How do power optimizers work?

Power optimizers

The popularity of power optimizers has also grown rapidly in recent years. Power optimizers offer many of the same benefits as microinverters, but tend to be slightly less expensive. For this reason, a solar system using power optimizers can be seen as a compromise between one using microinverters and one using a string inverter.

How do power optimizers work?

Like microinverters, power optimizers are located at each panel, usually integrated into the panels themselves. However, instead of converting the DC electricity to AC electricity then and there, they instead ‘condition’ the DC electricity before sending it to a central inverter. This approach results in higher overall efficiency levels than with a conventional string inverter.

Similar to microinverters, the main advantages of power optimizers are mitigation of partial panel shading impacts and panel-level monitoring. However, solar systems that use optimizers are on the whole more affordable than those that use microinverters.

Who manufactures power optimizers?

There are currently two major players in the power optimizer market: SolarEdge and Tigo Energy. SolarEdge’s technology is packaged as a system with a SolarEdge brand central inverter, while Tigo optimizers are compatible with third party inverters like SMA and Fronius.

https://www.energysage.com/solar/101/string-inverters-microinverters-power-optimizers