Fronius vs. SMA Sunny Boy?

[Walt Bilofsky]

I'm looking for knowledgable opinions on inverter brands. It comes
down to the Fronius IG4000 vs. the Sunny Boy 3800.

Just about all the solar contractors I talk to are very high on
Fronius inverters. They say they are more reliable, degrade less with
heat, and are more efficient under a variety of conditions.

There are a lot of Sunny Boys installed, and their software and
communications options have Fronius all beat. It seems like a Sunny
Boy system would be a lot more fun.

Anyone got any help for me?

 

[Steve Spence]

my only comment is/was my contractor's claim that the sunny boy's
aren't strong on high temperature exposures. they overheat & shut off.

~ only passed on comment. if it's true, i would expect sunny boy's to
have undergone some redesign. confirm they are ok on high temperature
exposure.

~ if there was a design change, make sure you know the current model
number so you don't get old stock sold to you with design flaws.

see ya

steve

one simple solution appears to be to not install your inverter outdoors ....

our charge controller, inverter, et. al., are installed in the basement,
only the pv panels are mounted outside.

 

[SpiderG]

You might get some additional insight at the Solar Guppy Forum.
http://www.solar-guppy.com/forum/

He has done some testing on a few inverters.

SpiderG