What is a Solar Inverter & How Does it Work?


With an increased interest in people using renewable sources of energy, the demand for solar inverters is increasing day by day. The ability of the sun to power the house is a huge environmental plus and is a great source of energy. Solar energy is available in abundance and can be used effectively to produce energy to power up the appliances of the home. Solar inverters, therefore, are a crucial part of the solar power system. 

If you are planning to go solar, here is a detailed guide regarding what a solar inverter is and its working. Keep scrolling through to know the details.

What is a Solar Inverter?

A solar inverter is undoubtedly the most crucial part of a solar power system that is capable of converting the energy output from solar panels into a usable form of electricity that can be used to run appliances at home. It converts direct current (DC) electricity into alternating current (AC) electricity. In addition, the solar inverter offers analytical information to the users so as to assist them in identifying operations & maintenance to fix issues in the system. In the functioning of the whole solar power system, the solar inverter works as the brain, therefore, is an essential part.

Working of Solar Inverter

Now that you know what a solar inverter is, here is a detailed guide regarding the solar inverters working for you to explore.

The solar panels, also known as photovoltaic (PV) cells, are constructed of semiconductor layers of crystalline silicon or gallium arsenide and receive direct sunlight. These layers, which are connected by a junction, are a combination of positive and negative layers. The semiconductor layers capture sunlight and transmit it to the photovoltaic cell. Direct current is the result of the electrons being lifted up around by the energy produced as they flow between the positive and negative layers of DC. When this energy is created, it is either immediately transferred to an inverter or stored in a battery for later use.

Although your home needs alternating current, the energy is transmitted to the converter in the direct current format. The energy is then taken in by the inverter and passed via a transformer, which produces an AC output

The inverter runs the direct current via two or more transistors that turn on and off extremely fast and feed the transformer’s two varying sides.

Thus, a solar inverter takes the variable direct current (DC) from the solar panels and converts the power into the alternating current (AC). This conversion is extremely important since the home appliances run on AC and not on DC.

What Does a Solar Inverter Do?

Solar inverters help in changing the current for its effective usage at home. Here are some of the duties that solar inverters perform:

  • The basic function of a solar inverter is to convert the direct current into an alternating current so that it can be used to power up home appliances.
  • It keeps track of solar array voltage to help maximise the power output.
  • Various smart inverters offer advanced one-way to two-way communication with the grid to help support the grid function related to communications, frequency, voltage, and controls.
  • Solar inverters help to keep track of solar system power output. The latest inverters have features like Wi-Fi, hardware Ethernet, or Bluetooth.
  • In the case of an electric arc, the solar inverters are required to switch off. The inverters are programmed in such a way as to spot these arcs, but not all the inverters are capable of doing this.

Now that you know what a solar inverter is and its importance in the effective working of the solar power system, when are you planning to get one? Luminous is one of the most trusted solar solution brands that offer various solar system options to customers at pocket-friendly prices. They deal in a wide range of solar products and solutions. Visit the Luminous website and take a step towards a cleaner and greener future.


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