Ecosystem goes a step further, Tesla launches proprietary solar inverters

        Tesla has taken a step towards a more comprehensive ecosystem by launching a proprietary solar inverter. This electric car manufacturer with big solar ambitions finally used its expertise in power electronics technology to launch a solar inverter.

        In the past few years, many inverter companies have stepped into the field of electric vehicle (EV) charging, expanded the power electronics ecosystem, and repeatedly emphasized the importance of inverters in the center of the system. Tesla did the opposite. Starting with electric cars, this car manufacturer penetrated into the civilian solar market through panels and batteries, but it has only now brought inverters to the market.

        Tesla solar inverters——there are 3.8 kW and 7.6 kW versions, with two and four maximum power point trackers (MPPT) respectively.

        This is slightly above average, because most inverters below 10 kilowatts have only two MPPTs, but the efficiency of this product is slightly lower than the figure achieved by market leaders. Tesla stated that the efficiency of its solar inverter is 97.5%, but did not say whether this is the weighted efficiency of the CEC (California Energy Commission) or the maximum efficiency.

        According to the mandatory regulations of the United States, the inverter has an integrated quick shutdown function and provides arc fault and ground fault protection. The electric car manufacturer stated that the product is designed to integrate neatly with Tesla Powerwall batteries and Tesla applications, so as to achieve the monitoring of power generation and consumption patterns.

        Tesla has published some data about the inverter on its website, rather than a complete specification sheet. At present, it is not entirely clear about the application’s ability in system integration and optimization. As a rule of thumb, the more devices a single manufacturer has, the easier it is for the software to adjust them to work in a symphony and improve system efficiency. This is also a trend seen last year.

        The company may also choose to leverage its electric vehicle production capacity and power electronics expertise. Electric vehicle drive systems require DC/DC and DC/AC levels, because the battery produces a direct current, and the engine can only run on alternating current. It remains to be seen whether such expertise can be transferred to household solar appliances, and whether it can improve functionality, efficiency or robustness. The 12.5-year warranty announced by Tesla inverters will imply the latter.