How Do Microinverter Rooftop Solutions Empower Home and Business Electric Systems

While balcony photovoltaic (PV) systems are gaining more popularity, especially in Europe, rooftop PV systems have also been developing rapidly, being applied in both residential and commercial scenarios widely. This enables an increasing number of users can enjoy convenient and efficient clean energy.

What is a rooftop PV system?

Rooftop PV system, as the name suggests, is a PV system installed on the rooftop. It has a relatively simple structure and is mainly used for residential or small-scale commercial rooftops. In the context of rapid urban development, many users without independent rooftops tend to choose balcony PV systems for their daily household electricity needs. However, for users with available rooftops, the vast unused rooftop space proves to be a better option, especially for commercial users who have higher electricity demands for company operations.

What are the advantages of a rooftop PV system?

Cost–saving: Both residential and commercial users can adopt a hybrid mode. On the one hand, the generated electricity from the PV system meets their daily needs, reducing electricity costs. On the other hand, users can also supply excess electricity to the grid, contributing not only to societal power usage but also gaining electricity income. Additionally, the PV equipment also offers thermal insulation. Particularly during scorching summer days, this insulation effectively reduces indoor temperatures, ensuring stable equipment operation and indirectly lowering the electricity costs of cooling devices such as air conditioners and fans.

Energy conservation and emissions reduction: Now that the government is vigorously advocating environmental protection, installing a rooftop PV system that harnesses clean energy not only satisfies daily electricity demands but also effortlessly achieves energy conservation and emissions reduction goals.

Resource utilization: Prior to the advent of rooftop PV systems, most residential and commercial building rooftops remained unused. However, after their introduction, these previously dormant rooftop spaces have been effectively utilized, revitalizing fixed assets and generating economic value.

Enhancing brand image: For small-scale commercial users, installing a rooftop PV system offers a hidden yet long-term advantage. Thanks to the zero output of pollutants such as dust, wastewater, and noise of rooftop PV systems, it contributes to building an environmentally conscious corporate image that emphasizes sustainable development, thereby enhancing brand reputation and influence.

How to install a rooftop PV system?

First, conduct an on-site survey of the rooftop’s current condition and determine the system capacity and design. During system design, environmental conditions should be taken into consideration, such as the angle of sunlight and shading from parapets and trees, to tailor the design to the specific location. Moreover, different types of roofs require different solutions. For concrete roofs, confirm the appropriate module inclination angle first, then calculate the front and rear spacing, and plan the installation layout. For corrugated steel sheet roofs, modules are typically installed in a flat manner with gaps of more than 0.5 meters left between arrays for ease of future maintenance.

Next, taking project requirements, costs, and other factors into account, select suitable PV equipment. Currently, 500W to 700W PV modules are popularly accepted by the market. Combine these with microinverter specifications to determine the maximum number of units per branch. Then, calculate the number of microinverters and corresponding auxiliary materials based on the system capacity and module layout. Subsequently, finalize the microinverter pre-installation positions and bus layout to complete the system design. The system installation and testing will be carried out by professional personnel until the successful power supply and grid connection.

How to maintain a rooftop PV system?

Given the multi-module, multi-inverter system design of rooftop PV systems, implementing module-level monitoring is a crucial factor in ensuring stable operation. The monitoring system of microinverters can perfectly meet this requirement, simplifying and enhancing the operational efficiency of the power station. Taking the BENY microinverter as an example, it is equipped with an Energy Monitoring Unit (EMU) and uses Wi-Fi or PLCC communication methods to transmit data. Users can access and analyze real-time, daily, monthly, and yearly production data, which is stored in the cloud. In the event of a system failure, it can also help personnel quickly locate and resolve issues, ensuring uninterrupted operation to meet power supply demands.

BENY rooftop PV solutions

Given the varying orientations, scattered distribution, and diverse capacities of rooftop PV systems, the BENY microinverter, with its modular design and strong adaptability, perfectly matches rooftop PV systems.

BENY offers microinverters with different power outputs ranging from 2000W to 2800W to match varying capacities and layout of PV systems. Each microinverter features four independent Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) modules, with each module allowing parallel input of two or more solar panels and a max. input current of 24A. This means that it can better utilize solar resources, making it more efficient compared to other solutions. Moreover, the low operating voltage design below 60V significantly enhances the safety of system installation and maintenance.

BENY microinverters utilize top-tier chips and power devices from top domestic and international manufacturers (such as NXP automotive-grade chips). And they are also equipped with built-in relays and have passed VDE standard certification, which ensures high quality and performance stability. With the widest operating temperature range of -40°C to +70°C and superior heat dissipation design, BENY microinverters can maintain a high output power ratio even in high-temperature environments of up to 70°C. Additionally, BENY offers a warranty of up to 25 years, alleviating user concerns for the long term.

Furthermore, the PV-BYPO parallel optimizer can be employed to interconnect 8 PV modules together. It increases the output current of the PV array to obtain greater output power while achieving ultra-low voltage and extremely low energy loss. A storage system can be added to the rooftop PV system, especially for residential users. Under conditions of abundant sunlight and when daily electricity demands are met, the excess power can be stored in batteries, enabling nighttime power supply or serving as a backup power source during poor lighting conditions or grid outages. With the combination of EMU and gateway, users can monitor and manage the operation of the PV system, accessing current and historical generation data anytime through a cloud platform or BYM Cloud App.

With its exceptional efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and environmental-friendly features, rooftop PV systems are rapidly gaining prominence in market. By fully utilizing rooftop space, these systems provide reliable clean energy for both households and small-scale businesses, along with abundant economic and environmental benefits. Whether for meeting daily electricity demands or optimizing energy management strategies, BENY microinverter solutions, characterized by superior quality, stable performance, and strong adaptability, offer the optimal choice for rooftop PV systems, which contribute to the progressive development of more sustainable world and transition to greener future.