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Frequently Asked Questions - Financial

How do HPE Inverters and Converter/Inverters deliver faster Payback?

Why wouldn't I just use the cheapest Electronics I can find ?

How do HPE Inverters and Converter/Inverters deliver faster Payback?

HPE Inverters and Converter/Inverters increase the yield.  Wind turbines produce saleable electricity at lower and higher speeds, and Solar Arrays produce saleable electricity sooner in the morning and later in the evening.  In either case, the window of opportunity, the timeframe in which the facility is making money is increased.

Increased efficiency also means more electricity is generated at a particular windspeed or illumination level, which means a higher annual yield, which translates directly into higher returns for the owners/investors of the facility

Why wouldn't I just use the cheapest Electronics I can find ?

BUT, first cost isn't the most important thing to consider when building a commercial/industrial or utility-scale solar array or wind farm.

Remember that ( using proper equipment ), the installation will last at least 40 years, and should generate electricity over all that time.  Let's use the example of a 250 kW solar array on a rooftop :

• a cheap 'inverter' may cost $100,000 less than a good one
• the better device ( like a HPE CIT ) will deliver an extra 30% electricity each year
• the cheap device would thus deliver perhaps $240,000 worth of electricity per year
• the better device would deliver $311,000 per year or more
• the advantage is about $60,000 per year
• over 20 years, that is an extra $1.2M, over 40 years an extra $2.4M
• which makes more sense ?  save a few hundred thousand dollars, or earn several million more ?

By the way, a cheap inverter is likely to require replacement more often ( read their specs, what is their MTBF ? ) which will increase the CapEx - probably to the point that the cheaper using costs more anyway.