How a Solar Inverter Works

A solar inverter is essential for your solar panel system to convert DC electricity into AC electricity for everyday use. It’s also a critical part of your system; understanding how it works is important to get the most out of your solar panels.

The process begins with sunlight striking the photovoltaic cells of solar panels, creating a flow of DC electricity. However, since most homes and electrical grids use AC electricity, the DC electricity generated by solar panels needs to be converted. This is where the solar inverter steps in. Its main task is to convert the DC electricity into AC electricity with the appropriate voltage, frequency and phase, making it suitable for powering household appliances and feeding excess energy into the electrical grid.

Types of Solar Inverters

There are two types of solar inverters. One of which can be enhanced to perform more efficiently. Although they perform similar functions, the main difference is when they do it instead of how. That difference means each type works best under different circumstances.

String Inverter
A string inverter, or central inverter, is a large device that accepts DC input from multiple solar panels and transforms all of the energy to AC. You could say that it works to transform energy in bulk amounts.

In a solar energy system with a string inverter, all or several solar panels are wired into one centrally located inverter. The inverter then feeds the electrical panel or the grid. In short, a string inverter changes the power from DC to AC after the power is collected from the solar array.

Microinverter
You’ll need more than one microinverter. Microinverters are located at each solar panel and convert that panel’s energy immediately before sending it to the house electrical to meet up with all of the other inverters’ power.

A solar energy system that uses microinverters treats each solar panel as its own
AC power source and feeds the energy to the home or electrical grid.

String Inverter With Optimizers
Technically not a different type of inverter; a string power inverter with optimizers is a combination of components. In such a system, a solar panel has an optimizer that gathers as much DC power as the panel can generate and sends it to the central inverter. The other optimizers do the same. The inverter collects the DC energy from each optimizer and inverts it into AC as a whole before sending it to the house or grid.