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Do I have enough space to put new solar PV panels? (kind of pointless otherwise)
Will my current panels be available in the future?
Solar PV panel technology is changing so rapidly that your current solar PV panels may not be available when you
want to upgrade. Your inverter may not be able to accommodate the mismatch of solar PV panels. Then you may
need to buy a new inverter. A way to overcome this potential problem is to perhaps consider a multi string or a MMPT
expandable inverter (see below).
In general, the best advice is to put up as many solar PV panels as you can afford (and fit on your roof), and
purchase an inverter to fit the maximum power of the system.
What about the physical size of the inverter?
Grid connected inverters come in a variety of shapes, sizes and weight. The smallest inverters are around the size of
a large briefcase. The larger inverters are around the size of a small travel case.
They are generally located as near as practicable to your electricity meter and should always be located in
the shade for best performance. The best advice is to have a look at the inverter (or check out it's
specification sheet) and see whether it will fit near your electricity meter and what it will look like.
d) Is it weather proof?
Some grid connected inverters are weather proof so they can be located in areas that may have some exposure to
the weather. Other grid connected inverters are not weather proof and may require the addition of a weather proof
cage (at extra cost to you) if the inverter is to be exposed to weather. As a general rule, your inverter is a box of
sensitive electronics and the better it is protected from heat and weather, the better it will perform and the longer it will
last.
Check this out on the specification sheets or ask your retailer where they intend to install your inverter.
e) Does it have a Warranty?
Typically, grid connected inverters have a life span ranging form 10 to 20 years. You should expect most inverters to
last 10 years minimum.
Grid connected inverters have warranties ranging from 5 to 10 years with an increasing number of manufacturers
offering pay for service warranty extension. Most retailers are now offering 8 to 10 years warranty. Obviously, the
longer the warranty the more protection you have.
So check out the Warranty on your inverter and balance this against other features of your system to help you make
an informed decision...
f) Is the inverter expandable?
This is an important consideration if you are intending to expand your solar system in future.
The best solution at present would be to consider a multiple MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) inverter. These
inverters have multiple MPPT trackers allowing you to add additional solar PV arrays at a later date or install solar PV
arrays at different orientations. This will enable you to readily add a new string of panels (even if the panels are
not exactly the same as the original panels) to your current system.
In future, individual solar PV panels may have a small MPPT inverter attached to the rear of the solar PV panel,
typically calledmicro inverters. This would potentially enable different models of solar panel to incorporated in the
same solar power system, would overcome shading issues and make individual solar PV panel monitoring possible.
There is an rapidly increasing trend towards these products in the USA and they are starting to appear in Australia.
g) What about the display?
Most inverters have display lights indicating whether the unit is on, off or in standby. They can also have displays
(often scrolling displays) that indicate some of the following information:
the amount of power (kilowatt hours) you have produced on a daily basis,
the amount of power (kilowatt hours) you have produced since the unit was installed
I personally dont want to look in the meter box (or wait for the bill) to see if my system is performing properly. I want
to have a remote monitor in the house that I can check every day. (Hey Im a geek!). So I think remote monitoring /
data logging is a must.
If your supplier wants to charge you more than about $250 for remote monitoring, then you may want to consider
doing it yourself. The best solution Ive seen is the "Current Cost Meter". For about $200 you get a wireless display
that shows both your solar power and your household power consumption, and it is all downloadable to your PC if
you want to get all analytical.
h) How efficient is a grid connected inverter?
Inverter Efficiency is a measure of how well the grid connected inverter converts the power it receives from the solar
panels into power available to your home or to the grid. Most grid connected transformer based inverters have an
efficiency of around 93% or better, transformerless are typically around 95% or better.
Efficiency would only be a factor if two similar inverters had significantly different efficiency.