Microinverters

How many solar supports a microinverter?

There is a false belief that a must be required microinverter for each installed panel. In the current market, manufacturers design equipment with different input capabilities to optimize logistics and labor costs:

• Microinverters 1 entry: Designed to connect to 1 single solar panel. Its power is usually around the 300W - 450W.

• Microinverters Duals (2 tickets): They have 2 independent MPPT followers in the same housing. Allow you to connect 2 solar individually (eg models of 700W to 900W).

• Microinverters Quadruple (4 entries): They are the most economically efficient for medium roofs. Allow us to manage up to 4 solar fully independently with a single communications team (usual powers of 1500W to 2200W).

Technical advice Tienda Solar: To choose the correct model, the maximum continuous output power of the microinverter must be balanced with the peak power (WP) of the . It is usual and beneficial to overtake the power of the panel between 10% and 20% above the nominal power of the microinverter to maximize production on cloudy days.

When is it essential to use microinverters?

Although it is an excellent option for any installation, its use becomes highly recommended or essential in the following scenarios:

1. Roofs with partial shadows: Presence of trees, chimneys, antennas or adjoining buildings that project shadows at specific times of the day.

2. Covers with multiple orientations: Tiles simultaneously oriented to the east, south and west where a inverter central could not efficiently manage the different input currents.

3. Facilities with limited space or complex forms: It allows to take advantage of small spaces of the roof placing loose in atypical inclinations.

4. Progressive expansion projects: Homes that provide for an increase in future consumption (purchase of electric car, air stopermia, etc.) and want to expand the phase installation.

5. Elimination of the unique point of failure: If a inverter central breaks down, all the production of the house falls to zero. If a microinverter fail, you lose only the production of that panel, while the rest of the system continues to cover your consumption.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Are the ones compatible microinverters with the batteries?

Yes, but require a specific configuration known as coupling in AC Current (AC Coupleing). Unlike inverters conventional hybrids (which load the batteries directly in continuous), systems with microinverters they need specific battery chargers that manage energy once it has already been transformed into an alternate.

Being installed on the roof, do not they suffer more for heat and rain?

They are designed specifically for it. The manufacturers give the microinverters of encapsulated with high degrees of protection against weathering (certifications IP67 or NEMA 6). By not having mechanical fans and dissipating heat passively through its aluminum housing, its fault rates are extremely low, allowing them to offer guarantees up to 25 years.

Do you need any accessory to see the data on your mobile?

Yes. To collect the data of each microinverter and upload them to the Internet, it is necessary to install a communication module of the manufacturer itself in the electrical panel (commonly called DTU or Envoy according to the brand) This device is responsible for linking by radiofrequency or PLC with the microinverters and connect to Wi-Fi from your home.

Can they be mixed of different powers or brands in the same microinverter?

Yes, and this is one of its greatest advantages. In a inverter central, mix different makes the entire system to fall to the weakest panel performance. With the microinverters multiboca (2 or 4 entries), each input works in a 100% independent way. You can have a 400W panel oriented south at the entry 1 and a 450W panel oriented east at Entry 2 without interfering with each other.

What happens if the electricity network is cut? Are the microinverters?

Not by default. For strict safety reasons and compliance with electricity regulations (anti-spell protection) microinverters they automatically turn off in milliseconds if they detect that the general electrical network has fallen. This prevents energy from injecting energy to the public line while the technicians of the electric company are working on it. If you are looking for a system that works during blackouts, you will need to combine the microinverters with specific storage systems with function backup.

Do I have to buy a communications device (DTU / Gateway)?

So that the microinverter work and convert energy it is not strictly mandatory, but yes it is 100% recommended. Without the communication module (such as the Hoymile DTUs or Enphase Envay), you will not have access to the application to see panel monitoring, you will not be able to configure the network parameters that the distributors require, you will not be able to limit the Surplus (zero pouring if you need it) and it will be very difficult to process the warranty if the equipment fails, since the manufacturer requests the registers in the cloud.

Can they be installed microinverters in a three-phase installation?

Yes, perfectly. Manufacturers offer two solutions for three-phase networks: use microinverters native three-phase (very common in industrial or commercial 4-mouth ranges) or use microinverters single-phase equitably distributed among the three phases to maintain the installation fully balanced.

How maximum cable distance can there be from the microinverters until the electrical box?

When they left microinverter, the current has already been transformed into alternating current to 230V. The alternating current suffers much less voltage drop over long distances than the continuous current of the . This allows you to take the AC wiring along tens of meters to the general box of the house without significant losses, using standard cable sections of 4 square millimeters or 6 square millimeters.

Do microinverters they are compatible with the solar 144 cells or bifacials?

Yes, in the vast majority of cases. You must only check two parameters on the Technical Sheet: that the open circuit voltage of the panel does not exceed the maximum input voltage of the microinverter (The 60s are usually around) and that the short circuit current (ISC) of the module is within the supported ranges. When using bifacial, make sure you choose a microinverter have a loose margin of input amperage to absorb the extra energy generated by the back face of the panel.