I've come across a lot of grid tie inverters that failed after a few years of service. There seems to be a few reasons for them to fail. I've done a few 'post mortems' on some that seem to indicate heat stress, component and solder joint failure, maybe someone else may have also come across faulty ones and did a diagnosis?
Does anyone experienced grid connected solar inverter that failed after a few years of service?
- Thread starter prosper
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b.james
New Member
Actually I have 4 right now .
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Thanks for your input. Glad you are having a good run with your inverters. Its nice that you've found a unique solution to the problem of insect infestation in your inverters. I obtain scrap inverters from the garbage dump shop to experiment and salvage parts for other projects, especially the capacitors, transformers etc. I noticed that eventually inverter designers will eliminate the use of transformers altogether to save money and reduce the weight of the device. Grid tie inverters are complicated devices and are designed to shut down all electricity when grid power is unavailable. It's a safety feature and I don't think it's a good idea to modify the existing circuit into a stand alone inverter. Instead, my intention is to use existing components from the scrap inverters to make a standalone inverter that will operate on maybe 48 volts DC and in line with the legal definitation of extra low voltage ( ELV). Solar panels that are installed by anyone without certification should wire their solar panels in a circuit that does not exceed Extra Low Voltage. Although I hold an electrical fitters licence here in Queensland, Australia, I still prefer to work with safer voltages to circumnavigate any legal problems. This does not mean that ELV is safe, it's safer than low voltage mains but we still have to conform to rules and initiate a safety plan when we work on any electrical systems. Thanks.
electric
Solar Enthusiast
Micro-inverters are notorious for failing after 1-2 years, because they are small and placed in the hottest spot you can imagine, right under the PV panel. Poor things have no chance of shedding heat, so their internals burn out, caps dry out, etc.
In my system of 12 panels all 12 inverters had to be replaced after 1 year of service. Supposedly new ones are better designed, yea right, we'll see.
Whoever came up with the idea of these things really didn't think it thru. I would have never bought them, but the system came with the house, I had no choice in the matter.
It is also a huge scam because they don't just fail completely, they reduce the output during peak sun, so customer ends up with crappy generation and most folks don't even know it. I mean how many regular folks keep and eye on their system, unless they are solar freaks like we all are on this forum, right? I asked the neighbor how his system is performing and he looked at me like I had 2 heads.
There 1000s of homes with these shitty inverters all over, can you imagine how much potential energy is lost because of this dumb ass idea?
Companies like Sunpower are being sued for this disaster, millions of $$$ are lost. Geez.
In my system of 12 panels all 12 inverters had to be replaced after 1 year of service. Supposedly new ones are better designed, yea right, we'll see.
Whoever came up with the idea of these things really didn't think it thru. I would have never bought them, but the system came with the house, I had no choice in the matter.
It is also a huge scam because they don't just fail completely, they reduce the output during peak sun, so customer ends up with crappy generation and most folks don't even know it. I mean how many regular folks keep and eye on their system, unless they are solar freaks like we all are on this forum, right? I asked the neighbor how his system is performing and he looked at me like I had 2 heads.
There 1000s of homes with these shitty inverters all over, can you imagine how much potential energy is lost because of this dumb ass idea?
Companies like Sunpower are being sued for this disaster, millions of $$$ are lost. Geez.
svetz
Works in theory! Practice? That's something else
Ouch! From what I've heard about half of the on-grid homes in the U.S. have microinverters (no ref, so could be an old-wives tale). You see articles all the time on how reliable they are; no idea if they're really any better or worse than other inverters and usually the article is talking about the warranty rather than any real scientific study.
I just purchased some Enphase inverters so thought I'd look into some more. I didn't see any articles from reputable sources saying definitely one way or the other. TBH, they weren't my first choice... local codes (flooding) prohibit anything electrical below 7' and I didn't want an inverter in the living space, so the roof was the only remaining spot. I do like Enphase's 25 yr. warranty and that if a single inverter fails the rest of the panels are still producing. Sure, they might find some way to weasel out of the warranty, but probably the same for others. I've heard some horror stories on string inverters where folks get gouged with shipping because they need it tomorrow or 3rd day.
On the environment - I read something a while back and it was validated in a video that the IQ line are potted (filled with a polymer goo which is suppose to keep the weather out). As to heat, well at least they're shaded by the panels.
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