How to Pick the Best Inverter Manufacturer

Inverter sizing can be fairly straight forward with all the sizing tools and intuitive nature what the correct sized inverter should be. However, the picking the best manufacturer can sometimes be difficult. However, following a few key insights can be helpful and make narrowing down your right inverter much easier.

Inverter manufacturers typically lean towards on or off grid applications. So, the first step in determining the best inverter manufacturer for your application is to take out the manufacturers that do not work with your application. For example, Magnum Energy produces battery inverters which are used in off-grid arrays with a battery bac up system. While SolarEdge produces string inverters with revenue grade metering, both of which are essential for on grid arrays. Off grid inverters are typically labeled as battery inverters, while on grid inverters are string inverters. Microinverters can work with either application, however more components will need to be added in off grid applications. Doing some basic homework will help you quickly narrow the field of available manufacturers.

*Magnum Energy Sine-Wave Battery Inverters

Price point varies between manufacturers. If you are working on a budget and still looking for a quality solar power inverter there are a lot of manufacturers that can meet your budgetary expectations. SolarEdge is among the best in quality with monetary efficiency, their new HD wave modules producing some of the most impressive efficiency in the market. The new technology comes at a slightly higher price point than their current SE series, but still very affordable. Fronius is typically priced at a higher point than many of their competitors, but they are not only easy to install but highly efficient. The same is true for Magnum Energy their price point is higher than Samlex inverters but both are highly efficient. Checking the specifications on the panels and calculating any loss in quality will be particularly helpful in deciding which manufacturer will fit into your budget requirements. For example, the price point difference of 500 dollars may be worth it if you will have a faster ROI from a higher efficiency rating. However, if the ROI is almost on point then a determination for the lower priced inverter may be the better determination.

*SolarEdge HD Wave Inverter

Inverter warranty periods widely vary in the industry. Off grid inverters typically take on more responsibilities and load and often have a manufacturer warranty period of 5-10 years, whereas string inverters usually have a warranty period of 5-25 years, and micoinverters have a standard 25-year warranty period. Furthermore, warranty periods are only as good as the manufacturer that backs them. The number of years the manufacturer has been in business and their future projects in new products are usually a good indicator of the company’s strength. SolarEdge, Fronius and Magnum are backed by many years in the industry and produce upgraded inverters with new technology on a fairly consistent basis. Likewise, Enphase Energy is consistently producing microinverters to keep up with energy demand. SMA produces new string inverters frequently, but produced a handful of microinverters that are going out of stock without a new line to fill their place, however, the company is solid and will be there for the duration of your warranty period and beyond.

Overall, finding the right manufacturer is all about looking into which one is going to work the best for your application. With the numerous choices out there finding the one that meets your needs is just about doing a little bit of research to make your final determination. The solar industry is filled with tier one manufacturers that will certainly meet your solar energy needs.