rooftop solar

Can I oversize solar panels to an inverter


February 23, 2021 | 3min read

Yes, you can oversize solar panels to an inverter. In fact, many solar experts recommend oversizing solar panels to an inverter. Why is that? It’s because a solar system with its solar panels oversized to its inverter will begin producing electricity earlier in the morning, and will keep producing electricity later in the afternoon, than a system where the inverter rating matches the solar panel’s output. That means you get more hours of electricity production out of your system. Maximize your system’s production efficiency and you’ll maximize your solar savings.

Why oversizing solar panels to an inverter increases electricity output

A solar system doesn’t start supplying electricity as soon as the sun comes up. Instead, the system begins supplying electricity when the amount of power produced by the panels is sufficient for the inverter to produce useful amounts of 120 Volts AC power. Likewise, a solar system will stop producing electricity in the evening when the sunlight gets too low.

The size of the inverter determines when in the morning the system switches on, and when in the evening it switches off. The larger the inverter, the more current flow it needs to switch on the power flow in the morning. The same is true in the evening, the larger the inverter, the more current flow it needs to avoid switching off.

Oversizing your solar panels to your inverter will ensure that your solar system starts producing electricity earlier in the morning, and will enable it to operate later into the evening.

Clipping: The tradeoff that comes from oversizing your solar panels to your inverter

If the solar panels in a system produce more electricity than the inverter is rated for, the excess power will simply be clipped off. For example, if the solar panels are rated at 3 kilowatts, and the inverter is rated at 2.4 kilowatts, the ‘extra’ 800 watts will be clipped off. There is very little loss from this, however. Solar panels hit their peak production for only about 2 hours per day, so you don’t lose that much power in the middle of the day. You end up gaining more power output because your system begins producing power earlier in the day and keeps generating power later in the day than it would if the panels weren’t oversized. 

Can Freedom Forever oversize my solar panels to my inverter?

Yes, our solar system designers can and often do oversize the solar panels to the inverter if it will benefit the homeowner. When you choose to go solar with Freedom, one of our family of independent authorized dealers will gather information about your energy needs, the available sunlight, and utility company billing policies in your area. That information will be used by our system designers to plan a solar system with solar panels sized to the inverter that will produce the ideal amount of power to save you the most money on electricity possible. Then, you will be able to count on 25 years of reliable solar power from your new system thanks to our 25-year performance guarantee.

Ready to go solar? Call us at 800-685-1850 or click below to get started