The price difference has little to do with micro inverters. It’s Tesla vs the local guys. I’ve had other local quotes that used optimizers that was $52K.
I am curious about micro inverters in general. Regardless of the price. They are more complex. There is Ethernet going to each one. How reliable are they. I am curious how much they cost vs central inverter. Are they more $$$ I would think it would be hard to compete if they were much more money.
Also curious if the $45k is highway robbery or not. For some reason Solar is the most expensive to install in the northeast.
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Can we straighten out a few items? There is a lot of misinformation floating around, and not just here.
Microinverters do not have Ethernet running to them. The communications are done through the power line.
Microinverters are almost as complicated as standard inverters as they all have to support the same functions (DC-AC, frequency response, reporting etc.). Being smaller has a number of very real advantages electronically. (No fans for one)
When a microinverter fails, yes, someone does have to get up to the array and swap in a new one.
I'm not going to opine on reliability other than pointing out microinverters typically come with 25 year warranties, in contrast to the typical five to ten year warranties on central inverters. In my book that tells you where the manufacturer is betting, and they have the data.
Depending on your installer, microinverters may be more or less expensive. For our installation they were close to the same price. (+$1k)
For me,
- the panel level reporting,
- the ability to keep almost all of my production going in the case of a failure, and
- the 25 year warranty made having microinverters a no brainer.
I have been around solar for decades and central inverters have historically had short (5-10 year) lifespans. There are valid electronic reasons for it, and the few vendors who built longer lived models have not prevailed. But don't get me wrong, the current generation of central inverters are more reliable. I think that anyone would be wise to expect to replace their central inverter as soon as the warranty expires, I.e. at least once in the lifespan of your panels. That is a cost to get a crew out do the replacement, and pay for the replacement that should be factored into a reasonable ROI calculation.
I would also point out that as frustrating as it is to have your central inverter die during "peak power" solar seasons, and having to wait 30/60/90 days for replacement needs a little perspective in the 20+year life of your system. Now if you are in hurricane alley, or a remote area, or earthquake country where having power is not just a nice to have, I think microinverters are the sensible choice; if you go with a central inverter, I would buy a backup at the same time that you install your system.
Finally, your local factors determine pricing. As
@sunwarriors suggested, go to energy sage and get as many quotes as you can face. Just because someone in Antelope valley got a better price actually has no bearing on your particular site. Lots of things drive up price beyond how large or complicated the installation is; the local inspectors/AHJ, town/HOA rules, distance to the office/warehouse, logistics in getting staff and materials on site, subtleties of your particular house/roof, the customer (you), are all factors that affect total cost.
BG
