Solar Inverter and PV Equipment Cooling Cooling Solutions -- DC Fans | Herays
Application Solution

Solar Inverter and PV Equipment Cooling

Reliable airflow for solar power conversion and outdoor PV electronics

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Problem Space

Industry Challenges

Understanding the specific thermal and environmental demands of Solar Inverter and PV Equipment Cooling environments is the foundation of every Herays solution.

Solar inverters — string inverters, central inverters, microinverters, and hybrid storage inverters — operate in some of the most thermally demanding environments of any power electronics application. A grid-tied string inverter with 98% efficiency still dissipates 200 W per 10 kW nameplate continuously. In outdoor enclosures where ambient air may be 45–55°C after solar heating of the cabinet, the temperature rise available for electronics cooling may be only 10–15°C above ambient — requiring significantly higher airflow than the same inverter needs in a controlled indoor installation.

Critical cooling fan requirements specific to solar inverter applications:

  • Wide operating temperature — solar inverter fans must operate reliably from −40°C cold starts to +70°C ambient inside sun-exposed enclosures. Standard industrial fans rated to +70°C operating temperature are required; fans specified at 25°C will exceed their rated conditions in summer field deployments.
  • IP54 or higher, UV-stabilized materials — outdoor PV installations expose fan housings to UV radiation, rain, dust, and in some climates, salt spray. UV-stabilized polypropylene or sealed aluminum fan frames are preferred over standard PBT for outdoor-rated designs.
  • Ball-bearing design for inclined mounting — inverters are often tilted at array installation angles. Sleeve bearings have significantly reduced life in non-horizontal mounting; ball bearings maintain rated MTBF regardless of mounting angle.
  • 24V or 48V DC operation — virtually all string and central inverters run auxiliary cooling circuits at 24V or 48V. Fans that match these rails directly eliminate the need for a separate converter.
  • Tachometer feedback for SCADA monitoring — solar farms depend on SCADA systems for inverter health monitoring. Fan tachometer output feeds the inverter controller’s fault detection, flagging degraded fan performance before thermal shutdown occurs.
  • CE, RoHS; IEC 62109 compatibility — required for European and international markets. Cooling fan documentation must support the inverter OEM’s certification package.

The Herays HR1225 and HR1238 series offer the voltage, temperature, and certification profile required for string and small central inverter cooling. All variants carry CE and RoHS certification; ball-bearing models are available across the voltage range.

  • HR1225 24V — 120×120×25 mm, 134 CFM, ball bearing, CE/RoHS. Standard choice for 5–10 kW string inverters with conventional finned IGBT heatsinks.
  • HR1238 24V — 120×120×38 mm, 186 CFM, ball bearing. Higher airflow for compact high-power string inverters (15–30 kW) and single-phase hybrid inverters with battery charging stages adding to thermal load.
  • HR1225 48V — same 134 CFM performance at 48V. For central inverter designs with 48V auxiliary buses, or hybrid storage inverters where the 48V battery bus powers auxiliaries directly.

−SF (tachometer) variants are available for all models above. Extended operating temperature versions (−40°C to +85°C) are available on request for extreme-climate deployments.

Why do solar inverter fans fail more often than the inverter electronics? Most inverter electronics are solid-state with MTBF measured in hundreds of thousands of hours. Cooling fans have bearings — the one moving part in the system. A fan specified at 70,000 hours MTBF at 25°C may provide only 20,000–30,000 hours at the 60–70°C operating temperatures typical inside outdoor inverter enclosures in summer. Always de-rate MTBF to actual operating temperature when projecting field replacement intervals.

Continuous fan operation or temperature-triggered? Temperature-triggered operation extends bearing life by reducing operating hours and avoids noise during low-irradiance periods. Continuous operation at fixed speed is simpler but shortens fan life. PWM speed-ramped operation is standard practice in modern string inverters.

What replacement interval should I plan for? For ball-bearing 24V fans in outdoor string inverters in warm climates (average 40°C operating temperature), plan for a 7–10 year replacement cycle. Build fan replacement into your O&M contract from project inception — proactive replacement before bearing failure prevents unplanned downtime and the energy yield loss that accompanies inverter thermal shutdown.

Herays supplies cooling fans to solar inverter OEMs and EPC contractors for new installations and field replacement programs. Contact us to discuss volume pricing, custom connector configurations, and documentation packages for your inverter platform.

Herays Approach

Our Solution

Precision-engineered DC fan technologies tailored to the performance and reliability requirements of Solar Inverter and PV Equipment Cooling applications.

Why Herays

Key Features for Solar Inverter and PV Equipment Cooling

PV electronics airflow

Cooling for inverter modules, inductors, boards, and cabinet spaces.

Outdoor durability

Protection options for heat, humidity, dust, and field installation.

Long-life supply

Stable fan specifications for renewable energy equipment OEMs.

Application Engineering

Ready to find the right cooling solution for Solar Inverter and PV Equipment Cooling?

Our application engineers are available to help you select the right product for your system requirements.

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