Do Micro-inverters Give a Better ROI than Central Inverters?
Author: Eben Russell; Published: Oct 22, 2009; Categories: Balance of System (BOS), PhotoVoltaic; Comments: 1
With Enphase Energy’s launch of their micro-inverter product line back in 2007 and several new micro-inverter products being announced at Solar Power International 2009 in Anaheim, central inverters could become a thing of the past. Perhaps it’s too early to tell, but micro-inverters definitely open up the PV installation market to a whole new world of highly capable AC electricians who have previously steered away from PV because of the complexity of higher voltage DC systems that required specialized training and experience.
Micro inverters allow electricians from the HVAC industry and perhaps even the satellite cable installation industry to readily offer PV installation services without having to learn complex DC string sizing and site analysis. Further time savings and cost reduction measures, as well as reduction of micro-inverter technology itself, look to be on a more aggressive and innovative path than what traditional central inverters could ever offer.
And, of course, the next iteration of technology will be to remove the DC junction box altogether and integrate the micro-inverter technology onto the back of the module directly and offer PV-AC modules. That could make PV as easy as stringing up Christmas lights (Oh no! Stringing Christmas lights is never that easy!).
