Hybrid Inverters vs. Microinverters: Why Hybrid Inverters Are A Better Investment

Choosing the right type of inverter is critical when planning a solar installation. While microinverters can seem attractive due to their simple installation, however, hybrid string inverters are a better investment that will save you time and money down the road. Let’s dig in!

First, what’s the difference?
Microinverters convert solar energy to AC the panel level, which can be a plus in terms of simplicity for smaller systems. Hybrid inverters, like the EG4 18kPV All-In-One Hybrid string Inverters use the MPPTs in the inverter to convert solar energy to AC, but these inverters are also responsible for storing the solar energy in a battery (both your panels and the battery operate using DC current). If you have solar, it can be very frustating when grid goes down and there's plenty of sunshine. Only Hybrid inverters can keep the lights on when the power goes out – microinverters can't do that.  But hey, what about an AC battery, your ask?  It's true that the microinverter companies have been addressing this by coming out with batteries that will convert the power back to DC to store in the battery, and then back to AC to use it again. You end up wasting so much of your precious solar power during all of these conversion steps. Using their own efficiency ratings, AC batteries are only 76-79% efficient FULL round trip. That's panel to load.  (The data is there, but they're tricky with how the present it, they give you a rating for the microinverter and then the battery. These need to be added together to get the true round trip rating.)

The top 3 key advantages of hybrid inverters include:

1. Seamless Battery Storage Integration
If you are investing in solar panels but are not quite ready to add battery storage, installing a hybrid inverter from the get-go will help future-proof your system. For example, a homeowner with a hybrid inverter can install batteries years after their solar system is in place, without expensive retrofitting. In a microinverter-based system, adding batteries later will require extra inverters and a lot of rewiring, which makes upgrades far more costly.

2. Backup Power During Outages
A hybrid inverter offers backup power capabilities and peace of mind. When the grid goes down, hybrid inverters can automatically switch to battery power, keeping essential appliances like the lights, refrigerators, heat pumps and internet access up and running.  Some can keep power flowing, even without a battery. Meanwhile, microinverters shut down during grid outages, leaving homes without power when you need it the most, and wasting all that solar energy.

3. Earn money using Time of Day pricing
Adding storage helps you take advantage of time of use pricing. Good hybrid inverters, like EG4's 18Kpv, 12Kpv, and FlexBoss save money on electricity bills by using the battery every day during peak times, and charging it only when solar can't and only when rates are low, usually at night.

4. Cost-Effective & Ready to Scale
Depending on the size of your solar installation, microinverters can become increasingly expensive with each panel you add. For larger systems, hybrid string inverters are less expesnive. On average, the number of panels where string inverters break even is about 19. A little less or a little more, and why would not ever choose micro inverters?  One final note on cost, we recently quoted upgrading SolarEdge system to battery storage. Our brand new inverter plus battery system was less expesnive than adding a SolarEdge battery to their current system.

5. Forward and Backward Compatible
All of EG4’s Hybrid Inverters including the FlexBOSS, EG4® 12kPV or EG4 18kPV All-In-One Hybrid Inverter, the EG4® 6000XP and 12000XP All-In-One Off-Grid Inverter offer storage integration and are compatible with micro inverters. Therefore, you can also add storage to an existing solar system to access the power you need, day and night, and can monitor it all in one place in our iOS/Android app or on the web.

In summary, a hybrid system offers you greater flexibility and can save you time, money and hassle down the road. 

Contact us to learn which Hybrid Inverter & Battery system is right for you [email protected]