There is a long history behind the name SMA, and it is no surprise that many people consider it to be one of the best string inverters for use with solar systems. Each of their systems works in a different environment and choosing the right one makes sure that you get exactly what you are looking for. In this article, we are discussing the popular SMA Sunny Boy inverter, a solution that is mostly grid-tied and is thought of as the standard choice for such applications.

The SMA Sunny Boy inverter is most productive in systems that get uninterrupted sunlight throughout the day. These are systems with no issues related to solar orientation or any other factor causing a drop in solar power production. Yes, there are several other more versatile and updated options that you can go for, but this will be the best value you will get right now in direct sunlight.

Inverter Pricing Options

There are some options to choose from in the SMA Sunny Boy inverter range and each of them provides a different power capacity. The smallest one has a 3.0kW capacity and costs a reasonable $1261. As for the high-end options, the top-of-the-line version has a 7.7kW capacity and costs $1920. That gives you a per watt cost range of 42-25 cents. The other options that you can choose include 3.8kW, 5.0kW, 6.0kW, and 7.0kW. You can easily calculate how much energy you need and choose the model that suits your needs the best.

System Optimisation

One of the best things about the SMA Sunny Boy inverter range is that you do not need to add optimizers to the system if you do not want to. While all the inverters support them, the system still works if you run it without them which is not the case for other systems like the SolarEdge HD-Wave. This also gives you the flexibility of changing your system according to the changes in the lighting conditions. If your panels get shade at some point during the year, you can add optimizers to the panels and get the performance of your SMA Sunny Boy inverter back to the peak.

Customer Support

With any complex electrical system, there are bound to be complications and problems. This is not something that you should be concerned about. The thing that truly makes the difference is how the company handles the problems. As it happens, the support you get for an SMA Sunny Boy inverter is second to none. We are sure that it is the same for any other product you get from SMA as well and that means a lot. Experience has shown that you can contact them and get detailed instructions on anything from system installation to maintenance and even upgrades.

Warranty

Some may argue that the warranty provided by SMA for the SMA Sunny Boy inverter is not the best and we would agree. However, it is also a much more economical option that does not compromise on quality in any way. Therefore, a warranty of 10 years is quite sufficient, and the best part is that you also have the option of extending that warranty to 20 years for some extra money. During that time, you should expect to replace your unit 3-4 times which is not bad at all. There will be some replacement expense but that is standard for all inverters.

There is no doubting the fact that the SMA Sunny Boy inverter is certainly one of and probably THE best option that you have for solar systems with direct sunlight access. If you can create a system with such settings in your homes, this inverter should effectively meet all your requirements.