When you are planning a solar system for your home, getting a good inverter is almost more important than picking good panels. Why? Well, the inverter is the most complicated part of a PV installation with the widest range of tasks. In this short article we’ll discuss the best solar inverters in 2022.
What Is A Solar inverter?
Solar inverter is an essential part of any solar installation, because it converts the direct current from your panels to alternating current. Most modern house appliances can use only AC which the inverter provides. The inverter also interacts with the commercial grid. When the grid goes down, the inverter shuts down as well for safety reasons: you have to clear the grid from the current so that the workers can repair it.
Among other tasks, inverter maximizes the production of your solar array by tweaking the current and the voltage in the system. It also acts as a monitoring device which allows you to watch the production levels. The wide range of tasks makes an inverter a complicated and thus a vulnerable device. It is also operated by software, which has to be updated and which can be buggy.
Solar inverters generally last for 10-20 years, though some of them come with a warranty for 25 years. To prolong the lifespan of your inverter, it is recommended to pick a cold dark dry place for it (a garage for instance) and leave some free room around your inverter. Wipe the dust off of it, update it, check the screen for errors, clean air intake filters and your inverter will last you for a long time.
3 best solar inverter for sale
We’ve asked our engineers to pick a couple of his favorite solar inverters in 2022. Here’s what his choices are.
SMA Sunny Boy Inverter 5kw
Sunny Boy inverter from SMA is one of the best solar inverters available and one of most versatile among residential ones with the installation made easier. It provides module level monitoring and ensures the optimization of solar panel system production. The inverter can be managed remotely with SMA Service Mobile App. The efficiency of Sunny Boy doesn’t fall below 96%. The inverter comes with a 10-year warranty.
SolarEdge SE7600H 7.6Kw
SetAPP Inverter from SolarEdge is a powerful model for large residential and small commercial grid-tie systems. It provides up to 7.6 kW power output. The model shows 99.2% efficiency — almost no energy gets lost in the conversion process. Add SolarEdge optimizers to minimize shading impact on the production. You can manage the inverter remotely with SolarEdge SetAPP on your smartphone. It comes with a 12-year warranty that can be extended to 25 years.
SolarEdge Inverter 5kW SE5000H-US
The 5kW Single-Phase Inverter from SolarEdge shows 99% efficiency and is designed for grid-tie home installations. It is half the size and weight of the previous generation of inverters from SolarEdge, making it possibly the best solar inverter in 2022. Thin film capacitors gave this model increased reliability. To fight the problem of shading, you can add SolarEdge power optimizers to your panels. Comes with a 12-year warranty.