Performance and Economic Comparison of String and Central Inverter Systems

Photovoltaic (PV) power plants are playing an increasingly important role in the energy transition as we move towards a more sustainable future. In this context, the choice related to the macro level class of inverters has a great impact on system performance and costs and has to be carefully analyzed. This paper aims to compare multiple aspects of the two mainstream inverter configurations in utility power plants - central inverters and string inverters - and the technologies involved. The comparison is based on public data and all the adopted assumptions are described.