Solar Inverter – Better Earth

Inverters

The inverter is responsible for converting the power generated by the solar panels into usable electricity for your home. It transforms DC electricity from the panels into AC electricity. Once the panels start producing power, the inverter activates and sends the energy to your home. Additionally, the inverter acts as the internet relay for the solar system, enabling us to remotely monitor its production.

Enphase

Founded in 2006, Enphase Energy, Inc. is an American energy technology company headquartered in Fremont, California, that develops and manufactures solar micro-inverters, battery energy storage, and EV charging stations primarily for residential customers.

Enphase Micro-Inverter

Enphase Micro-Inverters are installed on each solar panel, allowing each one to function independently. This means that if one panel experiences shading or performance issues, it won’t impact the rest of the system, ensuring maximum energy production. By optimizing the energy output of individual panels, micro-inverters help reduce the effects of shading, dirt, or damage, making them more efficient than traditional string inverters.

Micro-Inverters also simplify maintenance, as issues can be isolated to individual panels. This allows for quicker identification and resolution of problems without affecting the entire system’s performance, which in turn reduces downtime and maintenance costs. Unlike traditional inverters, where a single failure can bring down the entire system, micro-inverters minimize this risk—ensuring that the rest of the system continues running efficiently even if one panel has an issue.

Additionally,

System Monitoring

With Enphase, the micro-inverters provide advanced monitoring capabilities, allowing you to track the performance of each panel in real-time. This detailed monitoring helps optimize overall system performance and enables quick detection of any potential issues. You can remotely monitor your system through the online monitoring portal alongside with Better Earth!

During your system installation, Better Earth may need to connect to your home WiFi network to enable system monitoring if a reliable cellular signal is unavailable at your home. Once activated, our team will monitor your system and be promptly alerted if it requires attention or maintenance.

Warranty

Enphase offers a 25-year manufacturer warranty on their micro-inverters, ensuring long-term reliability and peace of mind.

SolarEdge

SolarEdge has been a trusted name in the industry since 2006 and is renowned for manufacturing top-tier residential solar inverters and offering a comprehensive suite of advanced products designed for residential solar customers.

SolarEdge Inverter with Power Optimizers

The SolarEdge inverter works in conjunction with power optimizers to enhance the performance of your solar energy system. Each solar panel is equipped with a power optimizer, which is attached to the back of the panel. These power optimizers play a crucial role in maximizing energy production.

The DC electricity from the solar panels, optimized by the power optimizers, is then sent to the SolarEdge inverter. The inverter's main function is to convert the DC electricity into alternating current (AC) electricity, which is the type of electricity used in your home. The inverter ensures that the electricity is in the correct form and compatible with your home's electrical system.

Unlike a String Inverter, the use of Power Optimizers allows each panel to function independently. If a panel malfunctions, it will not impact the rest of the system, as the power optimizers only work with the panel they are connected to.

System Monitoring

With SolarEdge, you can remotely monitor your system through the online monitoring portal alongside with Better Earth!

During your system installation, Better Earth will install a Cell Kit in the inverter. This allows you to monitor your system though its own designated cellular network connection. However, in cases where a reliable cellular signal is not available at your location, we may need to connect to your home's WiFi network for system monitoring. Rest assured, our team at Better Earth monitors all activated systems and will be promptly alerted if your system requires attention or maintenance.

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After your system is activated, you will receive access to the monitoring portal.

Warranty

SolarEdge offers manufacturer warranties for all its products. The inverter comes with a 12-year warranty. You have the option to extend the inverter warranty up to 25 years for an additional cost, which can be included in your financing. The Power Optimizers come with an impressive 25-year warranty.

SolarEdge vs. Others

You might be wondering why we chose SolarEdge inverters over other options like Enphase. Here are some advantages of SolarEdge inverters:

SolarEdge inverters operate with power optimizers for each panel, allowing each panel to produce power independently. This enables us to easily identify and address any underperforming panel.

SolarEdge inverters are known for their efficiency, converting a higher percentage of the power generated by the system into usable electricity for your home. Although the difference compared to another inverter may not be significant, it does contributes to an overall more efficient system.

Inverter Size and Clipping

The size of the inverter depends on the size of your solar system. At Better Earth, our design team carefully evaluates the size of your system and matches it with the appropriate inverter size.

Clipping, which occurs in about 98% of our installations, is a sign that your system is operating optimally, as it indicates that the panels are producing more power than the inverter can handle. It means that your solar system is generating a high amount of electricity, maximizing its potential.

Clipping refers to a phenomenon that occurs in solar energy systems when the power output from the solar panels exceeds the capacity of the inverter. In other words, when there is abundant sunlight and the panels are producing a high amount of electricity, the inverter may not be able to convert and deliver all of that power to the home's electrical system.

If you would like more detailed information on this topic, you can check out this trusted article source: Clipping and Oversizing Your Solar Array.

At the end of the day, Better Earth is committed to honoring our 25 Performance Guarantee as stated in the agreement. If the production falls short of the guaranteed amount, Better Earth will take full responsibility to make up the difference.

FAQ

How Do I Know That I Have The Correct Inverter Size?

We recommend an inverter size that does not exceed 155% of the size of the solar system.

Our overall goal and commitment is to deliver on the guaranteed kWh as outlined in our agreement and what stands behind our 25 Performance Guarantee.

Can customers freely choose their inverter size?

The Better Earth design team is responsible for determining the appropriate inverter size that will provide the homeowner with the greatest benefit.

Choosing the wrong inverter could result in a system that does not perform optimally.

Will adding more panels later affect the inverter size?

If you plan to add more panels, it is important to consider whether your current inverter can support the increased system size.

If your inverter is not large enough, Better Earth will upgrade it to a larger size at no additional cost to you, ensuring that it can accommodate the additional panels.

What about Clipping?

Clipping, which occurs in about 95% of our installations, is a sign that your system is designed and operating optimally. You can read more about it in this article: Clipping and Oversizing Your Solar Array.

How Do I Check the Inverter Status?

You can find information on the main variations of inverter lights and their meanings at this link: Inverter LED Indications.

For more detailed information about SolarEdge equipment and specifications, please refer to these spec sheets:

What Should Know About the Monitoring Portal?

The monitoring portal may occasionally experience delays and may not always provide 100% accurate data. If there are any communication errors, Better Earth can resolve them remotely.

If any issues persist, Better Earth may reach out to you to attempt a power cycle of the system.

If the issues cannot be resolved through a power cycle, a Better Earth representative may be sent to further troubleshoot the inverter at your property.

How Does Better Earth Monitor My System?

Better Earth will monitor the system portal at all times.

There are two types of issues that may occur:

Communication issues, such as reporting problems.

Better Earth will monitor these issues to determine if they persist. If they do, we can often fix them remotely.

If the issues continue, we may need to connect the system to your WiFi for a more stable internet connection, especially if the cell signal is weak.

Production issues, which are actual issues with the system's production.

In this case, Better Earth will troubleshoot multiple times within a week using various methods.

If the issue persists, we will contact the homeowner to perform a power cycle.

If the issue still persists, BE will come out to resolve the problem or replace the system if necessary.

It's possible that some issues may turn out to be false alarms, which can often resolve themselves.

Does Better Earth Reach out to me if there is an Issue with my system?

Yes and no.

Yes - Better Earth will only contact you if there is a genuine issue that requires action.

No - Many issues can be resolved by Better Earth without any homeowner involvement.

What is a Power Cycle?

A power cycle is essentially turning off the solar system and turning it back on. The process is very similar to resetting your home's internet router.

Many common issues with a solar system functioning properly can be resolved with a power cycle.

If you don't feel comfortable doing so yourself, you can ultimately reach out to Better Earth to power cycle your system.

How do I Power Cycle My System?

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