PV inverter cycle

The objective of this study is to compile life cycle inventories of different power scales of solar inverters. Average life cycle inventories of low power solar inverters are compiled based on information provided by three leading European producers.

In the calculation of life cycle cost, all energy produced by the PV system is valued at the same $/kWh rate, so the result would not be accurate when the PV system is off-setting a utility rate dominated by demand or time-of-use charges. 2

The life cycle inventory of the 500 W solar inverter has not been updated because no manufacturer, which delivered data, produces a 500 W inverter. The 500 kW inverter inventory is not updated because no data has been provided for high power inverters.

Life cycle inventories of three different types of solar inverters (500 W, 2'500 W, 500 kW) are available in the KBOB life cycle inventory database v2.2:2016 (KBOB et al. 2016). The data underlying these inventories however was derived from equipment sold and installed ten and more years ago.

In the United States, most PV systems are large, utility-scale systems that use single-axis trackers and central inverters, which are not commonly examined in existing life cycle assessment (LCA) literature.

Low power solar inverters transform direct electric current (DC) into alternating electric current (AC) and transform the electricity to low-voltage (230 V), which then allows the current to be fed into the grid (Jungbluth et al. 2012).