Inverter temperatures & location

QrizB

2nd_time_buyer said:

I wonder how the inverter efficiency is affected by temperature. 
If it is at 61 degrees with a fan(?). Then you think it must be kicking out a good few hundred watts.

It all depends on ambient temperature.

A moderately-large finned heatsink, like this one, without a fan will increase in temperature by 0.3K per watt.

• If the ambient is 58C, it only needs to be dispersing 10W to get to 61C.
• If the ambient is 28C, that becomes 110W.

2nd_time_buyer

QrizB said:

2nd_time_buyer said:

I wonder how the inverter efficiency is affected by temperature. 
If it is at 61 degrees with a fan(?). Then you think it must be kicking out a good few hundred watts.

It all depends on ambient temperature.

A moderately-large finned heatsink, like this one, without a fan will increase in temperature by 0.3K per watt.

• If the ambient is 58C, it only needs to be dispersing 10W to get to 61C.
• If the ambient is 28C, that becomes 110W.

Thanks very helpful - good knowledge. My gut feeling is that it can't be good for the component life to be running at that temperature.

EcoScruples

66.9 is the new high.
100% efficiency.

I thought it may have shut down but it was a massive grey cloud came over.

Magnitio

EcoScruples said:

66.9 is the new high.
100% efficiency.

I thought it may have shut down but it was a massive grey cloud came over.

How is your inverter coping in this weather?

EcoScruples

Magnitio said:

EcoScruples said:

66.9 is the new high.
100% efficiency.

I thought it may have shut down but it was a massive grey cloud came over.

How is your inverter coping in this weather?

I don't know, I seem to have lost the temp graph after the last update.
Certainly haven't had any issues producing power, slightly reduced output is more to do with the panel temperatures I believe.

Magnitio

EcoScruples said:

I don't know, I seem to have lost the temp graph after the last update.
Certainly haven't had any issues producing power, slightly reduced output is more to do with the panel temperatures I believe.

They do appear to have reduced the amount of data available in the recent update. The only way to see the temperature appears to be by connecting direct to the inverter and that only shows instantaneous temperature rather than historic.

1961Nick

My Sofar solar inverter (situated in the loft) peaked at 73°C yesterday & ran for 3 hours & 38 minutes at over 70°C.

The sofar ME3000 battery inverter (situated in the garage) reached 66°C @ 2.00am while grid charging - I needed to keep the batteries topped up due to numerous power outages.

EcoScruples

73 whoa,  that's a hot one. I've come to the conclusion that if 38 degrees ambient outside and it still worked fine then I've got no worries, not many times it'll get that hot very often.
It is nice to know that other people's reach high temps with no problems though.