{
  "id": "emitters:solar-pv-inverter",
  "collection": "emitters",
  "slug": "solar-pv-inverter",
  "name": "Solar PV inverter and optimisers",
  "summary": "String inverters and panel-level optimisers switch at kilohertz to tens of kilohertz and are wired into the building's supply, so they can raise both magnetic fields near the DC and AC runs and conducted harmonics throughout the house.",
  "status": "provisional",
  "lastVerified": "2026-08-12",
  "data": {
    "aliases": [
      "string inverter",
      "microinverter",
      "solar EMF"
    ],
    "category": "dirty-electricity",
    "environment": [
      "home",
      "workplace"
    ],
    "bands": [
      {
        "label": "Power frequency",
        "minHz": 50,
        "maxHz": 60
      },
      {
        "label": "Switching harmonics",
        "minHz": 2000,
        "maxHz": 500000
      }
    ],
    "dutyCycle": "Daylight hours, proportional to generation; some units also have a night-time standby carrier.",
    "distanceProfile": [
      {
        "meters": 1,
        "value": {
          "quantity": "magnetic-flux-density",
          "unit": "mG",
          "value": 0,
          "basis": "measured",
          "note": "Depends on inverter topology, cable routing and whether panel-level electronics use power-line communication. Measure at the inverter, along the DC and AC runs, and on circuits inside the house.",
          "sourceIds": [
            "sbm-2024",
            "icnirp-2010"
          ]
        }
      }
    ],
    "mitigations": [
      {
        "action": "Site the inverter on a garage or exterior wall, away from bedrooms, and keep DC and AC runs out of occupied wall cavities.",
        "effect": "Addresses the dominant magnetic-field contribution at the design stage, when it is nearly free."
      },
      {
        "action": "Specify optimisers or microinverters that do not use power-line communication, or that can have it disabled.",
        "effect": "Power-line communication deliberately injects a carrier onto house wiring."
      },
      {
        "action": "Measure conducted harmonics before and after commissioning to attribute changes correctly.",
        "effect": "Provides a baseline; without one, every later reading is unattributable."
      }
    ],
    "measureWith": [
      "elf-gaussmeter",
      "dirty-electricity-meter"
    ],
    "related": [
      "emitters:dimmer-switch",
      "protocols:elf-magnetic-survey"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "sbm-2024",
      "title": "Building Biology Evaluation Guidelines for Sleeping Areas (SBM-2024)",
      "publisher": "Institut für Baubiologie + Nachhaltigkeit (IBN)",
      "url": "https://buildingbiology.com/site/downloads/SBM-2024_EVALUATION_GUIDELINES_EN.pdf",
      "year": 2024,
      "kind": "ngo",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    },
    {
      "id": "icnirp-2010",
      "title": "Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Time-Varying Electric and Magnetic Fields (1 Hz to 100 kHz)",
      "publisher": "International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection",
      "url": "https://www.icnirp.org/en/publications/article/lf-guidelines-2010.html",
      "year": 2010,
      "kind": "guideline",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    }
  ],
  "links": {
    "self": "https://emfbase.com/api/emitters/solar-pv-inverter",
    "html": "https://emfbase.com/emitters/solar-pv-inverter",
    "markdown": "https://emfbase.com/emitters/solar-pv-inverter.md",
    "collection": "https://emfbase.com/api/emitters"
  }
}