SMA America 5.8

Individual models of inverters are designed specifically for certain types of solar installations: residential vs. utility-scale, 60 cell vs. 72 cell solar panels, system level or module level power economics.

There are three primary inverter types: string inverters, power optimizers paired with string inverters and microinverters. Inverters may come with additional features and capabilities beyond their standard method of operation.

The voltage and voltage range across which an inverter can operate are indicative of the overall performance of an inverter. A wide range of voltages means the inverter can perform well across a variety of solar output conditions.

Organizations like the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) create national and international standards for inverter systems to ensure any products on the market meet certain specifications for safety and reliability reasons.