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Micro Inverters
A solar micro-inverter, also referred as microinverter or micro inverter, converts direct current (DC) from a single solar panel to alternating current (AC). Micro-inverters are small inverters rated to handle the output of a single panel. The electric power from several micro-inverters is combined and fed into an existing electrical grid. Micro-inverters contrast with conventional string or central inverter devices, which are connected to multiple solar panels.
Micro-inverters have several advantages over conventional central inverters. The main advantage is that, even small amounts of shading, debris or snow lines in any one solar panel, or a panel failure, does not disproportionately reduce the output of an entire array. Each micro-inverter obtains optimum power by performing maximum power point tracking for its connected panel.
On the residential side, inverters are getting smaller and more adaptable, opening up the market for "plug and play" systems. This has created more choices for home owners and installers.
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Modern grid-tie panels are normally rated between 220 and 245 Watts, but rarely produce this in practice, so micro-inverters are typically rated between 190 and 220 W. Because it is operated at this lower power point, many design issues inherent to larger designs simply go away; the need for a large transformer is generally eliminated, large electrolytic capacitors can be replaced by more reliable thin-film capacitors, and cooling loads are so reduced that no fans are needed. Mean time between failures (MTBF) are quoted in the hundreds of years.
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SOLAR PANELS
