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In the past I have seen a lot of issues with PVP inverters. There
was a period, when I was subcontracting, where a half dozen or more of
the units had to be replaced within a short time. Although I like
many features of PVP, I've avoided them since. Have others found
these units to be reliable or problematic?<br><br>
<br>
At 07:30 PM 12/1/2009, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">Nice thread... inverter
pros/cons is something I spend a fair amount of time<br>
pondering, since they are the weak link in the grid-direct
installation.<br><br>
Overall, I like them both (PVP and SMA).<br><br>
Performance: On page 44 of the Dec/Jan issue of SolarPro, there is a list
of<br>
specifications for grid-direct inverters. Current PVP and SMA inverters
have<br>
similar CEC weighted efficiency ratings. Some of the older PVP
inverter<br>
models (1100, 2000, 2800, 3000) have slightly lower efficiency.<br>
<br>
Reliability: I like that the PVP inverters have no moving parts, whereas
the<br>
SMA inverters use a fan to assist with the cooling. PV Powered does a lot
of<br>
marketing around their reliability efforts, for whatever that's
worth.<br><br>
Customer Service: I have not needed to utilize PV Powered customer
service.<br>
I've found SMA customer service techs to be easy to reach and
knowledgeable.<br><br>
Other issues: I like that PV Powered inverters are made in the USA. I
also<br>
find the hardware and manuals to be easier to work with, most likely
because<br>
they're produced in the USA for our market. The PVP inverters ship with
a<br>
full-size mounting template which comes in handy, especially when
planning<br>
the rough-in wiring and support framing during new construction.<br><br>
I have a preference for the PVP inverters, and use SMA occasionally if
it's<br>
a better design fit. I agree with Wayne Irwin's comment about the
durability<br>
of the inverters with the heavy transformer designs, as opposed to the
newer<br>
"light-weight" designs (including the newest SMA products). I
just feel that<br>
in the long run, lower counts for electronic components is a good thing.
I'm<br>
not an expert on component reliability, but I know from my somewhat
limited<br>
experience that capacitors dry up and transistors are susceptible to
a<br>
variety of failure modes. The fewer of these things, the better. Also
from a<br>
reliability standpoint, I prefer to put inverters inside in a well<br>
ventilated area, if possible. My gut feeling is that over the long haul,
any<br>
inverter will be better off in a location that is protected from
moisture<br>
and large ambient temperature swings.<br><br>
-Hans<br>
________________________________<br><br>
From: re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org<br>
[<a href="mailto:re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org" eudora="autourl">
mailto:re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org</a>] On Behalf Of Keith
Cronin<br>
Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 1:04 PM<br>
To: RE-Wrenches<br>
Subject: [RE-wrenches] PV Powered vs SMA<br><br>
<br>
Hi colleagues<br><br>
Do any of you have a preference, PV Powered vs SMA in the residential
space-<br>
2k-5k grid tie inverter zone?<br><br>
Comments on performance/reliability/customer service etc?<br><br>
Any feedback on their monitoring vs SMA's webbox?<br><br>
Thanks<br><br>
Keith<br><br>
<br>
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<font color="#0000FF">Drake Chamberlin<br>
Athens Electric<br>
OH License 44810<br>
CO License 3773<br>
NABCEP </font><font size=1 color="#0000FF">TM
</font><font color="#0000FF">Certified PV Installer <br>
Office - 740-448-7328<br>
Mobile - 740-856-9648 </font></body>
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