Characterization of Micro Inverter Solar Panels

A rising demand for electrical energy with a diminishing supply of fossil fuels as well as growing concern for the environment has led to an interest in renewable energy. Photovoltaics have grown in popularity as a renewable energy source and lots of research has been done to improve these systems. One of the ways to improve a photovoltaic system is to improve the inverter. A common inverter set-up with photovoltaic systems is a string inverter system, where panels are connected in a string to one or more inverters. One way to improve photovoltaic panels is to use micro inverters, which is a system of panels where each panel has its own inverter. Past research has shown that micro inverter systems are less negatively impacted by shading, and are safer, cheaper, and easier to install than string inverter systems. This paper investigates and compares the efficiency of these two inverters. The micro inverter was found to be approximately 5–8% more efficient than the string inverter.