You are the first professional that I’ve encountered, that has dared to say DC optimizers are better then micro-inverters. And I could not agree with you more. If you go with a hybrid inverter like SolArk 15k or EG4 18k, you can add more batteries yourself (plug and play) for battery storage and you are not losing 10% of power going from DC-AC-DC-AC like you would if you have micro-inverters and battery storages because batteries take DC power. I’m a fan of Tigo optimizers which are rated for 700 watts, so no clipping. For my all electric home with minimal roof space, I’m going with DC optimizers and a hybrid inverter for the best bang for you buck and like you said, easy of adding panels or batteries later down the road. Thanks for sticking you neck out and making such an informal video knowing you are going to be chastised. Totally respect your bravery to go against the grain and to be open to criticism. Shows that you care about your customers

It's good to hear you (someone) talk about the long term considerations. My top concerns are how solar will last and what problems we, or my wife if I'm gone before her, will have to deal with in the future. So thank you for raising these things.

As a maintenance engineer, i entirely agree. A 25 year warranty on electronics in a rooftop environment is optimistic, and ultimately commercially meaningless if the company changes name every 5 or 10 years to duck their obligations.

Lot’s of good points. I have a 13 year old 4K, roof mounted Enphase system. I do have some shading issues and sometimes snow shading. I have been very happy with that advantage of micros. And I do like the rapid shutdown feature built into micros. When my system was installed, Enphase was selling the 2nd generation, D-380 micro. It was a short lived, 2 panel input, with 2 internal 190 watt micro in one box. They had a 15 year warranty. At that time everyone got per panel monitoring software free. So over the 12 yerars, I was able to see all but one D-380 micro fail. Enphase was great at sending out replacements with required cable adapters, and I am was able to replace the failed inverters myself. At the last failed D-380, they even set a replacement for the last still working D-380, which I thought was pretty good service. The latest replacements, look like the M-7 case, but have software that is compatible with my older “Envoy” monitor device. So all and all, I’ve had very little downtime, but my constant monitoring of my system, caught the failure’s right away. I can’t help but wonder how many systems have failed micros, that no one is noticing, especially since per panel monitoring became an option for the end user later on. Today, if I were to do it again and had the money and space, I would definitely go with a ground mount, hopefully in a place where shading would be limited, and a hybrid inverter like SolArk. With a hybrid, and even a small battery, you can use the power from the solar panels when grid down, which isn’t happening with micros like I have. Just my thoughts, and 13 years of experience.

Thanks for being honest, transparent and putting customers 1st and not what other people think.

My wife is going to start asking questions as to why I keep having coffee with Martyna. I appreciate the explanation and the recommendation. We should all 100% take this as fact, as you are a professional solar installer and deal with this every day, for years now. I am in IT Security and if someone asked me to setup a security posture for their home/business, I would hope they would take my recommendation as well, as I do this every day. I am not a professional solar installer, so when SolarTime recommended string inverters rather than micro inverters, I said yes please. One of the reasons I felt I didn't need to come back with my opinion or an extra explanation from them is they already showed me they weren't in it for the money, but in it for the quality and service to back up their warranty. If it's easier to service, easier to maintain, when things go wrong...I'm all for it. Keep fighting the good fight, you have an great argument!

Great video and review on the type of DC converter units and types. I have IQ8+ on my system and have had 2 fail and one replacement by my installer which filled bankruptcy "Solar is Freedom " and left their customers out in the cold!! I dealt with Enphase directly on the second unit and replaced it myself and Enphase did exactly what they said over the warranty and just plug and play and they did the reset through the app and working perfectly again 😊

Probably the best microinverter video online. You've clearly been doing this for a long time and found lots of problems. Fantastic. Subscribed.

Great advice. I recently installed a Solar PV system with a hybrid string inverter. Yes it is a single point of failure, but if it fails it is a simple job to replace it. Keep up the good work. I am really impressed with your risk analysis. I wish you and your dad continued success with your business. I love your honesty delivered so clearly with such integrity.

Fantastic video, this is one of the few "large picture" forward thinking conversations that isn't just a sales pitch. 😍 I appreciate your honesty and transparency. There are some excellent long-term concepts for homeowners to consider prior to investing in solar. ☀

Fantastic video! All of the points you speak to are the reasons I went with string inverters on my 14.2 kW system just installed 6 weeks ago. The SMA Sunny Boy inverters with Shade Fix provide an excellent solution to shading.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas. Very interesting perspective. I’ve been watching and thinking about the various systems but found your perspective on this well thought out and thoughtful from the installation perspective. Wishing you and your family the best.

That was a very good presentation. After reading the comments your viewer brought up some other concerns about battery storage as part of the system and the conversion losses. Thanks for putting out you view and thoughts.

I thought this was super helpful. I’m still so early in the process, like a year or more before I’m ready to install solar, and I’m still trying to sort through all the options and variants, that I don’t know the trade offs at all. Thank you for this! Most helpful.

This video is useful and made me think differently, thanks for the effort and it's always nice to see a different point of view.

About 6 years ago now, I was part of a "Solarize" campaign in the town. We found an installer, signed people up, and based on the total installed wattage got everyone discounts on the install. Part of my involvement was the technical side. I was solidly in the SolarEdge optimizer/string inverter camp. Another person on the board was sold on the microinverter. We both had our systems before the "solarize" program started, so none of the opinions mattered to us overall. Just so happened the installer offered both solutions. People chose which one based on which of us they liked it seemed. And then 85 homes were installed over about a year. The other guy had a microinverter on his system fail. What did he care, it was under warranty. All fixed. About 5% of the microinverter systems have had warranty work now. NOT ONE of the SolarEdge systems I know of has had any component failure. We did have one installer failure where a junction box wasn't properly set to drain and it corroded the cables inside. None of the inverter or optimizers failed. Just a couple cables due to the standing water in the junction box. My inverter is fed a steady voltage maintained by the optimizers. It's very efficient and lives in a climate controlled basement. The other thing I like by having DC to the basement is that if I want to add a battery pack, I'm not converting from DC to AC and then back to DC in the battery and then back to AC yet again to use it. DC charges the battery and I only get the AC loss when the power is converted. DC to DC conversion is FAR more efficient. In my mind, it's not only simpler, but single point of failure is in a very controlled environment and my options to expand later are FAR better served. Good on you for thinking about what happens down the road. People I sat with who heard my arguments understood the case I was making. Those that sat with the other guy never heard them. My understanding is that the microinverter solutions were also generally more expensive overall by a little bit. The only time a SolarEdge install cost more was when there were a lot of different roof facings and thus many more strings to manage.

This is great insight! Thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts! This is very valuable for one is still doing homework on moving towards power resiliency for the long term.

I'm old enough to remember when folks were hooking their panels up to forklift batteries and using 12v to run their cabin. This discussion is quite valuable. Thank you for getting brave.

This was an outstandingly interesting talk - with only a little repetition. Congratulations and thank you Martyna. You have made me pause from implementing what I THOUGHT was going to be my solution - but it leaves me stuck for an alternative! I'm trying to work out a solution for a complicated small array that will have at least 3 strings (two - with different orientations - of thin film CdTe solar glass with 87Vmpp 116Voc & 0.78Aoc) and one of ~5 conventional roof-mounted panels. All strings subject to intermittent shade and with up to 25m cable run to battery/inverter. BUT: No hybrid inverters are available in UK with more than 2 channel MPPT tracking (no Powerwall 2+ here) so.......... ......I'd therefore been thinking about a microinverter system and arranging the solar glass modules into groups of 3 parallel or 4 in two series-parallel pairs to match the microinverter inputs. When I look at DC optimisers I see the same multiple points of potential failure as with microinverters and same potential future backwards-compatibility problems that you point to. I also see concerns about Tigo optimisers from an authoritative source (www.mcelectrical.com.au/tigo-optimiser-recall/) and that SolarEdge is excluded by our installation's short strings. What I really need - I am beginning to think - is a 6-MPPT Powerwall3 - but that's just vapour at the moment, and it may - like their glass tiles - never come over the horizon, trumpets sounding. So maybe what I will HAVE to make do with is two small hybrid inverters, though I don't yet know if their outputs and interaction with a single battery can be successfully managed in a domestic setting. See! I AM coming round to your way of thinking. What do you make of this slightly unusual dilemma?

Good day Martyna. This is my first time watching 1 of your videos & I'm very impressed. In South Africa we have power failures daily - sometimes multiple times throughout the day. Our appliances & smart home devices have & continue to suffer greatly. We've finally decided to get Solar but the info available out there is really overwhelming with so many opinions that takes you from pillar to post. It's not easy to swim against the current, but all i can say is keep on being bold & courageous & may God be the centre of your business always. Keep making challenging & thought provoking videos! kind regards Ian

Very enlightening ! Thankyou. Longevity was one subject that I had not considered because I took for granted that a 25 year warrantee would be valid for that length of time. The reality is only maybe! Yes you have changed my mind!

Electrical Engineer here ... Micro-inverters use electrolytic capacitors and these are particularly sensitive to heat, so there is NO WAY they will survive 25 years in the constant heat of summer, spring and autumn.

Thank you for this video and sharing your extensive experience. Micro v string has been my dilemma for 6 months on a simple E/W arrangement with no shading whatsoever. I concluded that spending more money on REC Pure R panels was the better choice and letting them do their thing whilst coupled to a simple Growatt 2 MPPT string inverter at ground level is the best solution. K.I.S.S still applies.

As an engineer who did some electrical engineering at University, I wholeheartedly agree with your views. I just came across your videos today: micro vs optimiser video. Love your work. I am now hooked.

Interesting viewpoint! I designed and built my own 7.8kw system and decided on a SMA string inverter with Tigo optimizers. The biggest reason is because it was less expensive but it still gave me many of the benefits of microinverters. I also like not being so reliant on one manufacturer. With Tigo, even if one fails and I can't replace it, I can just remove it and it will still operate but without the monitoring and optimization. Also I have designed electronics that will work at 350 degrees F. It just depends on how much money you want to spend on higher quality parts and additional testing. The quality vs. cost tradeoffs are always a battle.

Great video and well reasoned. I very much like that the discussion was based on reliability and practicality of service

Totally agree. Especially for the future and durability. A basic string has less electronics and connectors so less can break. Also adding a battery is more efficient ( dc to dc ). Great video.

Looking into solar now. We physically built our house, not subbed out or paid a general contractor. We made it handicap accessible for our future. Would like to do my own install. Just retired now and have done many different types of construction. The sales person started off with micro inverters are the way togo. Thank you for your time and assistance. I will be watching your other videos. Thank you Martin

I watched the video 3x. Wow, it's got me thinking now. Gr8 vid.

On string inverter system, it is also VERY usefull to have a ARC fault detection that isolate the load. THIS is what avoid fires due to numberous serie HV connections that each can fail. Breakers fail, fuse fail, MC4 fail, and bad connection from unthightened screw , all can lead to fire on HV. Where Micro Inverter DONT have any problem with that safety issue as these are all below 50V DC and the AC side is crossing zero every 8 milisecond to extinguish the arc. If a micro inverter fail.. it will very rarely cause fire, It just stop working. however, if a serie connection fail on one panel of a string setup during load without any ARC fault detection, it can become way more complicated and dangerous.

Im an installer in Puerto Rico and I am 100% with you . Great info

Martyna, I believe you are right on the mark recommending string inverters over micro-inverters, and for all the reasons you have expressed. I've been using a string inverter for over 7 years with no issues. My system is broken into 4 separate strings of 2500 watt arrays, making a 10KwH system. If I lose a panel within one of the strings, I still have 75 percent left generating while awaiting repairs. Best of both worlds! One more thing: In my experience, over-sizing the string inverter -just a little- guarantees the longest life of the entire system. I find that a lot of folks who under-rate their string inverter (to their panels) causes clipping and excessive heat at the inverter. Bad idea in my opinion. Thank you for your continued valuable advice!

Great info. Love the channel and learned a lot from you

As a homeowner who opted for the LG branded solar panels with their microinverters in 2017. And found they have walked away from the business i can see your point! So far only 3 failed panels which were replaced a few years ago.... Time will tell!

Hi Ma'am you sound very responsible Business Executive in this era. 🙂 This is brilliant presentation. Thanks for giving and insight to Micro-Inverter vs DC Optimizers

Really great content and the arguement I mulled over before going with micros. In reality if I had gone string with 440W panels I would be producing a about 60w more per panel with some losses but it is so cool to see production per panel, AC to the powerwall, inverter redundancy and blackout protection (iQ8 or powerwall). You do make a solid argument and it has sound logic. No need to apologise for saying the truth. I'm not sure iQ8 replacements will be around in 5 to 10 years as enphase will have moved on. Even installers say that you will most likely replace the whole system in 10 years and you can sell the old one on FB market place. Now that's confidence in a 25 year warranty......... :)

I was thinking of going the microinverters route when I go solar in a few years but you made some very excellent points about replacing a single central string inverter vs multiple points of failure in a microinverters system. Also the fact that what happens if enphase goes belly up within their 25 year warranty period whereas a string inverter is more easily replaced from a different manufacturer. Thanks to your thought provoking video I am converted to going with string inverter.

Thank you for speaking the truth. Too many people today seem to go with what they are told and don't really think about it. I have always liked the concept of micro-inverters but wondered about the reliability in an outdoor environment and the heat cycling they go through. Also, I wondered about the energy loss when they are used in a battery storage system going from DC to AC and then back to DC at the battery, then back to AC again. I'm wanting to build an off-grid system with grid charging as a supplement/backup. I want to slowly transition my house over to off-grid where the battery bank is kept at some minimum SOC by a charger off the grid and anything over that mark is supplied by solar. As I expand my solar array I will depend less and less on the grid. I also want a system that can be totally managed locally with no internet access required. Internet access should be an option, not a requirement. Thank you for your videos. I wish you great success in business.

Congrats on a well balanced explanation of your view on string vs. Micro-Inverters, the long term lifetime of a solar panel system for the customers and the installers. I agree with you. Better to focus on modularity vs. compatibility.

Great video and I am convinced when I am ready and I will definitely call you for my project which will be all home solar. And request strings

Excellent, thought-provoking presentation! Here's my question - What's the Mean Time To Failure (MTTF) of a high-quality micro-inverter compared to a bypass diode? In other words, what is the statistical probability that a system with high-quality micro-inverters will fail within the 25 year warranty period compared to the probability that a system with a high-quality, properly sized string inverter will fail? If both kinds of solar arrays are very likely to last 25 years without failure, then the entire system will probably have paid for itself by then, and after 25 years there's a good chance that new, more efficient technology will make it cost-effective to replace the whole system.

Thank you for this great video! As someone who spends a lot of time in Europe, I've never understood where the hype for microinverters in the US comes from and why it is different than anywhere else in the world! String is much cheaper & hussle free for maintenance. I have a system with bypass diodes and a SMA Sunny Boy inverter (that has Shade Fix). It's perfect!

Realistic and unbiased comparison. THank you!

Very educative , I use a string inverter Growatt in lagos Nigeria & had been thinking of either getting optimisers or micro inverters but some of your concerns have occurred to me as i mostly do the installation DIY . Thank you

I like the way you explained bypass diodes - very clear 🙂

Great video, it makes it so much easier to understand the differences. Can you also make a video of home storage systems?

Point 1 - I don't think Enphase is going anywhere. They have a huge segment of the market and are profitable. And you could apply this logic to optimizers as well. If SolarEdge went out of business, I don't think you'd want your SolarEdge optimizers attached to another brand's inverter. Point 2 - Micro Inverters are not phones, they're rated for use at up to 140 degrees, again, you can say the same thing about optimizers, but those too are built to remain outside. Failure rates are incredibly low. Point 3 - This would depend on if each string has reached capacity. That capacity is based on which micro inverter was used. The combiner boxes that they attach to allow up to 4 generations of micro inverters from what I'm reading. Worst case scenario, you'd run a new string to a new combiner box, which is about $700. Enphase will still sell you the Enphase IQ7 generation which is ~5 years old now. Point 5 - I think customers would rather have more redundancy by losing just a single panel of production, rather than losing a central DC inverter, putting their entire system out of service until it's replaced

I'm from the UK. On my roof fitted in 2012, is a standard 9 string panels wired up in a snail configuration so I have both plugs coming back under the tiles in the same place. Keeping the wiring to the minimum. And on my solar carport, I had built last year I tried the solar optimization units. I can get to these units easy, as the solar panels are the roofing material and if cat's decided to sleep on a panel it won't effect the rest! LoL. All items are good and like you say, you don't want to much sensitive products on a roof to replace if fails.

Thanks for the perspective. I've yet to make the choice which way to go.

Very enlightening, thank you. I'm still on the fence because we have only small roof area that remains unshaded and storage is expensive

beautiful formed arguements , thank you for that little diode !!

I had already come to the same conclusion myself. It makes no sense to me to have the most likely to fail devices up where I have a much higher risk of damaging my roof or being injured trying to replace it. Instead I invested in redundant hybrid inverters, will be less likely to be completely down if I do have a failure, that isn't also down when the grid is down. I completely agree with your conclusion.

Having separate system independent parts are what I have already decided to do. But you have nailed the coffin shut for me. Intendant units are the way to go.

Martyna thanks for making this video; it was a game changer. Sadly it also sent me back to the drawing board. Sure wished you worked in Virginia instead of Texas (although I have lots of family in Texas, so I forgive you :) ) Two years ago I started looking into solar for our new “forever house” and as you said everything I read or saw on KZfaq pointed me to microinverters. While I loved the integrated system that Enphase offers, I hated the DC to AC to DC to AC inefficiency. Eventually, I discovered Solar Edge's string inverters, but backed away from them when I learned about their maintenance reputation. Your video introduced me to other string inverter options. I’m looking for a 8Kw PV system with two inverters and probably 10K battery backup. You correctly pointed out that micro inverters have 20 or 30 points of failure, on the other hand, the Army taught me to limit single points of failure. Failure = 2 is 1 and 1 is none; so a single inverter doesn’t work for me. Any recommendations?

You do a great job of explaining this. Glad I listened before buying!

I like most of your arguments and you are probably on the right path as an installer - KISS. Regarding the panel based electronics - surely the panel based optimisers and panel based microinverters are likely to succumb similarly to the elements so that consideration is probably moot. I hope I haven't made a mistake getting the more expensive and complex microinverter setup - but I felt happy buying a BMW over a Ford and I wanted to see how it behaved. FWIW, I installed a cheap string of panels and a bargain basement inverter on my old house and it was still running fine after 12 years.

REALLY NICE NOTES AND VIDEO! BRAVO!

Nice to have someone realize the value of bypass diodes. Going with a simple string myself though having to bodge together RSD for parallel arc fault as there don't seem to be many options for 600Vdc AF breakers.

Thanks for your honest opinion on micro inverters as I was thinking of going that way but have now changed my mind.

Good to hear information that I have believed for years. Electronics that are subject to extreme heat will always fail over a period of time.. Way before the whole PV system needs to be replaced.

Excellent video. I've seen too many videos on KZfaq of people climbing on the roof to lift panels and replace failed microinverters to ever consider them in a system. One major error @6:28 -- the Earth is spinning backwards!

I prefer Victron, Dc coupled, dc mppt 150, 250 or 450 vdc from the roof, transformed down to 48vdc which goes to either into a 48vdc inverter or storage batteries. Nice video btw.

That was brilliant. Thank you for helping me understand the differences and make a decision as a customer. I don't rule out a possible bias coming from the fact that I see things exactly as you do, trying to control problems in the long run. And judging by the rate at which the technology seems to be evolving, it's at least questionable if 25 years of warranty is a real expectation or just some sales tactics for a product that started to be used on a large scale less than 25 years ago.

I'm with you Martyna. I think a big iron central inverter is the way to go. Get a good brand name inverter, keep it in the shade and out of the weather, and it should last 10+ years. If / when it fails, an installer can swap in a new inverter in no time.

From a solar company perspective, all of your salient points are spot on. However, from a customer perspective, I don't agree. I'd rather have 32 potential problems on the roof that will only knock out 1 32nd of our system's power, rather than a single source of failure. Yes, you don't need to up on the roof to replace a string converter, but I've seen a lot of systems that were down for long periods because the solar company was initially paid and just doesn't care anymore. That's the biggest problem with the solar industry right now...

I'm facing this same issue now. I had my original installer upgrade my system. From 19 to 24 panels. What they didn't do was upgrade my inverter so I have serious clipping. Now that I have raised a stink about the work and design and that my string inverter wasn't upsized, I may get some relief. I agree with your point on the string vs micro battle and I'm thinking that they'll want to replace my current set up (Sunpower panels, SMA 6K inverter) with a micro inverter system (IQ8+). All I have asked was to upgrade my string inverter because I think they're seeing a sales potential of installing 24 micro inverters. What caused the whole issue was that I wasn't getting any production due to an arc fault issue. Upon discovery (nov 2022) of this issue, I was instructed to reset the faults until someone came out to fix it...that was July 27 2023. Long time, no? POOR POOR Service. So now I'm in limbo waiting for some decision whether Sunpower or the original installer, Photon Brothers, will fix the workmanship and design oversight. It seems like a long time to have this resolved but I think the majority of the problem could be quickly remediated with an upgraded string inverter, not the installation of 24 micro inverters. Also, when the arc fault issue was addressed, the 3rd party repair company sent out by Sunpower didn't reinstall my critter guard and now there are gaps that will need to be addressed as well.

I did buy a string inverter system, with battery backup. I think you should call it "Solar talk over Coffee" or "Coffee talk Solar"😂😂😂 Love your videos and honest opinions.

I think all systems need to be looked at under different circumstances. There are some areas and specific systems that micro inverters work better. There are also many systems that a string system is better. The problem I have seen in the solar industry is solar companies that get fixated on one type of system, or one brand of components used. To really be a consumer advocate, different products for different situations or customer preferences should be explored. Some solar companies don't push a different type or brand because they simply learned with that one type/brand and they don't know anything about other options. This makes them limited in my opinion. That's one thing I really admire about Solartime. You really can be assured that RIGHT type of system is being offered to the customer because they know about all types and brands of systems and can install many different types. I totally understand Martyna's preference on string systems because I share those preferences on most systems. (But of course, not ALL systems)

I think you are right when you say that customers come to installers with micro-inverters as the solution - that is what I did originally and my installer was surprised and asked why that configuration. I saw this video and your points made me rethink. I eventually went with TIGO (mostly from a safety point of view for rapid shutdown). So thank you for this - it saved me a lot of money. BTW I'm UK based and I think the micro inverter is gaining traction here.

You have changed my mind towards the string inverter option.

I love love love that you are thinking long term.

Thank you for the video. It's very true fear is used a lot in the electical systems. It definitely must be respected. Thank you also for putting it in simple terms. Even if they do last 25 years, year 26 your on your own and it would be much easier to replace a ground mount inverter at the customers expense. Both are good solutions for different situations. Definitely best to know al the facts and use the best system for the customers needs.

I think your absolutely rite about string inverters. My only hope is that they increase the warranty period for them so that they can be more competitive with micro inverters. And you are absolutely rite, if the company that installed the system in the first place is not in business anymore, it will be very difficult to get the micro inverters replaced with someone else. I'll love to hear you talk more about warranties in future videos. GOD bless you. 🥰

In conjuction with a battery ESS (Energy Storage System), the micro-inverter systems seem to be more specifically ideal in medium-to-heavily shaded areas with a ground-mounted solar array system with easy access to the back of the solar panels and micro-inverters. For most other conditions and situations, the string-inverter + power optimizer combo would be the better solution, especially long-term, as you explained very well in your video.

I own a cheap Growatt and it works more than fine its a 1200 dollar Hybrid and happy with the string inverter .Regards from Holland

I truly appreciate your commitment to string inverters and I had a very difficult time getting a contractor to install my panels with optimizers and 1 string inverter. I would like to add storage in the future and feel that I would get more efficiency charging batteries with dc than the ac/dc dc/ac conversion.

I love your videos , I am Solaredge lover with storedge inverters !

Which would you go with? Estimated $3k difference going from Tesla String inverters (2) to a single SolarEdge with optimizers. Pretty decent sun exposure in ATX but some trees on the perimeter panels in the morning and evening. I'm leaning toward just string inverter but also like the panel level monitoring of the optimizer system.

Hi, a question about the micro inverter story you have at 8:30 ... if a company goes bankrupt... even a micro inverter company... I've talked to installers on this point on this very topic... you can use any other micro to continue producing AC to the home (and also you have only lost 1 or 2 out of 20-30 micros which is insignificant)... that's the benefit... the decentralized nature of the system. Yes app level detail may be gone if the company is bankrupt but the micros still work and produce energy since its AC energy... and they don't stop because they can't communicate... that's not how they work. And imo - you don't need to replace them all if only 1 or 2 failed. Unlike if for example - if a power optimizer goes bad from Solaredge or if they go Bankrupt (doubtful i admit) then we are left with a system that won't function since that's where they all talk together to the main inverter... the power optimizers need one working system... not the micros. Would like to know what you think on this. thanks for the video.

My new recommendation video when people say “you know much about solar?” You lay out the hard decisions very well

Good information. Unfortunately many people don't care if their demands bankrupts a company. Some people even want a new system every 5 years for free just because they know the warranty covers it and they will never have to pay to replace it.

This is the confirmation bias I was looking for 😄 - String inverter it is.

Nice Video Martyna, Just notice i took the risk and went with microinverters since my house the only way was installing those box in the front of the house and did not like the look on the other house I see since they only had 1 String Inverters and my configuration needed 2 Inverters. So i took the risk as anything in life. Hopefully i get a lot of years out of the 8 Microinverters on my roof. Live in Panama. 2025 will try to go with the battery when I get some financially breading room for that investment

Nice video. My recently installed system includes Hoymiles microinverters. I am now thinking about ordering a spare microinverter to ensure compatibility in case one needs to be replaced in the future. Your argument for string is compelling. if my microinverter system fails, I may convert it to string. For now, I am hoping for the best regarding longevity.

very well explained. thank you.

Great video. In considering the effect of reliability on the useful life of the system, it's worth keeping in mind the electrical connections - one of the most common causes of failure in electrical systems in harsh environments. That means both cable connectors and joints between components. There are obviously far more of the latter, but they should be protected from the environment by the housings. Cable connectors are exposed. A good system is designed to have as few cable connectors as possible that cause the whole system to stop when they fail. Therefore serially connected systems are always suspicious from a reliability point of view, and warrant special consideration. I note that serial connection is often used in solar systems of both types. This is just a point of view of a chartered engineer specialising in forensic analysis of high-risk systems. Best wishes from England.

Thanks for the great video and wealth of information. Is the cost of an extra inverter if the customer wants a larger system more than if having a micro inverter system, if so is it difficult to to sell due to higher cost? Do you install smart home panels like SPAN if so how do you warranty it?

Excellent video, was on the point of having a microinverter system installed the next day and rather enquired a string inverter system. Keep it going!

Change my mind? No but you made me think. Your points are all valid, And owning 24 Enphase Eq 7 now iam I little concerned. 8 of my panels are tilt ups so those would be easy to change. But capability I did to look into before commenting. I love you do videos like this.

Ohh, glad you dropped the bomb early! It’s easier to build a budget friendly system with string inverters, and optimizers help most problems. Personally I didn’t want long runs of DC. And I have a hip roof with a house that is turned 45 degrees, so I have to have lots of small strings. Micro inverters still worked better for me.

You explained to me why vendors go with one vs the other and where they charge, because we are in a business of making money. Before this solution I did not know what an inverter was. As an ecoflow customer Now I know if they would sell me inverters I would know what to choose. In which I would choose the String Inverter. Exchange it and peace of mind.

my degree is in IMET specializing in solar/wind (hate wind). i have done a few installs. one, the only one that was a failure is where the customer went with what the salesman told her and not with the math i showed her from a storage/use/available hours and such. her salesman told her 400W would be enough to run 800 watt reefer and an icemachine and fan. you can do the math on the reefer and know she did not have the charge power during sun to run the thing, never mind that night. all my installs have been to industry (commerical) standard, soldiering points where that is the standard, and torque standard on panels and such. the point is i'm a professional as you are. the trackers only add 25% more power and ROI usually is not worth it. you are correct on the fail points. industry standard is to have as few as possible, and to have check points to isolate specific areas just for the points you state that you may have to pull 30 panels to find one bad inverter. you are doing it right. as for the install i spoke of, she later called the school i was in, and talked to the dean and asked if what i had stated was correct and he said yes, the salesman had not sold her the correct system as she did not have the power required for an uncooled home with a reefer pulling 800 watts an hour. she continued to bad mouth me for a long time which actually was a good thing as people would call and i was able to educate them to get the right system. good video i like you a lot for being such a strait forward honest person

Very good information for people interested in this stuff. I have both on my roof, string and enphase. My experience is better with the string. More easy to go from 1 brand to another. You also should tell about the fact that even the best current micro enphase inverter will clip the best (highest WP) panels, so you buy a 450WP panel expecting that power but please take a look at the max VAC of the micro inverter....

i am from malaysia ..n installing solarpanel...according to your speach ...string inverter if the instaler was very high place ...

Great channel and you are doing a great job explaining solar. I am in process of getting solar in NorCal. 6/8 quotes came back with micro inverter systems, but after watching your videos and the specs from various system. I think I will get a string inverter system with 5 to 6 KWh Panasonic panels & One Tesla PW3. It won't offset everything like NEM 2, but at least I can dodge the peak electric rate. PW3 has direct Solar to battery DC charging so the charging efficiency alone with trump the DC to AC, then AC to DC charging to battery with micro inverter system. It will be a game changer if next version of PW get direct DC charging to car. I think we will see more innovation from the DC coupling system especially if we are going to V2H charging route. Another thing is that I doubt everyone will keep their system for 25 years. There will probably be much better panels and battery hybrid system in 10 to 15 years, so I don't buy the 25 years payback period. I rather get a cheaper string inverter system and budget to upgrade in 15 to 20 years.

Thanks for this video. Installers are hawking micro inverters like it was the best thing since sliced bread. While Hoymiles doesn't look like its going bust anytime soon, the simplicity of string inverter plus the ability to easily swap it to a hybrid inverter 10 or 20 years down the road and add in a battery pack seems very attractive to me.

Thanks for this. I've been out of the industry for 10 years now, but I never understood the attraction of MicroInverters for the very reasons you list.

thank you for the vid. I learnt a lot

Thank you so much for this video! It's refreshing to see someone speak the truth about string inverters. Your insights have been incredibly helpful in clarifying the numerous advantages that string inverters have over micro inverters. Keep up the great work, and I look forward to more informative content from your channel! 👍👏 #StringInvertersForTheWin

I've been studying up on solar systems and reading about solar panels, optimizers, inverters, etc. (FYI -- I have no practical working experience with any of these things. I only just started studying them.) Earlier, when I realized that optimizers and microinverters were used at the panel level (on the roof) I thought to myself, "oh oh, not good". Why? Because for electronics to survive hostile environments, especially heat, they have to be very well designed (plus, there're all those interconnections). This means parts have to be almost military grade to be reliable. It's not impossible (think electronics inside a car parked in the desert, such as the computers under the dash, or heck, even a radio). It's not impossible, but having this stuff on a roof under a solar panel in Las Vegas running everyday at 160 plus degrees? Insane. Even though optimizers or inverters at the panel level seem like a (technically) great way to go, I've been envisioning the worst possible failure scenarios. Having only just panels on the roof, with all the electronics on the ground seems like a better bet, but I think optimizers (at least) have to stay with the panel (I believe I'm right about this ... they can't be remote from the panel can they?). And if optimizers have to be there, then I guess microinverters might as well be there too. But like I said ... this stuff has to be really well designed and practically mil spec to survive that environment for any length of time. Anyway, probably the best way to go would be to have these items incorporated straight into the panels themselves (I think some panels already do this). Get away from separate components -- have the panel contain everything. Optimizers and microinverters both have transmitters now, and can be diagnosed from a computer in the house. So in the case of failure, you diagnose from the ground which panel is bad, then you go up there and replace just that single panel (with all the support electronics inside). But what about older solar designs? Got me. I guess you've just got to go up there and fix them at great time and expense.