When you add inverters and batteries, autarc recommends suitable products from your catalogue. The view you select from decides whether a product is added or replaces the existing ones.
You open both selections via Add > Inverter or Battery, or in the sidebar with + next to Inverter or Battery. Switch the view under Sort by:. The selection always opens on Overview.
Important: The recommendations are only as good as the prices in your products. autarc uses them for Cheapest compatible, to decide between otherwise equal inverters and for the breakeven of batteries. If a price is wrong, e.g. outdated or too low, the recommendation is wrong too. If a price is missing, autarc sorts the inverter to the back and calculates the battery with a price of zero, so it may wrongly appear as Fastest breakeven. Check the prices of your inverters and batteries regularly.
Inverter
Views
Overview: two recommendations,Best fitandCheapest compatible.Sizing: all inverters in your catalogue that can be rated, sorted by how well they fit.List: all inverters, without a rating.
What happens when you select one
From
OvervieworSizing: The inverter replaces all existing inverters in the design, in the number shown (e.g.1 unit), and autarc strings the panels automatically. Existing strings are kept and move to the new inverter. Only panels without a string are strung again. Strings whose panel count doesn't suit the new inverter stay without an inverter. A message summarises the result.From
List: The inverter is added on top. Existing inverters stay; you create the strings yourself or withAuto-create strings.
An inverter marked Doesn’t fit whose problem cannot be solved by different strings (e.g. Module current exceeds the DC input current) is only added, without strings, even from Overview or Sizing. Microinverters are assigned directly to panels: click a panel or drag across several panels.
You can reverse the swap in one step with Undo.
How autarc rates inverters
autarc checks every inverter in your catalogue against the panels in the design. It calculates how many units are needed, how the panels can be strung, the DC/AC ratio and the Clipping (energy the inverter cannot convert at sunny peaks). The order under Sizing works like this:
Inverters that take all panels come before those that leave panels without a string.
A DC/AC ratio between 1.0 and 1.2 is ideal and shown in green. Below that, the inverter is oversized; above it, output is clipped.
If the design has a battery, hybrid inverters are preferred.
After that, lower clipping, fewer units and the lower price decide.
Best fit is the first inverter in this order. Cheapest compatible is the cheapest inverter that fits. It may clip considerably more, so keep an eye on the value next to Clipping. Inverters that don't fit are marked Doesn’t fit with the reason.
The design needs panels for a recommendation. Without panels, only List is available. With different panels, the rating uses the most common panel for all of them. Inverters without complete electrical values in the datasheet only appear under List. To learn how strings are designed, see String planning.
Battery
autarc simulates every battery in your catalogue in your design and sorts them under Sort by::
Overview: up to three recommendations,Best overall,Fastest breakevenandHighest autarky.Best overallis the battery that performs best on breakeven and autarky combined.Breakeven: fastest breakeven first.Autarky: highest level of autarky first.List: all batteries, without a rating.
What happens when you select one
In the solar design: A click always adds the battery on top, whichever view you select from. An existing battery is kept. To replace it, delete it first.
In the simulation:
Find the best batteryopens the same comparison. Here, the selected battery replaces the existing one.
For a recommendation, the simulation needs a consumption, e.g. household, heat pump, wallbox or air conditioning. Breakeven is calculated with the catalogue prices of the batteries, not the proposal price. To learn more about the simulation, see System simulation overview.
Frequently asked questions
Why were my inverters replaced?
You selected an inverter under Overview or Sizing. These views swap all inverters for the recommendation. To add an inverter on top, select it under List.
Why don't I see a recommendation?
For inverters, the design is usually missing panels; for batteries, the simulation is missing a consumption. Also check that the datasheets of your products are complete.