Hybrid Inverter: How It Works and the Main Features

Find out how a hybrid inverter works, its main benefits and how it can maximise your clean energy efficiency.

Read time: 2 minutes

What is a hybrid inverter?

As solar panels only make electricity during the day and wind turbines continue to produce power at night, a hybrid inverter uses and stores both of these forms of energy in batteries for when you need it most. This ensures that you are using your renewable energy systems effectively.

BPE’s Hybrid PV & Wind Inverter combines Solar, Wind, Battery and Back Up Generator power together with software which can be programmed to determine the most efficient use of your available energy. Alternatively, the hybrid inverter is suitable if your home only uses solar and battery power.

The diagram below shows exactly how the power from wind and/or solar is used in your home.

BPE Hybrid Integration Diagram

Why do you need a hybrid inverter?

Renewable sources of energy such as solar PV and wind can provide massive benefits, both personally and globally. Namely, they are clean sources of energy that don’t pollute the environment, they are generally cheaper than fossil fuels and they will never run out.

However, there is a problem with using the weather to power your home. As previously mentioned, solar panels do not produce electricity at night and wind is not always present throughout the day. During these times, the renewable energy harnessed by solar panels and wind turbines to power your home is not at its most efficient.

The answer to this problem is the hybrid inverter – a hybrid renewable energy solution that combines the power of the sun and wind to produce and store electricity for your home. This means that excess energy is stored in batteries for future use, rather than going to waste.

What are the main benefits of a hybrid inverter?

Economical

The main advantage is that they maximise the output and storage of two different renewable technologies simultaneously, so your home can become more self-reliant and productive. This means you will save money on energy costs in the long run.

A hybrid inverter also allows you to store your excess solar or low cost (off-peak) electricity in batteries, reducing your reliance on the grid and allowing you to use stored cheaper energy to be used during times of high-cost electricity.

Efficient

As technology costs come down, combining wind, solar PV and energy storage with a hybrid inverter is the most efficient and cost-effective way to integrate renewables, harnessing the power of the wind at night and in winter when solar is at its weakest.

This allows for a theoretical 24/7 electricity production to provide you with the greenest energy possible right at the source, reducing your carbon footprint and lowering your electricity bills.

Convenient

A hybrid inverter can fit with existing renewable energy systems. They can link up to and work in combination with multiple various technologies including solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, microinverters and back up generators.

All of BPE’s hybrid inverters have backup power capability and they enable advanced energy management for your home.

Conclusion

A hybrid inverter can help you maximise the power output and storage potential of more than one type of renewable energy technology. Offering increased efficiency, convenience and economical benefits, the hybrid renewable energy solution is the answer to reducing demand on the grid and allowing homes to become self-sufficient.