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Over half of all solar systems in North America use micro inverters, which are a great replacement for the typical “string” solar inverter. Micro inverters, commonly referred to as micros, have a number of benefits over string solar inverters, however they are slightly more expensive initially. This article looks at whether paying more is worthwhile and the benefits of micro inverters over standard string inverters. Learn the fundamentals of how solar energy works here if you’re new to it.

Enphase Energy, which was established in 2006, has long been considered as the top producer of micro inverters worldwide. The first micro inverter, the M175, was introduced by US-based Enphase in 2008, but sales didn’t truly take off until the next-generation M190 was introduced in 2009. Since then, Enphase has been a market leader in North America for micro inverter technology and has a sizable market share. Compared to other regions, sales in Europe and Australia have been low, but they are now increasing as installers and consumers alike become aware of the many advantages of micro inverters.

Reliability

The majority of micro inverters have undergone extensive testing in hostile weather and climatic conditions. These products typically come with a warranty to support their claim that they are built to survive the lifetime of a solar panel. Many micro inverters, like those made by Enphase, have a 25-year warranty, which is far greater than the typical string inverter warranty of 10 years. Remember once more that this is only applicable with top-notch micro inverters like those made by Enphase. Our solar experts have documented extremely few failure rates up to this point, and Enphase has established itself as one of the most dependable inverter manufacturers worldwide.

Elevated temperatures

Enphase tested and tracked the functionality of their micros in Adelaide, Australia, throughout the summer of 2014, which saw the most consecutive days over 40°C (104°F) in recorded history and a peak temperature of 45.9°C (115C). They were able to declare that “No Enphase Micro inverter across Australia stopped down owing to high temperature” during this time due to the sophisticated monitoring of their inverters. Other manufacturers also subject their inverters to rigorous testing, and they have shown good performance in both hot and icy conditions. However, it cannot be assumed that all micros meet this criteria; a number of rival brands have experienced substantially higher installation failure rates.

Security: AC vs. DC

In a rooftop string inverter system, DC electricity is transmitted from the roof top to an inverter, which transforms the DC current into AC electricity. When a single solar module is destroyed, unlike in conventional string solar systems, it cannot become a potentially dangerous hot spot, as can occur with strings because of increased voltage and current that can result in a thermal runaway.

Panels still create DC electricity in a micro inverter system, but it is instantly converted to AC power on the roof. This is crucial because when a cable is damaged, DC voltage is more likely to result in arcing, which can cause heating and even a potential fire. It is crucial to remember that fire from any solar system is extremely improbable, particularly if proper installation techniques are used.

Summary

When individual panel-level monitoring is necessary, employing Enphase micro inverters and AC modules provides significant benefits. For smaller systems, string inverter systems have a little higher upfront cost than micro inverter systems, and this price disparity widens significantly for bigger systems. A high-quality string inverter will be more cost-effective if you are on a tight budget and have sizable open roof spaces without any shading difficulties. Micro inverters were not a suitable alternative for consumers looking for energy storage up until recently. But now, thanks to the cutting-edge new Enphase IQ energy storage system and intelligent controllers created for seamless integration of solar, batteries, and even backup generators to enable partial and complete off-grid operation, this has changed.

Quality micro inverters from Enphase are unquestionably one of the greatest solutions if you’re searching for a high-quality, secure, high-performance solar system with excellent monitoring. Micros are an excellent option for roofs with different aspects or shading problems, especially if each roof section only has a few panels. Micros will offer several advantages and can provide a better payback throughout the life of the system for commercial systems with many roof slopes, impediments, or where performance monitoring is required.

It is clear why Enphase is regarded as the industry’s top supplier of micro inverters. This is because of the long history, low failure rate, high quality, sophisticated system monitoring, and all-around excellent service.