Solar Inverter guide for Rooftop Solar Power Systems in India

Solar Products

Few days back we wrote about selection of PV Panels for Solar Rooftop System. After Solar Panels, the second very essential component of a Solar rooftop system is a Solar Inverter. An Inverter converts DC current to AC current. Solar Panel modules generate DC current, which we can’t use with domestic appliances and hence the need for Inverters. Moreover, the main power grid runs on AC as well, for grid-connected systems conversion from DC to AC is necessary. A Solar Inverter also ensures that the panel modules always operate at their radiation and temperature dependent maximum power. So it’s very important that a good quality Inverter is installed.

Things to look for while buying an Inverter:

Efficiency of the Solar Inverter:

The amount of energy your rooftop system generates is a little more than what you finally gets. It’s the efficiency of your Inverter that is held accountable. So the more efficient the inverter is, more power it will convert to useful electricity. And, naturally the more efficient the inverter, more expensive it will be. So buy an inverter with higher efficiency (85-95%) and a reasonable price.

Ingress protection (IP rating):

IP rating is a rating of any appliance which classifies the degrees of protection provided against the intrusion of solid objects (including body parts like hands and fingers), dust, accidental contact, and water in electrical enclosures. Basically, how well is the appliance protected from dirt and humidity. IP66, IP67 are some common ratings for waterproof (to some level) appliances. To know exactly what these numbers are click here. Moreover, an IP65 rated Inverter is generally good enough to protect from dust and rain.

Anti-Islanding protection:

Anti-islanding protection is a way for the Inverter to sense when there is a problem with the power grid, such as a power outage, and shut itself off to stop feeding power back to the grid. If you want to know more about what islanding is then click here. Its must for all grid-tied systems to have this feature in their Inverters. It’s a safety measure to protect engineers working to fix the power failure. So if you are going for a grid-connected solar PV system then buy an Inverter with anti-islanding feature.

Wave Form of an Inverter:

Wave form is a feature that a lot of people aren’t aware of while buying an Inverter. A pure Sine Wave Inverter is always the best for your household. Don’t go for a square wave or a modified sine wave Inverter. The cost of a sine wave Inverter is comparable to others.

Warranties:

Generally grid-connected Inverter get warranties of up to 5 years, whereas off grid Inverters are available only for 1-2 year warranty. If you opt for a branded Inverter it’ll almost never require maintenance.

So this was our guide for you to buy a solar Inverter for your rooftop solar PV system. Tell us if you find this helpful. Comment down below if you have any related queries.

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