Are you looking to install the best solar inverter in South Africa? It can be simple when you choose a reliable provider. In addition, while considering a solar project, choosing the right inverter has its major role. If you like to add the maximum value for your solar project, then pay attention in picking the most suitable inverter. However, how do you make the inverter choice? This blog will help with that.
Though it is not a technical guide, still it can serve those who are interested in moving to solar for their energy needs. After all, making the right choice of solar inverter in South Africa makes an integral part of the solar projects.
Solar Inverter In Solar Energy System
Solar inverter is an important element in a solar power system. Also, it is the high cost component as well. It converts the power received from the solar panels into usable AC power. Besides being an essential part of the solar system, it is also the one that often fails first in the system.
The core purpose of the solar inverter is to convert the energy and give it numerous capabilities. Additionally, they are equipped with other features such as data monitoring, administrations, applications and utility control. All these aspects make sure that the solar inverter in South Africa works to its maximum efficiency.
Inverters are most beneficial especially for the areas where there are frequent power cuts. Compared with traditional electricity, solar energy is a clean, co friendly and affordable way of powering the appliances. During those times when you don’t have access to electricity, it will be of great help to get the current from the solar panels.
If you look into the major role of an inverter in a solar system, it stores the solar energy in their batteries and makes it available for use when there is a power cut. Since people are realizing the great benefits of a cost effective solar inverter in South Africa, they are interested in choosing the best one for their use. Hence we could see plenty of brands emerging in the market.
However, the often met question is how to choose the most relevant one for the project need. There are certain factors to consider in better navigating your process of buying the right inverter. It is always good to have some basic information before buying a product. This helps in making the right decision. Also, spending on a solar inverter in South Africa is a long term investment. Hence get it right with the below tips.
Considerations In Buying The Solar Inverter
- Know the types of solar inverters
Based on the solar panels in the system, there are various types of solar inverters. If you look for a high quality solar system, then choose the best and most appropriate solar inverter for it. Let us see the common types of solar inverter available.
- String Inverters – It is the most common type of solar inverter that can be found with residential units. Since they get connected to the panels via strings, they receive the name as string inverters.
Suitable for – For those who look for an economical solar inverter in South Africa within their budget, this option goes well.
- Hybrid inverters -This kind of inverter blends two mechanisms for formulating a single inverter. A battery inverter and a solar inverter combine to build a single energy unit.
Where to use the hybrid solar inverter – Hybrid inverters are a very good choice for the households where the homeowner looks to be more self-sufficient using solar and batteries, still don’t want to disconnect from the grid.
- Off-grid solar inverter – This stand-alone solar inverter in South Africa totally disconnected from the grid power. They are mostly useful for home and help in converting AC to DC for battery power backup.
Best for – Useful in producing hybrid grid-connected inverter systems.
- Micro solar inverters – These small sized inverters are directly attached to the solar panels. Since these solar inverters are attached to only one or two panels, they are more specific in tuning the panel output. Thus this inverter tends to optimize the yield of the entire system.
Good for – If you look for a technical and reliability termed solar inverter in South Africa, this is the right one for you.
- Watts
While looking for a solar inverter in South Africa, you may have noticed that they are available in various sizes and shapes. In general, they are measured in watts. Typically, the watts rating of the inverter should be equal to the system watts to make the perfect fit. If you choose the wrong inverter size, it may affect the efficiency of the solar system.
For example, if the solar system you have chosen has 2500 watts, the solar inverter you choose should also be 2500 watts or more. When you choose the right solar inverter size for a solar system, the major considerations are:
- Geography
- Solar array size
- Specific conditions of the installation site
- If there is varying electricity production from multiple systems, then the size of the solar inverter in South Africa that you need also be multiple. For those areas with moderate temperature, the size of the inverter must be close to the solar panel voltage.
- Solar Array Sizes is one of the important factors in deciding about the size of the inverter. The solar inverter that you choose should be able to handle the DC electricity that the solar array generates at its full ability.
- If those scenarios where the solar panels have higher de-rating factors, the installer will recommend using a smaller inverter. This helps the array not to reach the maximum production.
- Efficiency of the inverter
It is very simple, with a more efficient solar inverter in South Africa, the more you can save on your electricity bills. Generally, the efficiency rating of a solar inverter is measured in percentage. Speaking about the efficiency, it majorly relies on the battery of the inverter system. If you heard any complaints from the installers that the inverter doesn’t meet the desired backup time, it is due to the battery fault.
The efficiency of the battery is determined by its charge or discharge rate. If both aspects are maintained equally, it will increase the battery life. Moreover, for an efficient solar inverter in South Africa, proper charging of batteries is crucial. Before you make the choice of the solar inverter, you should calculate the load and backup time.
You can get the efficiency of the inverter from the ratio of the output power to the input power. With the load on the inverter, you can come to know of the efficiency of the inverter to a large extent. As some power loss will be always there in heat generation, you can never get a 100% efficient solar inverter in South Africa.
- Manufacturer’s warranty
Solar inverter warranty is a big one and you should definitely consider that. Most of the grid connected inverters will last for 10-20 years. At an absolute minimum, they can last for 10 years. Based on the inverter type you choose, the warranty period will vary from 5-12 years. In addition, some extensions or upgrades can be done at extra cost.
However, how long do inverters generally last? The lifespan of a solar inverter in South Africa varies from type to type. The life of a string inverter ranges from 10-15 years. On the other hand micro inverters and DC optimizers can last for 20-25 years. But with off grid inverters, the lifespan is comparatively low ranging from 2-10 years, depending on the manufacturer.
Once you have determined the requirements of a specific featured inverter, look at its warranty period. Remember, the longer the warranty that the product carries on it, the more protection you will have.
- Operating temperature
Each solar inverter in South Africa comes with its own operating temperature range. You can know about this from the data sheet that comes with the solar inverter. For the optimal efficiency of an inverter, it is necessary that you stay within that range.
To put in simple words, Operating temperature of an inverter is the safest temperature range in which an inverter maintains. It is common for the inverters to produce some heat while they function. Since they are going to operate in unpredictable/uncontrollable weather conditions, they are exposed to fluctuating temperature ranges. So, it is better if you choose a solar inverter in South Africa that has higher operating temperature ranges.
- Know about the battery
Another crucial component in inverter selection is its battery. Indeed, it is the backbone of the inverter. If you look at the most important factor that determines the life and performance of the inverter, it is battery quality. Despite the fact that you have a high quality inverter system, unless you have the right battery, load can’t be delivered.
Once you have decided about buying an inverter, the next question is – how many hours will it run the appliances/equipment? Here is the role of a battery capacity in a solar inverter in South Africa. The battery capacity is the core element that decides the backup hours of an inverter. In order to calculate the right battery for the inverter, the blow formula can help you.
Battery capacity = Power requirement x Back up hours / Battery Voltage
- Considering the power requirements
One of the most important considerations that should never be overlooked when buying a solar inverter is your Power requirement. You should find out all those electric appliances that you want to run during the power failures. By adding the power consumption of the equipment, you can determine the power requirement. This helps in choosing the most relevant type of solar inverter in South Africa.
It is very clear that the buyer should properly make the calculation when it comes to finding the power needs. In fact, this is an essential point in choosing the right size inverter. Deciding about your needs and selecting the right inverter that generates such an energy level make it sense. In most cases, it is advisable to choose a solar inverter that has slightly higher the capacity of your estimated requirements.
- Your budget
When shopping for a solar inverter in South Africa, you should choose the one that matches your determined budget. Besides selecting an efficient inverter, it is also important that it fits into your financial capability. Of course, your budget is an important thing that majorly decides which inverter you can go for. When you are clear about the budget that you can afford, you can better select among the choices.
When you have budgets, you can go for higher models with a lot of advanced features. In such cases, you will have a long life battery. If you can’t afford too much, then make sure that your selection meets the features that you need most.
- Brand choice
When it comes to picking a solar inverter in South Africa, you have a lot of choices in brands. Informed decisions are very important when making a brand selection. Good reputation of the brand in the industry is a positive sign for reliability. Of course, it is the foremost thing that you should consider.
The next essential thing for your consideration is to know whether the specific solar inverters of the brand suit your system. This point is very important for those who have small residential solar systems. When picking a brand, make a little research on its service network, price terms, warranty details, value for money and their focus on producing quality products.
We hope the list of considerations provided here will help you in buying the right solar inverter in South Africa. Spending sufficient time and getting information on the product saves you from bad experiences. Above all, buy from reliable distributors for better peace of mind. Experts from such companies can guide you in choosing the most suitable one for your unique requirement.