{"id":832,"date":"2012-01-10T11:50:14","date_gmt":"2012-01-10T02:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=832"},"modified":"2016-05-30T14:06:40","modified_gmt":"2016-05-30T04:36:40","slug":"ac-solar-panels-the-1-solar-trend-to-watch-for-in-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/ac-solar-panels-the-1-solar-trend-to-watch-for-in-2012\/","title":{"rendered":"AC Solar Panels (microinverters) : The #1 Solar Trend to watch for in 2012?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Will 2012 be the year of the AC Solar Panel?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before answering that question I should probably explain exactly what an AC Solar Panel is…<\/p>\n

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What is an AC Solar Panel?<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>The short answer is: An AC Solar Panel is a solar panel that takes sunlight in and spits AC (Alternating Current) electricity out. This compares to a “conventional” DC Solar Panel which takes sunlight in and spits DC (Direct Current) electricity out.<\/p>\n

AC Electricity is the type of electricity you need to power the appliances in your home. DC panels need a Solar Inverter to convert the DC electricity to AC. The big advantage of AC panels is that there is no need for an inverter to do that conversion, so you have a really simple design, a simpler installation, and adding extra panels becomes almost plug and play.<\/p>\n

How Does An AC Solar Panel Work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The silicon solar cells (the square black things, the size of beer-mats) that typically make up crystalline solar panels cannot create AC electricity from sunlight. They will always output DC. The way to get \u00a0AC out of the panel is to add a “microinveter<\/strong>” about the size of a cigar box to the back of each panel. \u00a0This is simply a mini version of a standard solar inverter, that performs the inverter duties for only the solar panel that it is attached to. The nice thing about having one microinverter for each solar panel is that you will get 5-15% more power from each panel. Why? Because every solar panel will have slightly different electrical characteristics due to imperfect manufacturing tolerances. The micro inverters can optimise their function to each individual panel, instead of \u00a0making a compromise that suits all the panels on your roof. This individual optimisation squeezes more power from each panel.<\/p>\n

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A Microinverter<\/p><\/div>\n

If the microinverters are networked, then it also makes troubleshooting a cinch. Good microinverters will come with web based monitoring software that will monitor individual panels and sound the alarm if a single panel drops in power relative to the rest. This is usually caused by bird poo! But at least now you know for sure when to get your ladder and damp cloth out!<\/p>\n

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Microinveters let you monitor each panel’s power individually (courtesy Enpahse)<\/p><\/div>\n

If it is so easy to install an AC Solar Panel, do you need a solar installer at all?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, the solar installers aren’t quaking in their boots quite yet, for the following reasons:<\/p>\n