There are many good quality brands of inverter but it’s important to buy a pure sine wave inverter. The output AC power wave form is much smoother and doesn’t cause interference problems with consumer electronics or appliance motors. A good example is Growatt inverters.

Inverter cost depends on the quality. On the average, good quality pure sine wave inverter costs about $0.27 per rated watt. Click here to view our inverter pricing.

Solar panels output DC (direct current) and home appliances can’t use this – they need AC (alternating current). Home solar power systems need one or more solar inverters to convert DC to AC.

Any battery can be used with a solar inverter as long as the input voltages are respected. Deep cycle batteries or lithium-ion batteries should be used, as auto batteries should not be discharge more than 20% or they become damaged. Some lead acid deep cycle batteries can be discharged to 80% and lithium-ion (LiFePO4) batteries even more, to 95% without damage.

An inverter can be connected to a solar panel without a battery in fact, Growatt SPF 3500~5000 ES series are designed to work with or without battery. However, if a cloud passes over the panel or it becomes shaded, then the power output may not be sufficient to run an appliance. Batteries act as a kind of power reservoir, supplying the load when solar output is low or non-existent.

There is very little difference between solar inverters and regular inverters. They both do the same thing, which is convert DC power in AC for home appliances. However, all our inverters are hybrid inverters, they work with or without solar.

An inverter chops up straight line DC voltage into pulses and then adjusts the height of each pulse so that the overall shape is like the sine wave associated with AC power from the utility grid. The square pulses are then shaped so that the wave form is smoother. The more expensive inverters are called pure sine wave type and they have more smoothing electronics than the less expensive modified wave form inverters.

An inverter converts the DC power generated by solar panels and changed it into the AC power needed by home appliances. It’s a very efficient way of converting and using the power output of home solar power systems.

The name comes from the way that the old rotary machines were used to convert AC power to DC. If the connections were reversed, these machines would then change DC to AC – the mode of operation was “inverted”.

Solar inverter cost for a medium-sized home solar system costs between $0.08 and $0.32 per watt. A good average price to work on for a good quality solar inverter is about $0.27. An inverter for a home solar system rated at 5000 watts would cost between $1000 and $1500 ($1350 average.) Click here to view accurate pricing in Naira.

The best solar inverter is a pure-sine wave model. There are many good quality brands but we recommend Growatt. Modified sine-wave inverters generally have less/lower quality electronics for wave-form shaping and can buzz. They also can interfere with household electronic devices and cause some motors to overheat.

Even a small solar panel can overcharge a battery if left directly connected . Always use an MPPT charge controller, unless the solar panel is less than 2 watts.

As a general rule, never connect a solar panel directly to a battery. It can overcharge and damage the battery internally.

Always connect through a solar charge controller, either PWM or MPPT type. The only exception is if the solar panel is so small that it’s maximum output equals the float charge value of the battery.

Some commercial battery maintainers are designed to operate directly connected and can be left connected.

A 12 volt 20 watt solar panel will charge a battery at a slow rate, but shouldn’t be directly connected. Use a solar charge controller at all times.

You can charge all types of lithium battery with a solar panel as long as you use a solar charge controller. Most charge controllers have settings for different types of batteries, such as AGM, GEL, LiFeP04 and li-ion.

A solar panel with nominal working voltage of 20V can charge a battery but it is essential to use a charge controller.

An MPPT solar controller will track the Maximum Power Point of the panel, set the charge voltage of the battery and convert the extra voltage into more charging current.

The watts that a 40 amp MPPT controller can handle depends on the output voltage. Some have a variable setting and automatically adjusts on connection:

• 40 amp MPPT controller with 12 volt battery = 12 x 40 = 480 watts
• 40 amp MPPT controller with 24 volt battery = 24 x 40 = 960 watts

Solar energy can be stored in a variety of ways, such as heat or even mechanical flywheels, but by far the most common is to used deep-cycle batteries.

This is the basis of home off-grid solar power systems. Batteries can either be lead-acid (deep-cycle type) or lithium technology, which are inherently deep-cycle.

Lead acid deep-cycle batteries can be discharge to 80% (50% recommended for long life) while lithium iron phosphate to 95% (80% recommended).

All types of batteries have a natural rate of discharge when not in use. For Lead-acid batteries this is about 5% of the total capacity per month.

Off-grid solar power systems use lead-acid or lithium batteries to store the solar energy for use at night or during periods when the panels are shaded due to poor weather.

The average cost of a premium off-grid home solar power installation is about $15000 and energy storage batteries may account for at least 25% to 30% of this cost.

Solar battery storage is worth it from several points of view:

• Solar battery storage enables a home to go off-grid, which means no electricity bills
• Solar battery storage kicks in when there is a power outage, so you’ll have power for some days
• A grid-tie system will use solar battery energy storage at night instead of the power grid

Yes, a battery or rather, a bank of batteries can power a house. This is exactly how an off-grid home solar power system operates.

During the day the solar panels power the house and also charge a solar energy storage battery bank which typically has a capacity of hundreds of Ah.

At night-time, or on cloudy days, the battery takes over and powers the house. The bank of batteries may be lead-acid deep-cycle or lithium iron phosphate.

Battery backups are worth it because they can power a home during power outages, which is very convenient.

Solar panels work in the rain and in any weather conditions that allow some sunlight to reach the surface of the panels.

The problem is that rains come from clouds, which shade the panels and dramatically reduce the output. In cloudy, rainy weather a solar panel array may only generate 10% of it’s potential power output.

As a general rule solar panels work better in the cold as long as the value of irradiance (sun’s energy) is the same.

Heat is the enemy of solar cell energy conversion, so reduced temperatures on a bright sunny winter day can generate very good power output. However, the sun’s angle is different in the winter so it may not result in more output.

Solar panels will put out less power as they get hotter, but don’t stop working.

The optimum temperature for solar cell energy conversion is 25 degrees Celsius. For every degree over that level solar output reduces.

A ripoff is a scam or a scheme run by unscrupulous people to take your money. It implies the sale of a product that is low quality, either in manufacture or it may not do what it’s supposed to do.

Solar panels are not a ripoff as hundreds of thousands of people have reduced or eliminated their electricity bills with home solar power system installations.

Poor solar panels can be a ripoff and it’s important to buy the best possible quality solar panels.

It depends on the size of your solar installation. The average home energy consumption is around 1000kWh/month or 33kWh/day.

If your solar system is big enough to cover those needs then you will not pay any electricity bills.

No, solar panels do not need a lot of maintenance. A good surface cleaning is recommended twice a year and checks on the electrical connections once a year is all that is needed.

Solar panel manufacturers give warranties of between 35 years and 30 years, specifying a minimum power output at that end-of-life.

However, solar panels will continue to generate power for up to 50 years, gradually reducing their output at the rate of 0.7% to 0.8% each year.

It’s recommended to clean the surface of solar panels twice a year. The accumulation of dust and dirt can significantly reduce the power output of a solar array.

It is recommended that connections are checked once a year and also to make sure there is no damage from hail or other falling debris.

They should be cleaned once a year, but apart from that, no servicing is required.

Solar panels should be cleaned twice a year to remove dust and dirt.

Soapy water is simply good enough for cleaning solar panel surfaces. Basically, it’s glass so you can clean them in the same way that you would clean windows.

The only thing to be careful of is that moisture or corrosive cleaning fluid don’t leak into any junctions boxes or micro-inverters.

Yes, you can walk on solar panels. They will stand your weight, but it’s not a good idea.

If not properly supported on aluminum rails the panels may flex and crack the bus-bars that connect the solar cells together.

Also, heavy boots and shows will scratch the glass, reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the solar cells and reducing output.

Pressure washers can be used to clean solar panels. the covers are made form toughened glass and the solar cells are sealed between layers of flexible plastic.

The only thing to watch is that you don’t force water under pressure into connectors or junction boxes.

No, solar panels make it easier to sell a house. Once a solar installation is paid for electricity is free, so a portion the future electricity savings are reflected in the house price.

As a general rule, a house price increases by about 4% after a solar installation.

Polycrystalline solar panels have blue cells made of multiple silicon crystals, and they are less efficient but more affordable. Monocrystalline panels have black cells made of single crystals, and they offer a higher efficiency at a higher price.

Monocrystalline panels are recommended when space is limited and when you are willing to make a larger investment to achieve top efficiency. On the other hand, polycrystalline solar panels are recommended when you want to reduce upfront costs and space is not a limitation.