What is a microinverter?
Traditional Inverters
Traditionally, a single inverter converts the natural DC output of several solar panels to the AC power output used in homes, businesses, or on the utlity grid. The solar modules, connected along a string, relay their power from panel to panel until it reaches the central inverter.
Unfortunately, there is power loss along the entire string whenever the performance of even one panel is impaired. This can occur from single-panel shading or from the different efficiencies of each connected panel. In a traditional solar installation, the power output of the weakest panel limits the energy harvest of the entire string.
Installing only identical panels and avoiding any shading is necessary to try to reduce the expensive power loss of a traditional PV system. In many situations, though, these methods are impractical, if not impossible.
SolarBridge PVAC microinverters
In a PVAC system, each panel is connected to its own microinverter. The power output of every solar module is converted and optimized by a SolarBridge unit. Power point tracking on the panel-level maximizes energy harvest for the entire system. And the failure of one module does not disable the remainder of the solar modules in the installation.
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