Inverter

How Solar Inverters Work

Your solar inverter converts the direct current (DC) electricity made by your solar panels to alternating current (AC) electricity so it can be used in your home.

Inverters and solar panels are designed to "fit together" like puzzle pieces. There is an ideal number of solar panels that should be hooked up to a specific inverter.

An inverter makes up about 10% of the overall cost of solar. Unfortunately, inverters don't last as long as solar panels. This means your system will need several inverters over its useful life.

A solar system gets less efficient if there are too many or not enough panels hooked up to an inverter. The peak efficiency of most inverters is around 95%.

Adding More Solar Panels to your System

Homeowners sometimes ask about the ability to "add more solar panels later." In other words, they want to install a bigger inverter now and fill in the panels later. But, this doesn't make sense because it makes your system less efficient in the meantime. A better plan is to either install the "extra" panels at the beginning or add a whole "mini system" - panels and inverter - later.

Types of Solar Inverters

• Grid-tied inverters
  Your solar system will use a grid tied inverter if your home is hooked up to the utility grid, which is recommended so you can benefit from net metering. For safety reasons, grid tied inverters shut down during power outages.
• Stand-alone inverters
  Stand-alone inverters pull DC electricity from batteries - not directly from solar panels. These inverters don't usually hook up to the grid.
• Battery back-up inverters
  Battery back-up inverters pull energy from a battery. Any extra energy goes back out to the grid.

More Information

• Read how a net meter helps you make the most of your solar electric system.
• Choose not to worry about the inverter or other equipment when you go solar with one of SunRun's home solar solutions. We do all the worrying for you.
• Contact SunRun to find a solar solution for your home.