Inverter generators are among multiple other devices such as refrigerators, microwave ovens, and air conditioners that have gained speed control recently. The older generators worked fine, so what’s the point of inverter generators?

Advantages Of Inverter Generators

• Inverter generators are capable of adjusting their speed so that they can match the power consumption of the devices plugged into them. Why does this matter all of a sudden? It always mattered, but inverter technology just started gaining ground recently. Traditional generators burn a massive amount of fuel, regardless of how little electric current you draw from them. They run at their maximum (and only) speed all the time, so their power consumption doesn’t decrease. Imagine burning the fuel required to power a refrigerator when charging your cellphone. Fuel has gotten more expensive over the past decade, making inverter generators more attractive, as they only consume the amount of fuel required.
• Inverter generators can be used in parallel to augment electricity production.
• Inverter generators can be quieter, as they adjust themselves to only the required speed, instead of the maximum speed, which is the most noisy.
• The relatively high efficiency of inverter generators results in reduced pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions.

Disadvantages Of Inverter Generators

• They have a high initial cost. If you rarely use your traditional non-inverter generator, then you may not be able to recuperate the cost of buying a new inverter model.

How Inverter Generators Work

Gasoline-powered generators use a gasoline engine to turn an alternator, which is a device that converts mechanical power into electricity (alternating current/AC). Inverter generators convert this electricity into DC, which is supplied to an inverter. The inverter then converts the DC back into a proper AC form.

Source: Honda