What is an inverter power system?

Posted by Felix Okoli on Tuesday May 26, 2015 at 16:59:47:

Many homes in Nigeria tend to use traditional power generators that run on petrol or diesel to power their homes and for them, fuel is always required to generate electricity outside the national grid. Not many people know that they can also power their homes without using petrol/diesel and that's what using an inverter system really is like. While conventional power generators can be noisy, an inverter system is silent.

An inverter generator is the complete system of electronics that's made of up a battery and an inverter which can produce electricity without the need for using hydrocarbon fuel. The energy normally generated from an inverter power system is one that has been stored in the battery and then converted into a form suitable for use in a home or office.

An inverter power system generates electricity from a Direct Current (DC) unit and converts it to Alternative Current(AC) in other for it to be used by most other electronic units in the home or office.

During the fuel scarcity crisis, many Nigerians really had a hard time trying to provide power for their electronics using ordinary generators since they required fuel which was sold only at the black market at an exorbitant price. They could hardly watch tv, listen to the radio or even use their electric fans without paying more for electricity but if they had an alternative way of generating electricity, they could have had a more convenient life and saved money on fuel. So, I did a bit of a research and found out that an inverter power system would have made a difference.

An inverter generator system will need to be first charged with electricity from an external source which it will then store in the battery and afterwards will be able to provide it as an output to the units being used. It allows a user to be able to keep using his electronic devices irrespective of power disruptions which are common in third world countries like Nigeria. You could imagine how bad you'd feel if you were watching a favourite game or tv show and then the lights go off. Rather than wait to switch on your old generator and waste fuel, this system will be able to keep it on so that you don't miss a thing.

An inverter power system is able to power a lot of electronic devices depending on its power capacity as there are normally rated in watts. A 1000 Watts inverter power system for instance will be able to provide at most 1000 Watts to your device and so if the device just needs 200 watts per hour, then it would be able to power it for up to 5 hrs.

inverter power systems also differ in terms of their price based on the brand and power capacity. A 1000 watt inverter system for instance will certainly cost more than a 500 watt one if it's the same brand. Higher brands tend to cost more than low quality brands and I guess it's because they last longer.

In Nigeria, a growing number of people have started switching to the usage of inverter systems and some consumers buy it as parts and ask a technician to install it as a complete system for them while some buy it as complete units without the need for too much complex installation. Either way, it's a smart way to go when you are thinking about alternative ways to power your electronics. An inverte generator can be powered from an AC or even DC source depending on how it was installed and it can be powered from your A/C socket or with solar panels.

The benefits of an inverter power system are that it saves fuel, has little or no emissions and operates silently. Imagine living in a neigbourhood where people have power generators but they are noiseless and cause no pollution. That's what an inverter system can do for our society.