The solar inverter with all of its different types constitutes as the second most important part in solar system, because its responsible of major main jobs. It is responsible of the safety, quality and quantity of the AC output power (AC electricity) generated for the solar system, and its responsible of AC output power optimization at different conditions the solar system encounters over the day and year, so it plays an important role in increasing the electrical energy harvest.
Actually, there are 4 main jobs of the solar inverter as following;
- Converting DC electricity to AC electricity:
The electricity generated form the solar panels array is DC (direct current), and in order to use it running our electrical appliances/equipment, the solar inverter converts it to AC electricity, mostly the DC electricity voltage coming for the solar panel array varies between 200-600VDC, and AC electricity differs from one country to another, in Europe countries, its needed to be 220/230/240V, 50Hz and in USA/Canada, it is needed to be 110/120V, 60Hz, etc. - Regulating AC & DC electricity, and protect the whole solar system:
As the sun shines up and down, the solar intensity varies, and DC electricity generated form the array varies, the solar inverter will handle this, and provide reliable/stable AC output with high quality to keep our electrical equipment running safely. If the solar system is grid tie type, the solar inverter will do the whole synchronization matter alone without any help from other components. Also, the solar inverter protects the solar system and our electrical appliances in case of faults to ensure the safety. - Increase the AC output power:
The solar inverter has a maximum power point tracker which always monitor and hunt the maximum power point for the solar array where it products its maximum power capacity, so it increases the output power. - Monitoring:
The solar inverter monitors the whole solar system, measure and display parameters on its screen, also it can transmit these data to your smart phone or laptop, so you can check system performance and be able to diagnose faults.
