Day to day, power demand and use are increasing. As proportionally to demand, power outage or interruptions has risen drastically.
Without electricity or irregularity in electricity is a major problem. This problem is overcome with the help of two technologies (i.e. devices). One is an inverter and another is a generator.
The inverter and generator work as power backup source devices with multiple roles and features. Especially, both have different specifications.
We are going to study the specifications of these two devices by comparing both.
Let’s compare,
Difference between Inverter and Generator | in Tabular Form
| # | Content | Inverter | Generator |
| 01 | [Definition] What is inverter and generator? | The device which converts direct current (DC) electricity into alternating current (AC) is called as a ‘Inverter’. | The device which generates AC or DC by converting mechanical energy to electrical energy is called as a ‘Generator’. |
| 02 | Basic | Inverter is a power electronic device. | The generator is an electromechanical device. It operates on the basic principle of Electromagnetic Induction. |
| 03 | Function | Only the power conversion process happens in the inverter. | The power generation process happens in the generator. |
| 04 | Size | It occurs in compact size as compared to the generator. | It occurs in bulky size as compared to the inverter. |
| 05 | Design | It is used to produce electricity. Also, it is used to transfer electricity over long distances. | It is a non-portable device. In particular, large generators cannot easily move and again install. |
| 06 | Uses | It is used to change electricity from one form (direct current) to another form (alternating current). | It is used to produce electricity and to transfer electricity over long distances. |
| 07 | Maintenance | It does not require regular maintenance. Only, battery maintenance is needed. | It requires regular maintenance such as oil changing, engine servicing, oil filtering, etc. |
| 08 | Cost | The inverter is less expensive than the generator. | The generator is more expensive than the inverter. |
| 09 | Effect of Inverter & Generator | It does not create noise. And it is environment friendly. | It creates noise or pollution. |
| 10 | Requirement of external sources | It does not rely on external power sources like fuel. It works under the storage energy sources (for example- batteries). | It continuously consumes fuel (i.e. external power) during running conditions. |
| 11 | Power Storage | The inverter has internal storage capacity. | The generator has no internal storage capacity. |
| 12 | Locations | It is used in mostly indoor or outdoor locations. | It is used in only outdoor locations. |
| 13 | Space | For the installation, it requires less space. | For the installation, it requires more space. |
These 13 points describe the comparison of the inverter and generator. Also, it covers the advantages and disadvantages of both power devices.
It means that both have different specifications and priorities such as clean and reliable power, portability, power efficiency, affordable, and many more.
If you have any queries or points to add, you can hit the comment below section.
Thanks for Reading!
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I have completed master in Electrical Power System. I work and write technical tutorials on the PLC, MATLAB programming, and Electrical on DipsLab.com portal.
Sharing my knowledge on this blog makes me happy. And sometimes I delve in Python programming.