Clipping (inverter clipping)
The part of a solar array’s DC output that the inverter cannot convert above its rated AC power and is therefore lost — unless battery storage absorbs it.
Clipping occurs when the instantaneous DC output of the solar array exceeds the inverter’s rated AC power. The inverter simply “clips” the excess — this energy is lost.
The phenomenon is a consequence of the DC/AC ratio (oversizing): at a ratio of 1.2–1.3 it occurs regularly during the midday peak. In itself it is not a fault — oversizing increases morning/evening generation — but the clipped energy remains unused.
The exception: battery storage captures the clipped surplus as free charging energy and later discharges it to the site. For fixed-price customers this is one of the main value-creating mechanisms of a BESS.
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