Can micro inverters be used in off grid solar power systems?

With the growth in the use of micro inverters, I’m starting to get more and more emails asking: can micro inverters be used in off grid (or hybrid) solar power systems? The short answer is yes they can! In fact a number of micro inverter battery backup systems are already operating here and abroad.

Can microinverters be used off-grid?

Microinverters can be used off-grid in a number of ways. Microinverters are the latest technology that’s used to convert DC power into AC off-grid. With the ability to do this consistently, microinverters eliminate exposure to high voltage DC electricity while powering your equipment or appliances.

What is an off-grid inverter?

Modern off grid systems use a single inverter/charger (AKA off grid inverter). Although it took a while, around ten years ago some manufacturers realised that they could already convert the solar (or other source) input to AC with Grid Tied inverters, so to simplify things a bit more AC Coupling was born, and it looks like this:

Can you trick a grid-tie inverter with an off-grid system?

Yes, you can trick a grid-tie inverter with an off-grid system, but it’s not that simple.

Should I buy a micro inverter based system?

So if you buy a microinverter based system you won’t be left high and dry if you want to add batteries in the future, you’ll simply need an AC coupled system. In fact the way technology is progressing it would not surprise me if batteries will soon come with “micro inverter/chargers”.

Can a micro inverter be used as an AC source?

It’s not simple but it absolutely does work and has been gaining favour as a solution for many years. So, logically micro inverters that present solar as an AC source can indeed be coupled into these types of systems. In the last 2 block diagrams above you simply swap out the solar panel and grid tie inverter for all your AC solar panels.