If you’re considering installing a solar panel system, you’ve probably spent some time researching financing, tax breaks, and solar installers. However, you should also educate yourself about the solar energy equipment your system needs to get up and running. While the components of a PV system are simple, the different product options and brands can make the equipment selection process fairly complex. We’ll break down all things solar power equipment in order to best prepare you to select your hardware.
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We read Tigo’s warranty so you don’t have to
Let’s face it – warranties aren’t the easiest (or most gripping) documents to read. There are often a lot of details and fine print included that can be hard to digest, leaving many to wonder: what does the warranty actually cover? Am I vulnerable? Anything I might be missing?
To make it as easy as possible, we’ve read warranty documents for the top inverter equipment manufacturers–and talked to them to confirm what is and isn’t included–and plan to point out the most important aspects of each in a series of articles. Tigo makes reliable, flexible and durable products, with features like module-level monitoring, optimization, and rapid shutdown to help you feel confident in your system.
Continue readingIntroducing the Tigo Energy Intelligence Residential Solution
If you’re familiar with the residential solar market, you’re probably aware of the two main players providing inverters to residential solar installations in the US. But those two companies are far from the only companies providing inverter (and inverter-adjacent) products in the residential solar market in the US.
While their optimizers and rapid shutdown devices have been installed on many roofs throughout the country, one company you may not yet be familiar with is Tigo Energy. However, Tigo Energy is banking on that changing with their latest product launch: the Tigo Energy Intelligence (EI) Residential Solution, which brings Tigo-branded products to the forefront of a solar and solar-plus-storage installation.
Continue readingComparing microinverters vs. inverters with power optimizers
Inverters are a key component of any solar panel system: while solar panels convert sunlight into electricity, inverters ensure that you can use the electricity they produce in your home or business.
Continue readingSolar inverter warranties: what’s covered, and what’s not?
If you’ve already started exploring your inverter options, you may have noticed that many products come with a 25-year warranty. However, simply comparing the length of one warranty term to the next doesn’t give you a full picture: what is and isn’t included in a warranty differs quite a bit from one inverter company to the next. And considering how important a solar inverter is to the functionality of your system, you want to make sure you’re covered in case anything goes awry.
In this article, we’ll review the most important aspects of a solar inverter warranty, and discuss what’s standard for the industry.
Continue readingAn overview of smart modules
Many solar companies recommend pairing a solar array with power optimizers and a central inverter to enhance the performance of a solar panel system. While many people install power optimizers and panels as separate components, your installer may recommend a solar panel that integrates both components into one, also known as a smart module.
Continue readingString inverters vs. power optimizers vs. microinverters: what you need to know
As you consider a solar panel system for your home, one of the key decisions you need to make is the type of inverter to install. Inverters convert direct current (DC) electricity generated by your solar panels into usable alternating current (AC) electricity. Given the complex power electronics and software contained within, inverters are vital to the ongoing performance of your solar power system.
Continue readingWhat is a solar inverter? How does a solar inverter work?
Solar panels aren’t the only component that you should be thinking about when you evaluate your solar system equipment. Solar power inverters play an equally important role in a solar system: they convert the electricity your solar panels create into a form that can be used by the appliances, lighting, and other electronics that are in your home. Once you understand how solar inverters work, and the different types of inverters available for solar, the EnergySage Solar Marketplace can help you compare solar quotes with different inverter types.
Continue readingAn overview of power optimizers
To convert the direct current (DC) electricity generated by your solar panels into usable alternating current (AC) electricity for your appliances, you’ll need an inverter. There are multiple inverter options to consider when selecting solar equipment for your system. In this article, we’ll discuss the ins and outs of power optimizers, a popular module-level power electronic (MLPE) often paired with string inverters.
Continue readingBest solar inverters review: SolarEdge vs. Enphase vs. SMA vs. Tigo
If you want to maximize your solar energy system’s production, finding the best solar inverter is as important as the solar panels you choose. For an “uncomplicated” roof – one that faces south and has no gables, chimneys, or other obstructions that can cast a shadow – the best solar inverter for you may be a standard string inverter. At the same time, more than half of new residential solar installations are using module-level power electronics (MLPEs)–such as power optimizers and microinverters–to maximize electricity production on more complicated, less ideal rooftops.
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