What is a solar inverter?
The solar inverter is a box of electronics that all the solar energy produced by the panels passes through before it is transmitted to your home for your appliances to use, Or, in the case of excess power generated, to the electricity grid. It is the backbone of the system.
The device also contains essential safety shutdown electronics, such as anti-reflux protection.
Types of solar inverters
Below is a description of each type:
a) Series inverters
This is the most common type of the inverter for residential use. All of the solar inverters above (apart from Enphase) are series inverters. In a residential solar power system, you generally have one per installation. It is called the string inverter because you attach strings of solar panels to it. These are wall-mounted, usually near your meter box.
b) Central transformers
These are huge inverters used for solar power systems with hundreds of kilowatts or even megawatts of capacity. They look like giant metal tanks and can handle up to megawatts of capacity per container. You won’t find these as part of the home installs; they are only used for extensive commercial facilities or large-scale solar farms.
c) Micro inverters
Micro inverters are small solar inverters the size of a paperback book. You need one for each solar panel. You can read about the advantages of micro transformers here – the main one is that they improve each board individually, saving more energy. Microinverters can be especially useful if you have partial shade conditions, although some of the newer series inverters handle these conditions better than before.
d) Improved Series Transformers
Optimizer-based systems provide similar performance benefits to micro transformers but with slightly different technology. The optimizer system requires a series adapter, but you can then attach an optimizer to the back of the solar panels, optimizing each panel’s output under various conditions.
Huawei’s and SolarEdge’s optimizers require you to optimize each panel in an array, but Tigo’s brand optimizers are not (and are inverter-neutral), keeping costs down. The Tigo option is handy if only two panels are affected by shadow.
e) Hybrid inverters
Also known as the multi-mode inverters, a hybrid inverter connects batteries to your solar power system. The hybrid inverter interacts with the battery using a technology called “DC coupling,” and its electronics coordinate the charging and discharging of the storm.
There is a relatively limited choice of hybrid inverters on the Australian market, but the range will grow as battery storage becomes more common. We’ve included all the makes and models we know about in this hybrid inverter comparison table. Check this out if you are considering buying batteries with your solar power system.
f) Battery adapters
Suppose you want to retrofit batteries for your solar power system or keep your battery system separate from the solar panels (i.e., not go through the same inverter). In that case, a separate battery inverter is a good (but expensive) choice. This converts battery power to 230V AC and feeds it into the switchboard instead of grid power where possible.
What are ALMM solar modules?
The term ALMM (Approved Models and Manufacturers List) stands for Approved Models and Manufacturers List (ALMM). This is a list of solar cells, module types, and the manufacturers in India that have been certified by BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards). The Ministry of the New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) announced this concept in September 2020.
After knowing the basic facts about almm solar modules, the next most important thing to know is what it’s about.
To protect the interests of the Indian solar cell and the module makers, the Approved List of the Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) has been developed. Its purpose is to create a unit quality standard to prevent low-quality Chinese manufacturers from dumping their products in India.
Only units and manufacturers on this list will be allowed to be used on government-funded projects across the country. As a result, increasing the customer confidence in local products and encouraging the people to buy them will be very beneficial.
ALMM is used to inspect a manufacturing unit physically and is essential for companies supplying government-owned solar projects. This will expand the scope of the Indian government’s quality control, which is also currently limited to Product Testing (BOM) and BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certification.
How will ALMM affect Indian solar projects shortly?
On January 13, 2022, the MNRE revised its 2019 ALMM (Mandatory Recording Requirements) Order. ALMM will be expanded to include open access and the net metering activities, according to a recent announcement from the ministry.
The ALMM’s mission is to increase local manufacturing and set quality standards for cells and modules. Therefore, solar PV cell and module models and manufacturers are included in the ALMM List-I (Solar PV Modules) and the ALMM List-II (Solar PV Cells) according to BIS standards, according to the 2019 ALMM Ranking. (Solar PV Cells). Furthermore, list-I units must use the cells specified in List-II to deploy to relevant projects, according to the 2019 ranking.
The first list has been released only for modules and is constantly updated, while the second list for cells has yet to be released. On the first list are 41 module plants with a total capacity of 10.9 GW. This does not include any foreign manufacturers or units.
Only registered models and manufacturers with BIS certification will be eligible for use in open access and net metering projects, government initiatives, government-supported projects, and projects under government plans and programs (e.g., Component A of the PM-KUSUM scheme). The change takes effect on April 1, 2022, for solar projects that apply to open access or net metering.
