Inverters

Inverters are crucial to smoothly running off-grid Solar PV Systems. In a nutshell, the inverter is the unit that converts the DC battery power to the 220v AC, which is what we need to run our appliances. There are two major considerations regarding which inverter to purchase. Firstly, how much power the inverter can handle and secondly, whether it is modified sine wave or pure sine wave.

Appliances and items such as electric motors for fridges, as well as sensitive equipment including smart TVs, work more efficiently if your inverter uses pure sine wave technology.

Remember that it’s better to invest in purchasing a good quality inverter that has the capacity to run for many years, than one that seems to be more cost effective in the short term.

The majority of inverters sold by Eco-Consulting are those using pure sine wave with built-in MPPT solar controllers. These can be programmed with different settings, allowing your system to run off solar only to save batteries, to run completely off-grid, or to be used as a back-up system.

Grid Tie Inverters

Grid Tie inverters often offer a large number of benefits. They work well with solar PV panels and, since they do not use or need batteries, you will enjoy major cost savings. They work by connecting directly to both your electrical wiring and solar panels, sending the free energy from the panels into your wiring system. As a result, your appliances use the free energy first, as opposed to pulling it from the grid.

However, Grid Tie inverters do have some disadvantages. Because they do not run off batteries, there is no backup power and as a result, if there is no electricity, the Grid Tie cannot work and all the power from the panels will go to waste.

In other words, Grid Tie inverters are an excellent investment if there is a stable source of electricity available.