Lower costs, longer service life and higher yield with active cooling
Why Active Cooling Technology from Fronius is the best choice
High ambient temperatures quickly reveal how sophisticated the technology in an inverter really is. The electrical components can heat up, especially in hot locations with temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius. Even a temperature increase of just 10 degrees Celsius can halve the service life of the inverter. In order to avoid this, Fronius uses Active Cooling Technology.
Active cooling in Fronius SnapINverters
Active cooling comes as standard with Fronius SnapINverters. This system aims to prevent localised areas of heat accumulation. A fan ensures that the air inside the inverter is circulated properly and hot spots are avoided. An additional fan is responsible for keeping the cooling fins for the power electronics cool. The speed of the fans is determined by the temperature. Passive cooling does not use any fans (or sometimes just interior fans) and cooling is carried out by convection. Large heat sinks, which are considerably heavier, are used for this purpose.
Lower costs over the whole product lifetime
Inverters with Active Cooling Technology do not usually require any maintenance. The OPEX (operational expenditures) are therefore kept low. Inverters using passive cooling, however, have very high maintenance costs. Maintenance is often required every six months, particularly in dusty areas. The ongoing costs of systems with a passive cooling design are therefore considerably higher than devices with active cooling.
Low weight
Inverters with Active Cooling Technology are lighter than those with passive cooling, as passive cooling requires much bigger, and therefore much heavier, heat sinks. This means that actively cooled inverters can be transported and fitted much more easily.
Longer service life
High temperatures are a critical situation, especially for the sensitive electronic components in the inverter. The hotter they get, the more likely they are to fail. Even a temperature increase of just 10 degrees Celsius can halve the service life of the power electronics. As active cooling uses both fans to cool the components, the temperature of the components is lower than on models with a passive cooling solution. Fronius inverters therefore have a longer service life.
An increase of 10°C cuts the life of power electronics in half!
More flexibility
Inverters with active cooling are incredibly flexible as far as installation is concerned. They can even be installed horizontally. Installation angles of between 0° and 90° are also possible. Inverters with passive cooling can only be installed vertically on a wall.
Higher yield
The power derating behaviour of an inverter with Active Cooling Technology has considerable advantages over devices with other ventilation systems. The significantly cooler temperature inside the housing means that Fronius inverters display optimum derating behaviour, which has a direct positive influence on the yield. Particularly in warmer regions, devices with active cooling produce considerably higher yields and reduce the payback time of the investment.
