A solar inverter is the central component of a solar energy system. It is responsible for taking the direct current (DC) electricity produced by the solar panels and converting it into alternating current (AC) that can be used by the home’s electrical appliances and fed back into the grid.
It plays a critical role in monitoring the performance of the solar panels and provides an interface between the solar system and the electrical grid – this is essential for EV charging. The inverter also ensures that solar energy is safely brought into and out of the home.
How the technology works
The solar inverter takes direct current electricity, as produced by the photovoltaic cells in solar panels, and converts it into alternating current electricity.
This allows the solar energy to be safely used and integrated into the home and fed into the electrical grid.
To do this, the inverter takes the direct current from the solar array and depending on the type of system, converts it into either single-phase or three-phase alternating current electricity. It can also adjust the frequency and voltage depending on the particular needs of the grid it is connected to.
The inverter also provides an interface between the solar system and the grid, monitoring system performance and ensuring the solar energy is safely connected.
It controls the power flow out of the solar array and into the home or into the grid, and can adjust the output power depending on the needs of the grid. It also calculates the amount of energy produced by the solar array.
In addition, the solar inverter also includes safety features, such as anti-islanding protection to ensure that electricity from the solar array is only sent to the grid when it’s on, protecting personnel working on the utility. It can also have an integrated back-up feature to allow the system to operate during a power cut.
Finally, the solar inverter constantly communicates with data monitoring systems, such as an online monitoring platform, to record the performance of the solar system, providing you with useful information on your solar energy production.
