What is a residential solar inverter?

Residential solar inverters are responsible for changing the direct current solar panels produce (solar energy) into usable energy. In UK homes, electrical devices run on alternating current, so for effective solar energy production, solar inverters are required to change solar panels’ DC energy to AC so that it can be used in the home.

How much does a solar inverter cost?

Meanwhile, microinverters typically cost around £100-150 per unit. Power optimisers typically cost £40 each, but need an inverter costing around £600 as well. So if you had a 3.5 kW solar PV system comprised of 10 350W panels, you’d need to spend either £1,000-1,500 for 10 microinverters, or £1,000 for £400 worth of optimisers and a £600 inverter.

Should you buy a solar inverter?

For the vast majority of households the cost of the solar inverter is always going to be a consideration when switching to solar energy. You want affordable products that perform well to help ease the switch – especially during the UK’s cost of living and energy crises that are leaving more households with less money.

How many types of solar inverters are there?

There are three different kinds of solar inverter that you can use with your solar panels. As is the case with any sensible industry, you get what you pay for. A string inverter (or centralized inverter) is the cheapest of the three options. It functions as a lone operator, processing the DC electricity of all your solar panels.

What size solar inverter do I Need?

You'll generally need an inverter that's 75% as big as your solar panel system's kilowatt-peak (kWp), which is how much solar energy it produces at standard test conditions. Every inverter has a startup voltage – that is, the amount of power needed for it to turn on and start converting DC electricity from your solar panels.

Do all solar inverters work with all solar panels?

Looking out for solar inverters that are more compatible with solar panels not made by the same manufacturer is good practice, because the chances are you’ll purchase a compatible inverter. One of the best solar inverter manufacturers for this is LuxPower. To be clear, we aren’t saying that all LuxPower inverters will work with all solar panels.