- http://www.mastertech-inc.

com/
The purpose of this article is to discuss the role of a solar power inverter in your
home solar system, as well as issues pertaining to diferent types of inverters, and
how to solve some common problems associated with them.
In order to provide electricity to the home, most home solar systems work by a
seuence in which solar panels transfer power to batteries, with the batteries then
supplying the electricity to the home. This ensures that power is available in the
dark, when the solar panels themselves aren!t generating. "f the two varieties of
electricity, both solar panels and batteries deal with #irect $urrent %#$&. The interior
of the home, meanwhile, uses 'lternating $urrent %'$&. The conversion from #$ to
'$ is performed by the inverter.
(sers can choose between )odi*ed +ine ,ave %)+,& and True +ine ,ave %T+,&
inverters. "f the two, )+, inverters are the more limited type, as they only convert
#$ electricity into the simplest form of '$ power. +ome appliances, such as
computers, which use certain types of power sources don!t have any problems with
)+, inverters, but )+, inverters can have di-culties in other cases. .or e/ample,
when used in con0unction with an )+, inverter, audio euipment will often produce
a noticeable hum. T+, inverters don!t sufer from these problems, and so they are
usually the preferred choice for homeowners.
)aintaining an inverter is no problem provided you pay attention to the following.
,hile it!s a good idea to keep the inverter as close to the batteries as possible, don!t
put it in the same bo/. (se a large si1e wire to run between the batteries and the
inverter. The correct si1e will probably be provided in the inverter documentation. '
fuse is a good idea for all wires to and from the inverter. )ake sure the inverter is in
a location where it will not be e/posed to wetness or e/treme temperatures.
In terms of common issues, there are 0ust a couple which are particular to solar
power inverters. The *rst issue is 2. interference. ,hen they!re running, all
inverters broadcast some radio noise. The simplest way to deal with this problem is
to place any receiver as far away from the inverter as possible. +witching to a
battery powered radio will also solve this problem, and the batteries can then be
recharged through the solar power system.
+o-called 3phantom loads3 represent the other common problem. ' phantom load is
the electricity used by a device while it!s turned of, which is a common issue
among many new televisions and other devices that use 3standby3 modes. Inverters
are unable to go to sleep while these devices continue to draw power. This in turn
means that inverters themselves end up using more power than they really need to.
If you!re able to connect the devices responsible for the phantom loads to a power
strip with an on/of switch, you can address this problem efectively. Turning the
power strip of will keep the devices from drawing power, allowing the inverter to
enter its low power mode.
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