There are many types of inverters in the market. One type is called the “All in One Inverter”. As an installer, I choose this style of inverter over many other inverters for the following reasons.
1. As stated, everything you need is built into one enclosure. You don’t require several pieces of equipment to be added to your system. Everything you need is in one enclosure. This inverter takes up less wall space, making it easier for me and the client. Therefore the client can place this inverter next to the main panel in almost all situations that I’ve come across so far. Trust me this is a huge deal in some installations.
2. With an “All in One” inverter it is more simple to install and it takes less time and effort to do the installation. This saves the client money in labor costs.
3. Acstetics, with one enclosure this inverter isn’t an eye sore. You don’t have as many cables coming in and out from the inverter and other equipment. Of course you still have cables going in and out but the “all in one” cleans some of that mess up by having everything built into the one enclosure.
4. The communication to the homes wifi is a small doggle on the side of the inverter. Not a box with antennas and wires popping out of it. It looks much cleaner.
5. These inverters have all the breakers built into the inverter making it simple to disconnect for the client in an emergency. It has the grid tie breaker built in, the critical load tie in breaker and the auxilary generator breaker are all built into the enclosure. Some installs don’t require the generator input but it’s there and it can also be used as a AC coupled input. So later the client can tie in another AC couple input like a wind turbine or a second inverter of any kind.
6. The PV DC circuits from the solar panels are all controlled by one switch located on the side of the “all in one” inverter. Making it very simple to shut down in an emergency.
7. They have excellent LED displays and more features by design then the other inverters. These “all in one” inverters are engineered much better with far more features built into them then the typical inverters that are not “all in one”.
8. The LED displays are very user friendly making it easier for the client to see what is happening with the inverter. The display shows the PV input to the inverter, the AC power pulled from the grid to the home, the AC power pulled from the inverter and both the battery charging and feeding energy to the home. The arrows are color coded and directional for easy understanding. These are shown in Kwh’s right on the LED screen. It’s very simple for the clients to walk by and see exactly what is happening at any given time. Although you can also see this same recorded data on your smart phone or your computer. I like it that you can see it right at the inverter itself.
9. I have found that after adding all the accessories and equipment like transfer switches, communication routers, DC shut down switches etc etc, to the non “all in one” inverter that the systems themselves are actually more costly when comparing the two different inverters with all the added features, design and quality of the “all in one” style inverter. There are many other features that cause me to choose these inverters before choosing the non “all in one” inverter. Of course this is only one man’s opinion. For me it’s an easy choice to make. Thanks for taking the time to read this. I hope it helps you to make your choice easier when picking an inverter for your new system. You can contact me at sunnysidesolarcr@gmail.com or by cell or what’s app at 506 6330-5137. You can also follow me at Sunny Side Solar Solutions facebook page to read my weekly articles on many different solar topics. These same topics can be read at my facebook group at Costa Rica Solar Installation Reviews along with other important information related to solar.
