On 29/09/2012 08:05, harry wrote:
Well no doubt you can provide statistics regarding maintenance costs
of wind turbines?
And a replacement inverter is not a maintenance cost, it's breakdown.
I haven't heard of a single invertor failure yet.
But unlike you, I can provide written evidence instead of backyard
theoretics.

http://www.pvmips.org/publications/017.pdf

In case you don't understand, it means in 20 years there is a 96.5%
chance there will be no problem with a modern inverter. As mine is
installed in an ideal situation (ie cool, dry and dust free) I expect
it will be even more reliable than that.

Are we reading the same document?

"If an average inverter lifetime of 5 years is assumed,"

"However, it has been verified that approximately 66% PV inverters have
undergone troubles"

You may have mixed panel and inverter figures.

Andy