Thread: Max panel output for inverter?

Will an engine have a shorter life if you run it j-u-s-t under the red line, with the occasional step over, - or on top of the Green, with the occasional visit near the red line???

If you have cheap or middle-of-the-road panels, then MAX output will only occur if they're at right angles to the sun's angle and when the sun is happiest...

If you have 'better' panels, they could go over their rated output under good - not perfect- conditions, as mine occasionally do...

Heat kills any electronic gizmo, and running close to red-line is going to shorten the Mean Time Before Failure.

Then there's the method the manufacturer uses to rate his inverters...

Ben, there will be no real dramas, when the system is pumping it will lose the top few percent of the input, but when its at say its usual 75%, you will get a greater input than you did before. Voltage and current inputs apply though as they will increase.

Originally Posted by superquag

Will an engine have a shorter life if you run it j-u-s-t under the red line, with the occasional step over, - or on top of the Green, with the occasional visit near the red line???

If you have cheap or middle-of-the-road panels, then MAX output will only occur if they're at right angles to the sun's angle and when the sun is happiest...

If you have 'better' panels, they could go over their rated output under good - not perfect- conditions, as mine occasionally do...

Heat kills any electronic gizmo, and running close to red-line is going to shorten the Mean Time Before Failure.

Then there's the method the manufacturer uses to rate his inverters...

Good inverter manufacturers allow a fair percentage of overclocking, it merely clips the excess in peak periods

Inverters are better off driven at the higher range

So yes, perfectly fine, staying within current limits is not as critical, but within voc considering minimum temp, azimuth angle are quite crucial to inverter lifespan

I'm about to put 4.5kw of panels on a 4kw inverter tomorrow, the design program is actually more favourable of this than 4.5 on a 5

If you want to be kind to your inverter I suggest you keep it out of the full sun, preferably on the cool side of your house. Less heat should allow it to work harder without risk.