Hey everyone! I'm new to solar energy and could use some guidance. I recently bought some solar panels with a nominal voltage of 56V and a VOC of around 65-67V, which is higher than the grid-tie inverter I purchased. I'm struggling to find microinverters that can handle this voltage safely – most I've found are capped at 50V or 60V, which still falls short of my panel's output. It seems like I may have ended up with panels that have a higher voltage than normal. I've also come across the Y&H big blue inverter that supports up to 90V, but it requires split phase wiring and the reviews aren't great. Given that I need a total of about 1000W of solar power (I'm currently at 950W), are there any other microinverters out there that can accommodate a slightly higher VOC? Thanks for any advice!
2 Answers
It's great that you're diving into solar! Just a heads up, you did get permission from your power company to install a grid-tied system, right? A lot of microinverters are designed for standard residential panels, so it sounds like your high voltage panels may be more suited for larger solar setups. You might want to consider either getting more smaller panels or looking into an entire system upgrade to accommodate your needs better. Good luck!
You should definitely be cautious with the cheap Chinese inverters; they often have issues with efficiency and approvals. Higher quality kits can handle voltages up to 120 or 150V. This is especially helpful if you're working with a few high voltage panels since some bigger inverters actually need a higher voltage to operate properly. Brands like Deye have MPPT ranges that go well beyond what you're looking at. Just watch the pricing as there can be a big jump, but it could be worth it in the long run.
I appreciate that info! I think I might need to adjust my expectations and possibly scale down a bit to find something that’s more user-friendly with my existing setup. Those larger systems definitely come with a price tag!
Yes, I did check with the power company! We're looking to offset our usage as we have a large home lab that draws quite a bit of power. I might have to rethink my setup if these panels are just too high voltage for the common solutions.