Working of Solar Inverter, Its Advantages and Disadvantages

Solar Inverter

Solar Inverter Currently, the necessity  of  the solar inverter has been improving day by day.  It is a common inverter,  but uses energy from  the sun  that is termed as “solar energy”. This kind of inverter helps in changing the DC-AC uses solar power. In this circuit, the DC power flows in one direction and also assists in supplying current when there is no electricity.DC is used for  minor appliances like electronic gadgets, MP3 players, iPod, etc (where there is power stored in the battery). In the case of  alternative  current (AC)  is the power that stores back and forth inside the circuit. Usually, the AC power is used for home appliances. A solar inverter aids several devices that  work on DC power  to run on AC power so that the worker makes use of  the AC power. If  you  are  thinking  this  inverter  is  as an alternate to the  normal electric one, then it is due to the solar  inverter  that makes use of  the solar energy which is available in sufficient from the Sun and is spotless and also pollution free.

What is a Solar Inverter?

The Solar Inverter is an important device  in any solar based  power system.  The basic function of this inverter  is to alter  the flexible DC o/p of  the solar panels into AC. The various electrical and electronic components are used to make the circuit to help in the conversion.

Solar Inverter

The changed AC power is used for running your home appliances. For some specific applications, we can directly use the  DC power from  the solar panel like a cell phone charger. LED night lights. Normally, the power of a home solar power system is used for power AC loads.

Solar Inverter Project

The main scope of the project is, the photovoltaic cells are converting the sunlight into electricity a charge controller is used. PV cells are bundled together in modules or panels to produce higher voltages and increased power. As the sunlight varies in intensity the electricity, so generated. Usually charges through the charge a set of batteries for storing the energy.

Hardware Requirements

• Battery
• PWM
• inverter
• MOSFET
• Photovoltaic cells/solar cells
• Resistor
• Capacitor

Solar Inverter Block Diagram by Edgefxkits.com

Battery

An electrical battery is a combination of one or more electrochemical cells, used to convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. The battery has become a common power source for many household, robotics and industrial applications.Larger batteries provide standby power for telephone exchanges or computer data centers.

Battery

PWM Inverter IC

The PWM Inverter is used to develop the PWM pulses based on a fixed frequency  using a common oscillator The IC SG3524 operates at a fixed frequency, the oscillation frequency is determined by one timing resistor RT and one timing capacitor CT.The SG3524 contains an inbuilt 5V regulator that supplies as a reference voltage, also providing the SG3524 internal regulator control circuitry. Comparator provides a linear control of the output pulse width (duration) by the error amplifier.The resultant PWM pulse from the comparator is passed to the corresponding output pass transistor (Q1, Q2 refers block diagram) using the pulse steering flip flop, which is synchronously toggled by the oscillator output.

PWM Inverter IC

MOSFET(IRF 510)

The metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET, MOS-FET, or MOS FET) is a device used for amplifying or switching electronic signalsThe basic principle of the device a voltage on the oxide-insulated gate electrode can induce a conducting channel between the two other contacts called the source and drainIt is by far the most common transistor in both digital and analog circuits, though the bipolar junction transistor was at one time much more common.

MOSFET (IRF 510)

BC547 (NPN –Transistor)

The BC547 transistor is an NPN Epitaxial Silicon Transistor.It is used in general-purpose switching and amplification BC847/BC547 series 45 V, 100 mA NPN general-purpose transistors.The ratio of two currents (Ic/Ib) is called the DC Current Gain of the device and is given the symbol of hfe or nowadays Beta, (β). The current gain from the emitter to the collector terminal, Ic/Ie, is called Alpha, (α), and is a function of the transistor itself.

BC547 (NPN –Transistor)

1N4148

The 1N4148 is a standard small signal silicon diode used in signal processing. The 1N4148 is generally available in a DO-35 glass package and is very useful at high frequencies with a reverse recovery time of no more than 4ns. This permits rectification and detection of radio frequency signals very effectively, as long as their amplitude is above the forward conduction threshold of silicon (around 0.7V) or the diode is biased.

1N4148

Photovoltaic Cells

Photovoltaic (PV) cells are made of special materials called semiconductors such as silicon, which is currently the most commonly used. Basically, when light strikes the cell, a certain portion of it is absorbed within the semiconductor material. PV cells also all have one or more electric fields that act to force electrons freed by light absorption to flow in a certain direction. This flow of electrons is a current, and by placing metal contacts on the top and bottom of the PV cell, we can draw that current off to use externally.

Solar Panel

Expose the cell to light, and the energy of each photon (light particle) hitting the silicon, will liberate an electron and a corresponding hole. If this happens within range of the electric field’s influence, the electrons will be sent to the N side and the holes to the P one, resulting in yet further disruption of electrical neutralityThis flow of electrons is a current; the electrical field in the cell causes a voltage and the product of these two is power.

Solar Panel

Solar Inverter Project Working

The main concept of this project is to design a solar energy based inverter for household applications. The hardware requirements of this project include Step up Transformer, Bridge-MOSFETs drive, Solar Panel, MOSFET driver, Voltage regulator, PWM inverter IC, and Battery. Sun powered vitality is changed to electrical vitality with the assistance of photovoltaic cells. This vitality is put away in batteries amid daytime for the operation reason at whatever point required. The proposed framework is intended to use sunlight based vitality for home burdens utilizing an inverter.

Soalr Inverter Project Kit by Edgefxkits.com

A sun oriented inverter changes over the DC (Direct Current) o/p of a PV sunlight based board into a utility frequency AC (alternating current) that can be sustained into a business electrical network (or) utilized by a local, off-line electrical n/w.

In this project, the sun oriented vitality is stored in the battery from PV cells. This vitality of the battery changes to AC supply of 50Hz frequency utilizing PWM inverter IC with MOSFET to the driver MOSFET connects and step up the voltage by a transformer, all in an off-line n/w only just however not lattice tie sort.

For test purposes a battery of the SMF sort of and 5 AH (not provided, it is for the most part utilized as a part of little UPS) is important to be utilized as sun oriented cells required would be of the high power sort throwing high. Additionally, this system can be added to a charge controller for over voltage, under voltage protection and over-burden security.

Advantages of Solar Inverter

After discussing in detail about a solar inverter and how it is a fit for making appliance work at housing & trade levels we must discuss about the numerous advantages of the solar inverter.

• Solar energy has continually helped in diminishing the greenhouse impact and an unnatural weather change.
• By utilizing of sun based gadgets will help in sparing cash and furthermore vitality. Since many individuals have begun utilizing these gadgets.
• A sun powered inverter helps in changing the DC into batteries or AC. This backings individuals who utilize an incomplete measure of power.
• The synchronous solar inverter that enables small homeowners and furthermore to control organizations as they are tremendous in measure.
• The multifunction sunlight based inverter is the finest among all and works effected. It changes over the DC to AC deliberately which is appropriate for business foundations.
• This inverter is financially effective, i.e. ease than generators. Apart from these, there are extra gadgets as well that make the utilization of sunlight based vitality, for example, solar heater, cooker.

Disadvantages of Solar Inverter

• Primarily, we have to spend a considerable measure of cash for buying a solar based inverter
• It will work productively and create DC just when the sunshine is solid. The solar panels are utilized to draw in the daylight needs lots of space.
• Solar Inverters can work when there is no Sunshine yet the battery which is accessible in that is charged completely with the assistance of Sunshine.

Thus, this is all about solar inverter working, advantages and disadvantages.We hope that you have got a better understanding of this concept or to implement solar inverter project, please give your feedback by commenting in the comment section below. Here is a question for you, what is the function of the solar inverter?