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Power the world with Solar
Solar Inverter
DC (direct current) electricity flows in one direction. It is an inefficient way to deliver electricity for more than short distances because of the transmission loss as it moves from point A to point B. AC (alternating current), just like its description, alternates between positive and negative directions. AC power doesn’t suffer from critical power losses over long distances like DC power. That’s why utility supplied power is AC.
The basic function of the inverter in a photovoltaic solar power system array is to convert the DC electricity generated by the solar panels into standard AC power. Any photovoltaic solar power system that supplies power to an AC load must use an inverter.
The earliest inverters were electromechanical devices that coupled a DC motor with an AC generator. Both noisy and inefficient, these types of inverters are no longer manufactured. All inverters produced today are Static (solid-state). They employ sophisticated circuitry using MOSFET (semiconductor field effect transistors) and have no moving parts. Many of these inverters now boast efficiencies of 96% or more.
Today, many inverters are also multi-tasking electronic devices, not only converting DC power to AC, they are also power conditioning units (PCU). Performing tasks like rectification, maximum power point tracking and transformation.
Another feature of some modern inverters is the ability to eliminate external connections like AC and DC disconnect boxes. Newer inverters incorporate disconnects right into the unit. This not only simplifies the system installation and wiring, it also provides a cost savings from the elimination of external disconnect devices.
Yet another innovation in modern inverters is the ability to use internal switching to have a single device operate as a grid-tie unit or in stand alone mode when a battery storage system is connected to the same array.
