Today, electricity is not just a luxury but also necessary. Without it, day-to-day tasks would be difficult, and we would struggle with the most basic necessities such as cooking food or charging our phones if the power were to suddenly go out for some reason. It could cause great disorder across society because many people depend on having electrical appliances working at all times of the day!
The UPS and inverter are two devices that help us stay connected when there’s an emergency shut down by providing backup energy, so everything stays running smoothly even after blackout situations occur while doing their best work yet and helping you get uninterrupted service from your home/office every time!
UPS stores electric supply and inverter converts AC to DC and vice versa with the help of an external battery. They both protect your electronics from power surges and blackouts. The difference is that a UPS will keep your devices running on battery for a few minutes to hours (based on ups storage ) while an inverter will turn them on for hours. Before looking into the differences, let us know more about the working of ups and inverters.
WHAT IS UPS :
UPS stands for Uninterrupted Power Supply. As the name says, UPS is used to stop interruptions caused by sudden power outages from devices during a blackout of electricity. This type of device provides sufficient energy anywhere from 5-60 minutes (based on ups storage ) to ensure that computers can save data and be shut down safely when sudden blackouts occur without any damage done in the process.
The UPS system consists of a rectifier to convert AC into DC and charge the battery. This battery is connected to an inverter which converts the DC back into AC for your home’s small electrical outlet! A controller provides balance, stability, and protection.
Ups have sealed maintenance-free battery (SMF), which does not require any maintenance.UPS also maintains the same voltage throughout the power supply even voltage fluctuations happen.
UPSs are mainly used in banks, hospitals, and even at home to power appliances for a few minutes to hours until an alternative source is available based on the requirement. UPS are 3 types based on their working:
1)Online UPS
2)Offline UPS
3)Line-interactive UPS
1) ONLINE UPS :
Online UPS is a UPS which supplies power to AC load from AC mains when power is available. When a power failure occurs, online UPS uses their battery to supply ac power to ac load for few minutes to hours (based on ups storage ).
In online ups, the ups always charge the battery and draw electricity from the battery even in charging mode and also in power failures to supply load. That means there is no delay time in switching the power sources.
In case of power failures, the ups stop charging the battery and supply the load from the battery within nanoseconds switch the power source to continue the supply.
PROS:
- The zero time delay in switching
- High-performance output.
- It protects the load from input voltage spikes and distortion due to its protection circuit, making electronics safe.
CONS:
- The temperature of a UPS is so high that it needs large heat sinks to keep the equipment cool.
- The components used must have tolerance for warm weather, which increases production costs.
2) OFFLINE UPS :
Offline UPS is a UPS which supplies power to AC load from AC mains, but in case of power failure, the offline ups draw ac load from dc battery (like inverter battery or external battery ).the switching between two sources takes a time of 6-10 milliseconds, which suitable for a home purpose like using the computer but it is not suitable for the bank and medical purpose. During the power-off condition, the battery stops charging, and the inverter starts drawing power from the battery and then supplied to AC load.
PROS:
- More efficient and gives good performance compared to online ups.
- Requires smaller heat due to low-temperature releases
CONS:
- Time delay in switching mains to UPS mode
- It requires more load, which leads to high consumption of voltage from batteries
3)LINE-INTERACTIVE UPS :
The line-interactive UPS is a hybrid of both Online and Offline UPS models. This UPS system is much more efficient than the online and Offline models, with a switching time of around 5 milliseconds. The internal components provide filtering and voltage regulation to ensure that your power stays steady as you switch from grid-provided electricity in an outage to battery backup outages.
PROS:
- Switching time is less than offline UPS.
- Internal parts control the voltage fluctuations
CONS:
- Expensive than offline but cheaper than online UPS (based on storage of ups )
WHAT IS INVERTER :
Inverters are power electronic devices. The main purpose of these devices is to convert DC to AC, which then can be used for a variety of purposes such as charging your phone or powering the lights, fans, television, AC, refrigerators when there is an outage in service. In order to do this, inverter systems first work by converting the AC mains into DC current using rectifiers.
After that, Inverters are used to convert DC power into AC, which is the type of electricity that we use in our homes. In this way, inverters provide a backup supply for when there’s an electrical outage, and you need light or want your refrigerator working again. When the conversion occurs, it can happen with no external input (in case of blackouts), so they’re great backups during emergencies.
Inverters are connected to the external batteries with a high capacity between 100Ah-230Ah, which supply 3-8 hours of backup time (based on the consumption and the battery capacity ). During a power outage, the inverter takes 500 milliseconds to switch the source from the mains to the battery to supply the power.
In today’s fast-paced society, an extra 10 or 20 milliseconds is the difference between life and death.
The slightest delay in the financial sector can cost crores, and even a slight interruption to oxygen is deadly for patients on life-support systems. Computers or other expensive technology items are at risk when you have any form of delay. To avoid this, UPS is used for a small amount of time.
KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN UPS AND INVERTER
| DEVICE | UPS | INVERTER |
|---|---|---|
| Main function | Backup power with no interruption | storing the power in the battery and converting DC to AC |
| Use case | provide backup for computers and desktops | provide backup for tv, fans, lights, and other household appliances |
| Time delay | 10 milliseconds, which is negligible | 500 milliseconds |
| Backup time | power backup for 5-60 minutes | backup for 3-6 hours depending upon battery capacity and usage |
| Energy storage | yes, built-in a storage battery and also adds external battery for the required time | yes, inverters use external batteries for storage |
| Connection | connected appliances which required alternating power | connected to batteries and appliances |
| power input | 240-270 volts AC | 170-270 volts AC |
| Maintenance | no maintenance required | maintenance required |
| Protection | provides protection to load | no protection against voltage fluctuation |
| Application | for electronic devices | for electrical devices |
| life span | 3-5 years (due to battery life span ) | inverter life span is upto 10 years but the external battery should replace every 3-5 years |
| Price | Rs. 2,000-15,000 | Rs. 10,000-40,000 |
CONCLUSION :
After considering the differences between UPS and inverters, you may want to choose one or more of these systems for your home.
An office with a lot of computers and communication equipment, for instance, typically requires Offline or line-interactive UPS power while banks require an Online ups system since they’re always online for transactions 24/7. A home that uses only ventilation and lighting doesn’t need any type of backup like a generator at all but rather can use an Inverter that provides emergency backup when needed. With these types available to choose from, there is one perfect design for every household’s needs – so find your type today.
