Top Rated Solar Inverters for the Climate of Australia
Common Mistakes to Avoid Before Investing in Solar
April 18, 2018While living in Adelaide and earning my living as a solar installer for more than a decade now, I have come to realize that not every solar brand is suitable for all environment.
Perhaps, it’s because of the humidity or the geographic location, the panels are not equally efficient everywhere.
If you’re also looking for top rated solar panels in Australia, click to find out more.
Regardless, which is why I am going to talk about the top rated solar inverters stable for the Australian climate. You can be rest assured this is ten years of experience talking.
There are four different categories of inverters available
- Hybrid inverters : the device is comprised of a solar as well as a battery inverter in one.
- String solar inverters : the technology is for string of solar panels joined together in series.
- Off-grid inverters : these are powerful batteries of the modern days can be either AC or DC system.
- Micro inverters : these could be a wonderful option if you have a large rooftop with an intricate interior.
Our top rated solar inverters are graded based on the following qualities
- Sustainability : determines the longevity of an inverter, the premium ones
- Functionality : to what extent does it allow you to consume power
- Price range : prices for each will vary depending on the quality of an inverter
In terms of pricing, a regular 5kW inverter can start at $850; however, a premium quality device that has 10+ year warranty can exceed $1800. You can always opt for a cheaper one, but the failure rate is going to be higher in such cases.
We have segregated the top rated solar inverters according to residential and commercial needs.
Residential inverters:
Fronius:
They are currently running a successful branch in Melbourne since 2010 and offering warranty support for Australian consumers.
Remarkably, these inverters can reach up to 97% to 98% efficiency while acting as a reliable backup in terms of power consumption in your house.
All inverters designed by Fronius are
- Certified by the Clean Energy Council of Australia
- Manufactured in Austria
- Include 5 years of manufacturer’s warranty period extendable up to 10 to 15 years
The latest edition of Fronius is perhaps the smartest device you could find in the market today; moreover, it’s light and comparatively easier to install.
SMA:
German made inverters are bound to last you a considerable period of time due to its superior quality and performance.
Today, SMA owns the largest market shares having distributional channels across 19 different continents, although two subsidiaries from the US and South Africa have been relocated to China.
- The brand still lives up to its promise every day, in terms of reliability and service.
- 10 years of additional warranty support.
- High tier inverters slightly pricier compared to the rest.
- The SMA inverter does not have a digital display, as it relies on WiFi support
- Enables you to interact with it through a smartphone if you’re connected to the internet.
The device has apps available on the Play Store called Sunny Portal and Sunny home manager 2.0.
CyboEnergy:
One of the amazing things of these powerful monsters is that you can use it for both on-grid and for off-grid support.
- Additionally, there are four inputs for connecting to four 25o-320W solar panels producing 1150W AC into the grid.
- To help you interacting with the device there’s CyboBridge available for download on your smartphone.
- The on/off grid CyboInverters are remarkably useful during bad weather, oftentimes leading to dysfunctional power grids.
Excess power supply can be channeled back to the National grid; hence, you get credited for later use. The off-grid CyboInverter is offering a remarkably flexible and an efficient way to meeting the wide scale demand by users.
The above diagram represents an off-grid CyboInverter in which Channels 1 and 2 are connected to solar panels, whereas channels 3 and 4 are connected to a battery.
They generate adequate power to light up fans, lights, and refrigerators inside a house.
In this case, the CyboInverter will extract additional DC from the 36V battery to generate 1500W AC supply for kickstarting the compressor.
The inverter was listed on the Frost & Sullivan’s Global Product Differentiation Excellence Award in 2013.
Commercial Solar Inverters:
Solar Edge:
There are more than 1.7m solar installations in Australia today, among which SolarEdge has gained massive popularity in a short time.
- These inverters operate at a specific voltage using power optimisers connecting each panel for a sustainable energy output.
- In case a panel is operating less efficiently, the remaining optimisers will compensate for the loss.
- Optimisers are also termed as MLPE (Module Level Power Electronics) with power conversion units attached to each panel.
- So you could view real time data generated by all panels on a property, and you can also locate the defected panel(s).
According to another professional solar installer based in Australia,
I have installed a number of Solaredge systems and i like the fact the central Inverter has no other requirement but to convert the DC power keeping it simple, also the optimiser units are well built and very robust, but most of all the monitoring system is second to none, i can check my customers systems from any location on my iphone
Needless to say that the technology is impressively flexible with efficient optimisers capable of surviving more than 25 years; however, its string inverters come with 12 year warranty support.
EnPhase:
This once upon a time market dominating inverters have reemerged again with astounding efficiency.
- Even though Enphase is widely popular across the US, the latest version is gaining a lot of traction today.
- Enphase is a microinverter that is itself sufficient for altering DC to AC, unlike solar panels with optimisers.
- There’s a heftier price attached to Enphase since the technology itself is relatively more complex than the rest.
These inverters come with 25 year warranty support since they do not rely on string, and there’s no need to worry about buying replacements as they are in use. The latest Enphase and LG version makes life remarkably easier for installers. They are not required to carry additional components if they have to install EnPhase inverter.
AIMS Power:
This is some serious firepower we are going to talk about. A 6000W inverter capable of generating 18000W electricity in its chassis.
- These inverters have continued to dominate the US market mainly due to its outstanding features that rolled out subsequently.
- And just like CyboEnergy, this inverter is applicable for both off/on grid power support.
It has a diverse range of premium functionalities, such as auto start with an inbuilt smart charger for its batteries, and also it has a control charger. AIMS has been designing inverters since 2001, even today the brand continues to innovate by implementing green technology to the latest designs.
Conclusion:
I hope this article covers the necessary materials required to choose solar inverters you have been scouring for all over the internet. In case I have missed out anything, I’d encourage you to mention below.
Technology is progressing at a massive pace today, which is why I feel it’s important that people should familiarize themselves with the recent changes.
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