I’ve heard about three types of DC to AC converters used in the solar power business.
Microinverters, String inverters, Grid-Scale Inverters
Please how they work.
In: Technology
All the inverters you listed are fundamentally the same types of devices with the exception of scale (power rating).
Inverters can be pure sine wave (best) or modified sine wave (meh).
Inverters can be grid-tied or grid-isolated. Grid-tied inverters require a mechanism so the power they produce is in synchronization with the grid power or havoc will result. Grid isolated inverters have no need for synchronization so they have some internal frequency source that produces either 50/60 Hz AC. Those frequency sources are usually not as accurate as the grid frequency over the long run.
Grid-scale inverters are massive inverters used to provide transient power to grids in case of need. They are usually limited in capacity to an hour or so, usually plenty of time to get older, steam-based generators online and synched. Grid inverters can be used to convert between different grids, for example between a 50 Hz grid and a 60 Hz grid though that function is usually performed by massive rotary converters.
Latest Answers