What happens if your solaredge inverter is too small? One of the most important pieces of equipment for which you have to select the size is the inverter when purchasing a solar energy system. At the heart of any solar power system is an inverter, which converts the DC electricity created by your solar panels into AC electricity to power your home or business.
SolarEdge is a very popular company name within the solar industry, providing complete inverter offerings, all designed to squeeze the most efficiency out of your solar energy system. However, an appropriately sized inverter is going to lead to optimal performance.
In this article, we detail what happens when a SolarEdge inverter is too small relative to its solar energy system, the possible associated consequences, and how to avoid this common mistake.
The Role of a Solar Inverter in Your System
In order to understand the implications that an undersized inverter may have, the first thing to realize is what role it plays in the system. Basically, a solar inverter converts the DC electricity generated by your solar panels into AC electricity, which can be either used for home appliances or fed back into the grid. The inverter size is measured in kilowatts and determines the number of kilowatts of direct current that can be converted to usable alternating current at any given time.
What happens if your SolarEdge Inverter is too Small?
There are multiple things that can go wrong with an undersized SolarEdge inverter compared to the number of kilowatts of energy solar panels put out, thus affecting the whole performance and efficiency of your solar energy system.
Power Limiting and Energy Loss
A low-sized inverter may result in power limitation, where the inverter is unable to support the full DC power produced by your photovoltaic panels. If this happens, then your inverter will ‘clip’ the output to its rated maximum, thus losing energy production. This means that on such very sunny days when your solar panels are producing much higher electricity so much of it will be going to waste.
Lower ROI (Return on Investment)
A smaller inverter may reduce your solar system’s ROI. After all, isn’t the whole idea of a solar system to maximize energy generation and minimize what you spend on your electricity? But if your inverter is too small to accommodate the amount of power produced during its peak production, you will not see the expected savings in the amount of energy, and payback for your investment will take longer.
Underperformance of the system may occur
Your solar energy system is designed to achieve maximum efficiency only when all its components are properly sized and matched. An inverter that’s too small makes the system operate below efficiency, which results in less power being generated. This might pose a problem in case your energy needs increase in the near future—for example, by adding more appliances, an electric vehicle, or expanding your home.
This could also limit the potential for future system expansion: a small inverter can handle only a small amount of solar power, so if you intend to add more panels to your system to increase the wattage, an undersized inverter will not be able to support the extra power, and this will lead to spending on a new, larger inverter or adding a second one. This may become expensive and may be very tiresome.
Increased Wear and Tear
Operating a small inverter at or near its rated capacity for extended periods can raise the chances of wear and tear on the equipment. This could reduce the life of the inverter and lead to higher maintenance or replacement cycles, increasing your overall system costs.
How to Avoid the Pitfalls of an Undersized Inverter
To avoid such issues with an undersized inverter, your SolarEdge inverter needs to be sized properly, considering the capacity of the solar panels and your energy requirements. Some important factors are as follows:
Analyse Your Power Consumption:
Before picking an inverter, consider your present and future requirements. Do you have a big house? What will be the present and future electricity use of your household? Are you planning on increasing your energy usage in the near future? For example, are you thinking of expanding your solar panel array or putting up a wall charger for an EV? We’re excited to let you know that we can help with all those questions.
Consider System Oversizing
System oversizing means installing more solar panels than the inverter can process during peak production. That may seem counterintuitive, but it could actually turn out to be cheap if done correctly. For example, SolarEdge inverters are designed to accept a certain level of oversizing, usually up to 133% of the inverter’s rated capacity, to maximize energy production during less ideal conditions and to avoid significant energy loss at peak times.
Work with a Solar Professional
The above case means that a qualified solar installer or professional will help with properly sizing your system. They can go through a detailed analysis of the use of energy and output from the panel, among other factors that determine your inverter’s sizing. Additionally, solar professionals have local regulations, incentives, and grid connection requirements.
Understand SolarEdge’s Flexibility
This makes the SolarEdge inverters a little flexible with system sizing. For example, their inverters transformed into power optimizers that give power to each board independently, in such a way that they all work at the peak optimum, therefore reducing the effects of shading or mismatch in the panels. Although this can help offset some of the downsides of a slightly undersized inverter, it’s still important to aim at the proper size to avoid potential issues.
Conclusion
As already outlined, the size of the SolarEdge inverter is a crucial part of the whole system in harnessing energy, since only a properly sized inverter will ensure the systems work at peak performance, produce the most possible energy, and give the best returns on the investment. An undersized inverter leads to power limitation, which reduces the effectiveness of returns and causes wear. In the process, the return on investment is negatively affected by the experience gained from solar energy.
You can correctly size the inverter for your system by carefully considering energy needs and possible future system expansion, and discussing it with a solar professional. Flexible inverter options from SolarEdge can help you design a system with technologies that are fitting for your current requirements yet are able to grow with the future system size.
Get a Quote Ready to find the right inverter by SolarEdge for your solar system? Contact us for a customized quote and to ensure your system is sized right for maximum efficiency and savings.
Calculating the Cost
Super eager to see how much you’d save when empowered with the correctly sized SolarEdge inverter? Use our cost calculator and learn an estimated potential saving on your energy bills; learn how soon your investment pays for itself.
FAQS
What happens if my SolarEdge inverter is oversized for my system?
Clipping results from inverter oversizing where it cannot handle the entire DC power your panels are producing and therefore shuts over to protect itself. In this process, precious energy production is lost, reducing efficiency.
Can I upgrade my inverter if my energy needs increase?
Yes, you could always upgrade later if you increase your energy needs or are considering adding more solar panels, but ideally, it is more cost-effective if you select the correct size of an inverter initially.