Is one string ever better than two?

I am in the process of having a Solar panel array installed with a Givenergy Hybrid 5kW (gen 3) inverter and a 5.2kWh battery.
I have 11x400Watt panels.
Originally the installer told me that it would be better to have the panels cabled up as two strings (5 in one, 6 in the other) but now he saying that the Givenergy Hybrid inverter gives more power if all the 11 panels are configured in a single string and that Givenergy have confirmed this to him.
All 11 panels are on the same roof pitch and all are totally unshaded.
This sounds a bit fishy to me. Am I being "strung" along by this installer (sorry :-)

BobW No. You can do either. There are pros and cons with both but having all your panels on one string will extend your solar harvesting season and days. As long as the inverter can cope with the maximum potential voltage from 11 panels in one string and the maximum current output of the panels, all is good.

Tim Thanks Tim, Is that because there is some kind of a minimum/cutoff current that the inverter input requires (and hence one string will supply this in lower irradiance )?

That's given me an idea:- Fit a switch between the solar panels and the inverter PV inputs so that one could couple both strings in series to one input during the winter!

BobW The inverter needs a minimum startup voltage to get going. More panels in series hits this threshold earlier in the day (and the year) and stays productive later in the day/year, but you just need to make sure that so many panels in series doesn't exceed the maximum inverter voltage at the height of the summer. Each panel has a maximum current it will output and as long as the panels being fitted have a maximum current less than the maximum current the inverter can handle, all is good.

If the single string configuration would exceed inverter maximum voltage or current, splitting into two strings is the only solution. Of course, this is only valid for all panels in the same orientation. Panels on different roof aspects would need to be on separate strings.

mrand31 Fit a switch between the solar panels and the inverter PV inputs so that one could couple both strings in series to one input during the winter!

Yes, you just need to heed matching the voltage and current of the panels to the inverter for the different configurations.