Solar Inverter

Solar/UPS Inverter Machines

I discussed and mentioned generators. In this article, we will discuss UPS and inverters as they also became common in Pakistan at the same time as generators became common in Pakistan. The issue of load shedding in Pakistan is decades old. 

When this issue was at its peak, UPS, Generators, inverters, etc., became common as people wanted to live a comfortable life. These products provide comfort to people who are facing load-shedding issues. Moreover, UPS is an alternative to electricity in shops, workshops, and many other places. That's why in the current article, the discussions about UPS will be done.

The term UPS means Uninterruptable Power Supply. People are unaware of the term, so it is also necessary to clarify the terminology in people's minds. More and more people would become aware of UPS terminology. AAs, the abbreviation UPS, states in its entirety. UPS's primary purpose is to provide Uninterruptible power to the place it is working and operated.

On the other hand, inverters have also become common in Pakistan in the past decade, and many people are shifting towards inverters now instead of UPS.  

Difference between UPS and inverters

The main difference between UPS and inverters is that UPS provides uninterruptible supply, as stated in the name. In contrast, an inverter converts Alternate Current (AC) into Direct Current (DC). When shifting towards the power supply, a UPS immediately turns towards providing a power supply from its battery. At the same time, the inverter has a time delay due to moving towards the stored current. Inverter stores power for a very long period, and UPS is battery-based. Due to this reason, people are turning towards an inverter now from UPS as they want a power supply for a very long period. Difference from UPS to inverters.

Different types of UPS

When we spoke about the disparity between UPS and inverters, first, the types of UPS commonly used in Pakistan will be addressed.

Online double-conversion: 

An online double-conversion UPS was introduced in Pakistan as a substitute for the invertors. It also works in the same way an inverter works. An online double-conversion UPS converts AC power into DC power. It has a more extended period of operation than our regular UPS. Another reason it was introduced was that it was introduced to solve data problems, as due to power failure, the data was lost in Pakistan, which is why these UPS were introduced. This type of UPS is used in large data centers in which the data would be kept stored.

Line-interactive: 

Line-interactive UPS are used at those places where there are voltage fluctuations. These types of UPS provide both power conditioning and battery backup, and these UPS shift on their battery backup whenever there is a power fluctuation. The operating costs of these UPS are less.

Offline/standby/battery backup UPS: 

These are the UPS used in homes and shops where load shedding and power outrages are issues; these UPS types differ from line-interactive UPS. These types of UPS are designed for power failure and power outages. These UPS became familiar when the load shedding issue was prevalent in Pakistan; that's why many houses and shops couldn't shift towards generators as they are expensive. Those houses and shops turned towards UPS and inverters.

Therefore, all three UPS types mentioned above are used for different purposes, have various features and are used differently, as described already.  All three types of UPS are generally used in Pakistan in sequential order.

Which companies provide the best UPS.

Some of the brands that have become common in Pakistan by name due to their popularity and brand recognition demand these UPS types. The following companies provide some of the typical UPS used in Pakistan.

• Ecostar
• Homage
• Apollo
• Mercury UPS
• Biztek
• Cyber power
• Powertronix

As mentioned above, the company UPS has become common in Pakistan. These companies provide high-quality and good UPS in Pakistan, which is commonly used in Pakistan.

Different types of inverters

As UPS types have already been discussed in this article, now types of inverters will be addressed in the article that what kinds of inverters are most commonly used in Pakistan. Following are the types of inverters that are most widely used in Pakistan:-

Power inverter: 

A power inverter is the most common and regular type used in Pakistan. People know this type of inverter and have aware of it because it is one of the most frequently used inverters in Pakistan.

Solar inverter: 

As stated in the name itself, a solar inverter works on sunlight. This inverter stores energy from the sunlight and then provides electricity. If there is a power fluctuation at night, this inverter uses the sun's energy throughout the day. Solar panels must be kept on rooftops while working with this inverter. Those panels would store the energy from the sun and then provide the energy stored.

Pure sine wave inverter: 

Again, here, it could be said that the name gives a hint that a pure sine wave inverter works on waves and frequencies. This inverter is somewhat similar to UPS as it provides an uninterruptible power supply to the grid.

Battery inverter: 

A battery inverter is used to transform DC into AC. It is used when there are voltage fluctuations.

Grid-tie inverter: 

A grid-tie inverter is used when working on grids and converting the AC to DC. Just as the battery inverter converts AC into DC, the Grid-tie inverter converts DC into AC. As stated earlier, this inverter works on different power grids, and these power grids include wind turbines, windmills, and hydroelectric generators.

Hybrid inverter: 

A hybrid inverter works on both solar panels and battery storage. That's why it is called a hybrid inverter. These inverters are commonly used in homes, and power outages and load shedding issues, and voltage fluctuations issues are also solved.

Therefore, these are the types of inverters that are commonly used in Pakistan. Such forms of inverters are widely used. 

Which companies provide the best inverters

Just as it was discussed which companies provide the best UPS in Pakistan, we also have to discuss which companies offer the best inverters in Pakistan. Some reputable companies offer some of the best inverters in Pakistan as they have made their name in the industry. The name of those companies that provides the best inverters in Pakistan.

• Gree
• Orient
• Changhong
• Haier
• Ecostar

These are the top 5 companies providing the best inverters in Pakistan; that's why they have made it in the complete five lists, the latest list of the year 2020.

Here it could be said that inverters have some competitive edges over UPS, which are as follows:

Inverters could also be used with Air Conditions (ACS), which is not the feature; that's why many inverters are attached to air conditions.

Inverters provide power supply longer than UPS, so people in Pakistan are now shifting towards UPS inverters.

UPS has a running span of 6-7 hours even after it is fully charged, whereas the inverter can run for almost 18 hours and only needs a 10 to 15 minutes charge.

A UPS battery needs time to recharge, Although a battery inverter does not require a long time to recharge. It is stated in the above point as well that it only needs 10-15 minutes.

However, UPS has some advantages over inverters as well.

UPS provides electricity without fluctuation as with electricity loss while a load shedding happens, power outage or voltage fluctuation issue then UPS would directly shift on its battery but inverter wouldn't

The inverter takes 17 seconds to provide its power when there are voltage fluctuations and power outages. In contrast, UPS immediately provides power in this case or scenario.

Therefore, these are some of the limitations of both UPS and inverters discussed earlier.

After all, it could be stated that people are shifting towards inverters, and inverters are more commonly used in Pakistan due to the reasons stated earlier in this article. A UPS depends on its battery to run, whereas an inverter does not have this drawback. Moreover, inverters can take more loads than UPS; inverters are more preferred than UPS, and inverters have more varieties. As discussed earlier in this article, the common types of UPS used in Pakistan are 3.  Whereas inverters used in Pakistan are of various kinds, inverters are more common in Pakistan than UPS.

Recommendations:

The inverter and UPS manufacturing company, as well as the customers using them, should follow the below-mentioned recommendations:

UPS companies should also introduce new UPS features, just like inverter companies have partnerships with air conditioning companies. The inverters have a competitive edge over UPS.

Inverters have a slight disadvantage of time delay in case of power fluctuations or voltage shortages; thus, this issue should be solved by inverter manufacturing companies. Here UPS has a slight advantage over inverters.

People, shops, organizations, etc., should also use inverters, UPS, etc., properly. Some people do not use UPS, inverters, etc., properly. Therefore, people should also treat inverters and UPS properly.

These are some of the recommendations that Pakistanis should follow related to inverters, UPS, etc., and other electronic devices.