The Importance of Solar Inverters and Everything To Know About Them
Solar panels collect energy from the sun, but they don't just send this energy right away to your property's electric veins. Instead, the system uses solar inverters to inject the energy from the panels straight to your system or any energy battery capable of housing its needs. Here is everything you need to know about solar panel inverters.
What are Solar Inverters? Explain them in a paragraph.
Solar inverters convert DC current from solar panels into AC current that can be used in your home. The solar panels produce direct current (DC), which needs to be converted into alternating current (AC) before it can power your home. Solar inverters are used to convert the DC current from the solar panels into AC current that can power your home.
Can Solar Panels Function Without Solar Inverters?
No, solar panels will not function without an inverter. DC currents do not have enough power to produce anything functional for appliances and home circuits.
What's a Great Solar Inverter For a Home?
The perfect solar inverter for properties is a system that can be easily installed, is efficient and cost-effective and has a long life. A long-life solar inverter typically has a lifespan of 15-20 years with minimal maintenance. This inverter can be designed specifically to the size and needs of a property and is compatible with the property's grid-tie system.
If you want more reading, you can learn more about solar inverters in this post from Energy Sage.
Solar panels aren’t the only component that you should be thinking about when you evaluate your solar system equipment. Solar power inverters play an equally important role in a solar system: they convert the electricity your solar panels create into a form that can be used by the appliances, lighting, and other electronics that are in your home. Once you understand how solar inverters work, and the different types of inverters available for solar, the EnergySage Solar Marketplace can help you compare solar quotes with different inverter types.
What does a solar inverter do? How solar inverters work in a PV system
When the sun shines on your solar photovoltaic (PV) system, electrons within the solar cells start to move around, which produces direct current (DC) energy. Circuits within the cells collect that energy for you to use in your home.
This is where your solar inverter comes in. Most homes use alternating current (AC) energy, not DC, so the energy produced by your solar panels isn’t useful on its own. When your solar panels collect sunlight and turn it into energy, it gets sent to the inverter, which takes the DC energy and turns it into AC energy. At that point, your solar electricity can power your appliances and electronics or, if you’re producing more electricity than you need, it can feed back into the grid.
Comparing solar inverter technologies: string inverter vs. string inverters with power optimizers vs. microinverters
All inverters have the same basic task: convert DC solar energy into useful AC energy for your home. However, there are three different solar inverter technologies that you can choose for your solar panel system, and each of them works slightly differently.
