Are optimisers and micro-inverters worth it

Post Reply
Stan
Posts: 373
Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2021 10:45 am

Are optimisers and micro-inverters worth it

#1

Post by Stan »

Well, maybe they are not worth the extra money.
Gary articulately explains to us why not.

User avatar
nowty
Posts: 5733
Joined: Mon May 31, 2021 2:36 pm
Location: South Coast

Re: Are optimisers and micro-inverters worth it

#2

Post by nowty »

What it does not explain very well is you need a good Max Power Point Tracker (MPPT) in the inverter for the bypass diodes to work. Some cheaper inverters will only work with a small amount of shading, say one or two segments of a panel. But get a decent inverter with a global MPPT function like an SMA inverter and set the shade management function, it scans a large range of voltages every few minutes. In this case optimisers are hardly worth it apart from the individual panel monitoring function.

Where optimisers really come in is fitting together complicated strings with different panels, panels pointing different directions and panels with differing slope angles.

Or on the cheaper inverters where the MPPT does not do global peak max power point tracking with more extensive shading.
16.9kW PV > 109MWh generated
Ripple 6.6kW Wind + 4.5kW PV > 25MWh generated
5 Other RE Coop's
105kWh EV storage
60kWh Home battery storage
40kWh Thermal storage
GSHP + A2A HP's
Rain water use > 510 m3
Oldgreybeard
Posts: 1873
Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2021 3:42 pm
Location: North East Dorset

Re: Are optimisers and micro-inverters worth it

#3

Post by Oldgreybeard »

Andreas Speiss in Switzerland did some tests on this recently, too, in this video, and came to much the same conclusions about optimisers:

25 off 250W Perlight solar panels, installed 2014, with a 6kW PowerOne inverter, about 6,000kWh/year generated
6 off Pylontech US3000C batteries, with a Sofar ME3000SP inverter
Post Reply