When you decide to put a solar system in your home you have to know what all the different components of the system actually do. Most solar panel systems consist of the solar panels themselves, connection wiring, possibly a bank of batteries and a DC to AC power inverter. All of the various equipment need to be sized to your home’s energy requirements and be working together to ensure the right amount of electricity is being generated.
Solar panels will produce a regular amount of direct current (DC) when the sun shines on them. The size and number of these solar panels is matched to the electrical requirements for your home. In order to completely reduce your reliance on paid electricity you need to make sure you install enough panels to cover your energy consumption.
The DC current needs to be switched to AC current, which is the format that your home runs on. This is what the inverter does, and choosing the right one can take some consideration.
The DC to AC power inverter is one of the most important piece of equipment in your solar power system. Its main function is to convert the DC current from the panels to AC current that the house can use.If you put a battery bank in your solar power system your inverter will control the battery charging and then disconnect them from the system when they have charged fully.
In addition to interfacing with the batteries, the DC to AC power inverter is also in control of the switching between the solar supplied power and the local utility supplied power. During the night the power inverter will transfer back to the power utility since the solar panels aren’t producing any more electricity. You will then be buying back some of the excess power you generated during the day from them.
If the solar power system was sized sufficiently when the inverter switches back and forth it should cancel itself out and you won’t have any electrical costs to power your home.
If you are using a battery bank, the inverter will switch over to that as a source in the evening or during a power outage before connecting to the local power utility. This will allow you to use the energy that was stored while the sun was shining to power your home and save you even more money.
For more information on power inverters please visit http://residentialrenewableenergy.com/dc-to-ac-power-inverter.php