Most of us take pricing as the most important factor whenever we plan to buy anything new. As consumers, we give preference to affordability above everything else most of the time, and even though no one can argue that it’s wrong, it’s not always the best approach.
Sometimes, there are other factors at play that should be given more importance than just pricing. The same goes for solar inverters, where most of us go by the solar inverter price since we are mostly unaware as to what else we should look at. So, we are going to help you get a better understanding of the crucial factors that you should consider when purchasing a solar inverter which will have a direct impact on the pricing.
So, what are those factors? Let’s have a look!
Load Requirement
Your load requirement is an important factor, as it will have a direct effect on the solar inverter price. The load requirement is usually dependent on the number of appliances that you have at your home and the amount of power each of those appliances demands while running. Therefore, it’s crucial to have a basic understanding of the amount of power backup you are going to need in case of a power failure to keep your appliances up and running.
So, in case you are only planning on running basic appliances such as a couple of fans, a few lights, and a television set, your load requirement will be much less compared to someone wanting to run high-powered appliances like air conditioners, refrigerators, etc.
Type of Inverter
The type of solar inverter you end up choosing will directly impact the solar inverter price. Generally, off-grid inverters cost more than on-grid inverters since both are designed to serve a specific purpose.
Let’s have a look at these two types of inverters:
- On-Grid Inverters: An on-grid inverter is connected to the local grid as they don’t exclusively depend on solar panels to generate 100% of the power requirement. So, in case there is a shortage, it draws energy from the local grid to compensate for the energy deficit.
- Off-Grid Inverters: Off-grid inverters generate 100% of the required power themselves with zero dependence on the local grid. Any additional power generated is routed towards the batteries to be stored in case there is a deficit in power due to external factors such as climatic conditions or a power cut. Thus, they are designed to be more powerful and efficient so that they can meet the energy demands with no reliance on the local grid.
Technology
The type of solar controller also plays a major role in the solar inverter price. Currently, there are two types of solar controllers that are widely in use: PWM- Pulse Width Modulation and MPPT- Maximum Power Point Tracking.
Solar charge controllers are required to prevent battery overcharge, and they achieve this feat by modulating the flow of current from the solar panels to the batteries, making them one of the most crucial components in the entire system.
MPPT solar controllers are costlier than the PWM type controllers because they are more efficient since they ensure that maximum power is being delivered by the solar arrays. It does so by real-time tracking of the solar panel voltage and current. On the other hand, a PWM-type controller functions as an electric switch and only ensures that the voltage from the solar array matches the battery’s voltage.
Thus, the solar inverter price that you pay depends on these crucial factors that we have discussed so far. So, in case you are planning on buying a solar inverter, pay close attention to the load requirement, type of inverter, and technology used to determine if it’s worth the price you are paying.
Luminous has a range of solar inverters available across a range of budgets and load requirements, so in case you are looking for an inverter built using the highest-grade components, make sure that you drop by and check out their range of products!