of cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin film photovoltaic modules.

First Solar was established in Tempe, Arizona in . Since , FirstSolar has been involved in the photovoltaic module business. In , the company's annual production rate reached 25 megawatt peak (MWp).

And the company continued to expand, adding a new production line in Perrysburg, Ohio, and setting up four production lines in Germany. In the United States, First Solar cooperates with SolarCity to provide SolarCity with photovoltaic modules with an annual output of 100 megawatts of solar energy.

At present, First Solar has successfully established several partnerships around the world, including EDF EnergieNouvelles, Sechilienne-Sidec, Rio Energie, Sun Edison, Juwi Solar GmbH, Phoenix SolarAG, etc. Earlier this year, First Solar announced that it will build its fifth module factory for inverter made in USA, with an investment of US$5.11 billion and an annual production capacity of 3.5GW.

It is reported that the plant will be put into operation in and will help the company achieve the goal of a total capacity of 14GW in the United States and a total capacity of 25GW globally. The facility will produce First Solar's Series 7 modules, which can be produced using 100% domestic parts certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Domestic Materials Use Guidelines.

&#; NEP

Established date

Global headquarter

California, Pleasanton

Company website

northernep.com

Northern Electric Power Technology Co., Ltd., (NEP) is a high-tech enterprise engaged in the research, development, manufacturing and sales of component-level power electronics technologies and products such as photovoltaic inverters and rapid shutdown devices.

As a brand of USA made inverters, it&#;s headquartered in America, have a branch in Japan and factories in Thailand. R&D centers are in the United States, Suzhou and Qingdao, China. The sales team is located in China, the United States, Latin America, South America, and Europe.

NEP has more than 10 years of history in developing advanced component-level energy conversion solutions. With partners and users in residential, commercial and industrial sectors around the world, NEP has supplied more than 500,000 units of its leading microinverters to customers in more than 35 countries.

NEP's microinverter product has an MTTP tracking efficiency of 99.9% and a CEC weighted average efficiency of 96.5%. It has built-in GFDI, and surge protection, and the installation is simple and convenient. Built-in PLC and Wifi communication methods enable it to be applied for all types of photovoltaic systems.

And it also supports real-time control of the operating status of the power station, accurate to every minute data, automatic high temperature warning, automatic fault warning, and precise location of fault points.

&#; EPC Power

Established date

Global headquarter

San Diego County, California

Company website

www.epcpower.com

Founded in , EPC Power is headquartered in San Diego County, California and has become the premier utility-scale manufacturer of USA made inverters in North America. The company continues to expand rapidly, with major multinational corporations brand-labeling its products. EPC continues to grow at a rapid rate due to its commitment of designing every detail of its own products, and self-manufacturing these USA made inverters.

To support growing global demand, EPC has opened an engineering and sales branch in Helsinki, Finland. EPC&#;s main product lines include the 1 MW - 6 MW CAB for utility grade applications and 250 kW - 500 kW Power Drawer for business and facility applications.

EPC&#;s solutions are fully scalable and have been deployed at 100+ MW sites. EPC Power has been producing inverters at its headquarters in Poway, California, and has opened a new factory in Greenville, South Carolina, in late .

 
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