{"id":38936,"date":"2020-04-20T13:44:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-20T03:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=38936"},"modified":"2020-04-20T13:44:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-20T03:14:00","slug":"choosing-high-efficiency-inverter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/choosing-high-efficiency-inverter\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing A High Efficiency Inverter Can Save Hundreds Of Dollars Over Its Lifespan"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Choosing

How much can you save over 10 years by choosing a higher efficiency solar inverter?<\/p><\/div>\r\n

A solar inverter’s efficiency determines how much solar electricity will be lost on the short journey from your solar panels to your switchboard.<\/p>\r\n

The efficiency of popular Australian residential solar inverters varies from 96.5% to 98%.\u00a0 Higher efficiency lets a home squeeze more kilowatt-hours of generation out of its solar power system.\u00a0 While definitely not the only consideration when buying an inverter, I’d say it doesn’t receive as much attention as it deserves.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

To help you decide if an inverter with higher efficiency is worthwhile, first I’ll provide some information on the topic, and then I’ll calculate:<\/p>\r\n

    \r\n
  1. How many extra kilowatt-hours a one percentage point higher efficiency will generate from a 6.6 kilowatt solar system in each Australian capital, and…\u00a0<\/li>\r\n
  2. An estimate of how much money this may save over a 10 year period for each capital.\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

    While I can work out how many extra kilowatt-hours will be generated pretty well, the figure for 10 year savings will only be a rough estimate because it’s not possible to know what the future will bring.\u00a0 But I’ll provide it anyway, because it’s better than having no estimate at all.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

    If the system you’re considering isn’t 6.6 kilowatts in size this information is still be useful.\u00a0 The figures just have to be proportionately adjusted.\u00a0 If you have an 8 kilowatt system, then bump them up by 20%.\u00a0 Or 21.1212% if you are A<\/strong>nnoyingly N<\/strong>ever A<\/strong>llowing L<\/strong>atitude<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

    European Efficiency Not Maximum Efficiency<\/h2>\r\n

    Inverter datasheets normally have two numbers for efficiency – maximum efficiency and European efficiency. The maximum efficiency figure is the best the solar inverter can do when all the stars align and isn’t very useful.\u00a0 European efficiency is its average performance under reasonably realistic circumstances.\u00a0 It’s the more useful figure and the one I use in this article.\u00a0 If you want to look up the standard so you can read it yourself, I have two pieces of information for you:<\/p>\r\n

      \r\n
    1. The standard’s code is EN 50530<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\r\n
    2. You are even weirder than I am.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

      While having an average efficiency figure based on Australian conditions and temperatures here would be better, the European efficiency figures are still useful and are the standard used by the industry.\u00a0 (There is the Californian Energy Commission<\/a> standard which would probably make more sense for Australia than the European one that’s based on conditions in Italy, but it hasn’t really caught on.)<\/p>\r\n

      A List Of Solar Inverter Efficiencies<\/h2>\r\n

      Here’s a list of European efficiencies for a range of inverters.\u00a0 With one exception these are all either 5 kilowatts or close to it, single phase inverters; the most commonly installed type in Australia.\u00a0 The exception is the Enphase microinverter which is 295 watts:\u00a0<\/p>\r\n