There are three main types of inverters currently available for your solar energy system: string inverters, power optimiser systems, and microinverters.
Power optimiser systems are also known as string inverters with power optimisers.
Power optimisers and microinverters are often collectively referred to as Module-Level Power Electronics, or MLPEs.
String inverters are by far the most commonly deployed inverter option globally and make up the majority of the world’s inverter market.
However, MLPE technologies have gained market share over the last five years as their costs have come down.
String inverters are the most cost-effective inverter option available.
Traditionally, a solar installation company would propose a string inverter for your system if your roof had limited shading throughout the day and did not face multiple directions, such as a gabled roof.
However, thanks to recent hardware and software updates from major string inverter companies, string inverters are now suitable for a wider range of circumstances.
Your solar panels are arranged into groups connected by strings, which is where the name comes from.
You can connect multiple strings of panels to a single centralised inverter, which transforms the DC electricity produced by the panels into usable AC electricity for your home or business.
Power optimiser systems offer many of the same benefits as microinverters.
They are often considered a compromise between microinverters and standard string inverters.
Like microinverters, systems with power optimisers have an individual optimiser component located at each panel.
However, instead of converting DC electricity to AC electricity at the panel, they condition the DC electricity and send it to a string inverter for conversion.
If your roof experiences shade during the day, the panel-level optimisation provided by power optimisers often results in higher system efficiency than using a string inverter alone.
Like microinverters, power optimisers not only reduce the impact of panel shading on system performance, but also offer panel-level performance monitoring.
Microinverters, another form of MLPE, are rapidly gaining popularity, particularly for residential solar panel systems.
Systems with microinverters typically have an individual microinverter installed on the back of each solar panel.
They convert the DC electricity from your solar panels into AC electricity directly on your roof, with no need for a separate string inverter.
In most cases, installers mount the microinverters onto the back of the solar panel itself.
They can also be placed next to the panel on your solar racking system.
Microinverters take Module-Level Power Electronics, or MLPE, to the logical conclusion.
While power optimisers aggregate the electricity from your panels and send it to a string inverter for DC to AC conversion, microinverters complete the DC to AC conversion directly at each individual solar panel.
As a result, just like power optimiser systems, microinverters also allow you to monitor the performance of individual solar panels.
Many microinverter and power optimiser companies are partnering with solar panel manufacturers to create smart modules.
Simply put, a smart module is a solar panel with a piece of Module-Level Power Electronics, or MLPE, equipment already integrated into it.
This simplifies installation and can help reduce labour costs for installers.
Many of the world’s biggest panel manufacturers now have smart module options available.
