Things you should know before buying a solar inverter. (Image source: Pixabay/Pagaling)By: Amruth Puttappa
The idea of installing solar inverters in itself is like doing a favour to yourself and the environment in several ways. But any good idea requires great implementation and to do so one needs to be well-informed about the various aspects of solar inverter installation.
Solar panels can basically convert direct current into alternating current with the help of an inverter. Along with that, choosing the right solar panel and inverter can lead to a comparatively lower electricity bill. Keeping this in mind, here is what the buyer must keep in mind before buying a solar panel-inverter combo.
Understanding your requirements
Before getting a solar inverter, the buyer must get an idea of their own power requirements and the equipment’s involved. Considering fans, lights and laptops are among the basic equipment one would prefer to use at the time of a power cut, it is important to understand the demand for electric energy generated by this equipment. Buy a solar panel and inverter based on this demand.
Checking the standard rating
Usually, a VA rating is confused with the watt rating by many vendors and sellers. In reality, watt is the power drawn or supplied by an equipment and VA is the actual power which is obtained by the particular equipment. Hence, it is important for customers to be aware of the VA rating concept. The standard VA rating one should look for to fulfil their basic power requirements should be around 706 VA to 940 VA.
On the other hand, it is very important to be particular about the VA rating, because if the rating is lesser than the power capacity required by you, it will lead to trip down of the inverter because of overload.
Along with the VA rating, checking the certification is also very important. These certificates ensure that the solar inverter is safe as well as it is at par with the standards set by leading solar power generating organisations. The few most important certifications are; IEC 62116- Anti-islanding, EC 62109-Safety, IEC 61683- Efficiency, IEC 60068-Environmental, EN 61000-EMC, IEC 60529- Ingres protection. These are some certification numbers and codes one can refer to check the quality and capacity of an inverter while buying one.
Other measures
Generally, solar inverters have a good lifespan but to ensure its proper working, a yearly servicing is required. For doing so one must consider only qualified technicians to check the inverter. The best case scenario would be for the same brand to provide services at the time of need and is available to offer support.
To ensure that the inverter keeps working well in case of voltage variations, it is important to see that the voltage variation of the inverter ranges from 120V to 260 V. It is also important to consider various factors such as ensuring the inverter can also hold the load when heavy equipments are used, like, washing machine or Air Conditioner. Apart from all these qualities, the solar inverter must be safe with short circuit protection, battery protection and IP protection.
In the current scenario, where frequent load shedding is occurring and there is a scarcity of electricity, it becomes very important to look forward to sustainable alternatives. A good solar panel inverter is among the best solutions possible and hence ensuring good quality is also important in that case.
Amruth Puttappa is founder of ThingsCloud
