Can anyone give more information about the pros and cons of micro inverters vs optimisers? This has come up quite a bit recently, and I’m not confident I have all the facts. This is a little old news, but I have just been reading that SMA has partnered up with Tigo to produce a “smart module”, and is integrated into the Sunny Design software.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like Tigo optimisers can be used with any inverter brand, whilst SolarEdge optimisers are only compatible with SolarEdge inverters. Are the SolarEdge optimisers superior in any way? Otherwise it sounds like Tigo has a bit advantage in being compatible with all inverter brands.
Also, as the OP mentioned, optimisers seem that they would have an issue in heavy shading when the inverter does not receive enough voltage to function. Is that a real concern, and if so, is that the only disadvantage of a power optimiser over the micros?
Lastly, what about price? Is Tigo the most cost effective out of these options?
For reference, we’ve got a couple articles on SolarEdge and Enphase, but not much on how they compare, and where Tigo fits in.
cc. @Svarky @BHekman, if you’ve got any insight.
Cheers
Marty