A solid power backup solution has become an increasingly popular demand amongst desired home buyers nowadays.  The arrival of inverters in Indian markets during the late ’70s has been a boon for many.  Still, the inverter holds its position as a favorite mainly because of its affordability.

As the name implies an Inverter is a device that inverts direct current (DC) to alternate current (AC). Almost all home appliances and electronic devices can be functioned using alternating current. The inverter draws its power from a battery and supplies it during the outage of power.  Inverters can be useful for a wide range of applications ranging from small portable electronic devices, home appliances to X-ray machines and even satellites.

Inverters can be classified into different types based on their output characteristics, input source, connections, load, etc.

On the basis of output characteristics, inverters can be divided into three

·        Square Wave Inverters

These are the simplest form of the inverter which converts DC into AC but its output voltage waveform is a square wave. They don't have much application as the majority of the appliances cannot be worked in square wave form.

·        Sine Wave Inverters

Sine Wave Inverters or Pure Sine Wave Inverters are considered as the cleanest waveform. Even though they are expensive Pure Sine Wave Inverters are widely used in the commercial as well as residential purposes.

·        Modified Sine Wave Inverters

The output voltage Waveform of this type of the inverter is neither Square Wave nor Sine Wave, whereas it resembles the shape of Sine Waveform.

According to the type of load, Inverters can be classified into.

•       Single Phase Inverter
•       Three Phase Inverters

Single-phase inverters are of two types,  Half Bridge Inverters, and Full-Bridge Inverters.

On the basis of the source of inverters, they are divided into Current Source Inverters and Voltage Source Inverters.

There are many factors, that can be taken into consideration before choosing the right inverter for your purpose. Let's look into some terminologies that will help us to get a better understanding of inverters in general.

Inverters need to supply Peak or Surge which indicates maximum power an inverter can supply for a brief period and Typical which stands for the usual power an inverter supplies on a steady basis. Typical is the continuous rating which in general is less than a surge. An average power of an inverter is usually much less than surge or typical and it is not a deciding factor while choosing an inverter.

As a first step before choosing an inverter should define your needs and keep in my that factors like electrical standards, power capacity and quality, safety certification, battery charging features, efficiency are all equally important.

Like many other fields, technical advancement has a great impact on the inverters market.  Very soon we will witness smart inverters controlling our power backup requirements efficiently.

Hykon’s Sine Inverters with DSP based intelligent control, fast change over and Sinewave O/P is a promising product available now in markets.