Solar Inverter Comparison — Canada
The inverter is the part most likely to fail inside 15 years. Pick for your roof shape and snow reality, not the sales sheet.
String inverter (central)
C$0.10-0.15/WWarranty: 10-12 yr (extendable)
Works when: Cheapest per watt; simplest wiring
Costs you when: One panel's shade drags the whole string; single point of failure
String inverter + optimizers
C$0.15-0.22/WWarranty: 10-12 yr + 25 yr optimizers
Works when: Per-panel MPPT-like harvest on complex roofs; module-level monitoring
Costs you when: More parts; optimizer failures are the most common service call
Microinverters
C$0.20-0.30/WWarranty: 25 yr
Works when: Panel-level independence and monitoring; no high-voltage DC on the roof; safest for snow-country roof work
Costs you when: Highest cost; harder to service one unit; roof-heat shortens life vs spec
The Canadian decision rule
- Simple unshaded south roof: plain string inverter. Spend the difference on more panels.
- Any chimney/vent/tree shading, or multi-face roof: optimizers or microinverters — string losses on partial shade are worse in low-sun months.
- Heavy snow zone: microinverters shed production fastest panel-by-panel as snow slides unevenly; a string inverter waits for the whole row.
- Roof you cannot easily re-access: 25-year microinverter warranty beats hauling a failed string inverter off a wall — but check the labor coverage on both.
Price ranges are equipment estimates (2026-07); installed pricing varies by province.