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the benefit of this function is clear. People would potentially be able to ride out storms and better manage power outage situations. During installation, it is necessary that installers
know what appliances should be connected as back-up loads. Typically, appliances that use little power should be chosen (e.g., router/modem, lights, television, computers, and fridge/freezer). More power-intensive appliances (e.g., washing machines, stoves, ovens, and electrical heating) will often exceed the maximum capacity that can be connected as backup loads and are therefore not recommended to connect as backup loads. The number of appliances connected as
Hybrid Inverters: The key to increased energy independence
Demand is soaring for solar energy technology as homeowners look to save money on energy bills. Greg Rhymes, sales manager at GoodWe UK, discusses how hybrid inverters are the gateway to energy independence, and explains what installers need to know
O
ne of the most worrying challenges facing the nation right now is the energy crisis. Sky high
wholesale prices are driving up costs for consumers, and the energy price cap has risen significantly. To put this into perspective, the price cap from winter 2021-22 to summer 2022 has jumped by some 54%. In monetary terms, that’s £693 for default tariffs being paid by direct debit (£1,277 to £1,971, with the difference rounded up). Another challenge has been the intense and
unexpected storms – Arwen, Dudley, and Eunice – that the UK has experienced since November 2021. The latter brought record- breaking wind speeds of 122mph that ripped up trees, left the O2 Arena’s roof in a state of disrepair, and brought down power lines that disconnected thousands of people from the grid. So how can homeowners safeguard against
both energy costs and power outages? A key solution lies in solar power, and more specifically, new hybrid inverter technology.
HYBRID INVERTERS ARE THE IDEAL ‘HALFWAY HOUSE’ Hybrid inverters blend two technologies into one, combining both functions of solar inverters and battery inverters into one unit. According to the Microgeneration Certification
Scheme, 61,455 UK properties had solar panels installed in 2021, up 71% on 2020. This means the time is ripe for installers to consider how hybrid inverters can take consumers one step closer to microgeneration. As solar installers will already know, most
inverters send power to appliances for immediate consumption, or back to the grid if not used. However, the key difference between hybrid inverters and standard string inverters is that homeowners can use the former to augment their
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grid supply, but also later add a battery should they choose to upgrade to a full energy storage solution. For example, GoodWe’s EH Series Hybrid Inverter can be upgraded at any time from purely inverter-only functionality to include a battery storage solution, and all that is needed is an activation code. With smart hybrid inverters
like the EH, homeowners can choose to either immediately consume the energy they generate from their PV (photovoltaic) panels or harvest it and store it in the battery. This then allows for better flexibility with energy tariffs, and the ability to use the battery’s energy to power appliances during peak times where electricity is sold at a premium. For installers, this is a key development, and as the
popularity and awareness of these inverters grow, so too must installers know how to specify and install them. The 3.6-6kW EH inverter is compatible with high voltage batteries in a range of 85-450V, and it is always recommended to analyse homeowners’ usage patterns before specifying the system capacity to prevent over-sizing and inefficiency.
WEATHERING THE STORMS Another key benefit of hybrid inverters is that, if they are connected to a battery, they can continue powering nominated back-up loads or appliances in the event of a power outage. As already alluded to, with the frequent power outages that the UK has experienced and will continue experiencing,
ENERGY MANAGEMENT - Spring 2022 9
backup loads will also limit the time they can be sustained during a disconnection from the grid. For instance, if there is a power outage during night-time, the PV panels won’t supply any power and all power will be extracted from the battery. If more loads are connected and used, the battery will of course be drained much faster and thereby reducing the time the backup loads can be powered. In the case of GoodWe’s EH Series, the switch to
battery storage energy would happen in fewer than 10ms meaning that, in a power cut, most people (and most appliances) won’t even notice.
MICROGENERATION On top of the spike in energy prices and recent power cuts, there has also been another big change that has significantly altered society arguably forever, and that is the continued ‘work from home’ situation. ‘Hybrid’ working is expected to continue, and many offices have already been shut down entirely. As a result, people in such situations are likely to see their own energy costs go up, while a power cut could impact on their productivity and ability to earn. For these reasons, microgeneration and moving to energy independence is critical.
At GoodWe, our focus is on smart energy
innovation, and so alongside the EH Series we have a range of residential-use inverters and batteries to achieve this goal.
GoodWe
en.goodwe.com
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