Kit
/
/
8 min read
Choosing an inverter you can still buy in 2039
Panels outlive inverters by about a decade. The question is not which inverter is best today, it is which manufacturer will still sell you the replacement, and at what price.
Written by Tobias Ekwueme
Panels are warranted for twenty-five years. Inverters are warranted for five, ten if you pay for the extension. That gap is a purchasing decision, not a technical one.
The question to ask
Not which inverter performs best on a datasheet. Which manufacturer will still be selling a compatible replacement in fifteen years, and whether the array can be rewired to something else if they are not.
What we specify
String inverters from manufacturers with a UK service presence and a documented end of life policy. Optimisers only where shading measurement justifies them, and only on the affected strings.
Budget one replacement around year thirteen. If it lasts longer, that is upside you did not pay for in the quote.
Next step
Run the numbers this argues about
The calculator carries every effect described here. Change one input at a time and see which of them your payback is actually sensitive to.