Inverter guide
How a String Inverter and a Microinverter Differ, and How Each Fails
One box on the wall or a small unit under every panel: what each design means for your roof, how long it runs, and what a breakdown costs you in lost power.
Inverter showing an error? We answer the phone or call back the same working day.
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Start with the box that does the work
What a solar inverter does
A solar inverter converts the "direct current" the panels make into the "alternating current" a home uses.
Your lights, your furnace blower and the meter on the side of the house all run on alternating current, and panels on the roof never make it by themselves. The inverter sits between the two and turns one into the other all day long. Solar systems use one of three kinds: a "string inverter", a set of microinverters, or a "hybrid inverter" that also runs a battery. The U.S. Department of Energy lays out the basics of inverters, and the Department of Energy's system design basics shows where they sit in a system.
Power takes this route from roof to outlet:
- Panels on the roof"Photovoltaic" cells turn daylight into direct current.
- The inverterChanges that current, for a whole series of panels or for one panel at a time.
- Your house and the gridOutlets, appliances and the utility meter take alternating current.
One box or one per panel
String inverter vs microinverter
A string inverter converts the power of a whole series of panels in one box, while a microinverter sits under each panel and converts and monitors that panel alone.
The two designs side by side, point by point.
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String inverter
Owners usually call it the solar inverter box. The panels are wired together in a row, the trade's "string", and every one of them feeds this single unit on a wall.
- Where it sits
- On a wall, off the roof
- What it handles
- The combined output of the row
- When it quits
- The whole row goes dark and an error shows
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Microinverter
The box under each panel, clipped to the rails. Because every panel reports on its own, these systems give real-time monitoring and tune each panel's output.
- Where it sits
- Under every panel, on the rails
- What it handles
- One panel's output, nothing else
- When it quits
- One panel goes quiet; the others keep running
How long each one runs
Inverter lifespan and silent failures
String inverters typically last 10 to 15 years and microinverters longer, but a microinverter that fails silently cuts output by 10 to 25 percent.
A central box that stops is hard to miss: the whole row shuts down and the display throws a code. A unit under one panel gives out without a sound, the rest of the array carries on, and the loss only shows up as a smaller credit on the bill. Panel-by-panel monitoring is what catches it.
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Lifespan guide
Warranties and wear for the panels, the inverters and the batteries, part by part.
Solar Panel Lifespan
What a replacement runs
Inverter replacement costs
Replacing one microinverter typically costs a good deal less than replacing a string inverter, because only the failed unit under one panel comes out, while a string inverter replacement swaps the one box the whole row runs through.
No two jobs price the same, so we give the figure after we have seen the system. It moves with the equipment you choose, how easy the failed unit is to reach, the condition of the roof and the electrical service, and whether the swap needs a permit.
Call for a Free EstimateA firm number before any work
We look at the system, read what the inverter is telling us and quote the whole job before we start, with no surprise charges after.
(413) 724-0582-
Cost guide
What sets the price of each repair, and of a new system, step by step.
Solar Panel Cost
Signs it is time to call
When an inverter needs repair
An inverter that shows an error code or shuts the system down should go to a technician who reads the codes and tests its connections.
That is where our inverter service starts: we read the error codes to find the root cause, then check the connections between the inverter, the main service and the panels. A "ground fault" or an "arc fault" makes the inverter shut itself down and raise an alert on purpose, and both are a reason to leave the cover closed. If the answer is a permitted replacement, a follow-up utility inspection may come after it, and we tell you that up front.
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Repair guide
Repairs for wiring faults and roof leaks under an array, along with inverter trouble.
Inverter Faults
Hybrid inverters and batteries
A "hybrid inverter" runs both the panels and a home battery, which makes it the one to plan around when you want home backup power through an outage.
Solar Battery InstallationRed light or a blank display?
Tell us what the inverter shows and we will set up a visit.
Call Incite Solar Solutions (413) 724-0582From owners around Pittsfield
What neighbors say about working with us
Our Google reviews, as the owners wrote them.
The representatives we worked with at Incite - Jonathan and Daniella were incredible and kept us informed every step of the way. The electrical team and installation team were wonderful and efficient and did an amazing job under brutally hot conditions! We are thrilled that we decided on Incite Solar Solutions and know that going forward it will be the best decision we ever made. We are fortunate that all of our panels are in the back and we actually forget they are there. Great installation.
We're in line to get a system thru SunPower with Derek as our rep. So far so good--he's been great! We had a hiccup with our first home site inspection--seems that the info never made it back to Incite. Then Peter Walters was assigned to come out--night and day difference from our first home site visit. Peter totally knew what he was doing. Hope all continues to go well!
We had Pete survey our property and he did an amazing job, took his time explaning to us everything he was doing and in what condition our home was in. He did a pretty awesome job!
Not sure which one you have?
Tell us what the inverter says and we will take it from there
Call with the make on the box or what the app shows, and we will set up a free, no-obligation estimate for the repair or the replacement.
We show up when we say we will.
We clean up when the work is done.