Before we get to what grid interactive inverters are, let’s talk about what solar power is. Solar Power, as the name suggests is the conversion of sunlight into electricity.
We’ve used it in solar powered calculators, to begin with, and it is now increasingly becoming a popular substitute for electricity in offices, industrial spaces, and homes too.
As solar alternatives continue to become more popular each day, implementation has been increasing and it’s becoming less expensive than it was a couple of years ago.
To really understand the options available in the solar market and to help us make an informed decision when it comes to making a purchase, here is a brief of the basics..
The Solar Market is broadly categorized into three segments globally
1. Solar Off-Grid
Off Grid Inverters are principally meant to be used with solar power systems (or wind and hydro) for a home or business totally disconnected from the electric utility company.
They can also be used for providing emergency backup power when the electric company’s power fails.
2. Solar Tie / Grid Tie
A grid-tie inverter is a power inverter that converts direct current (DC) electricity into alternating current (AC) with an ability to synchronize to interface with a utility line and provides net metering capability.
Net metering allows a solar power system owner to sell surplus energy back to the utility. This extravagantly reduces or even eliminates your electric bill.
Impressed yet? It gets better..
3. Solar Grid-Feed: Grid Interactive Inverters
Grid-interactive systems are based on their grid-tied and off-grid counterparts.
Like the inverter in grid-tied systems, the grid interactive inverter can convert solar-generated DC power into AC power that is then fed directly to the grid.
In a grid-interactive system, however, the inverter does a lot more.
1. The inverter keeps the battery fully charged so that it can take over during power outages.
2. When the grid goes down, which is when the inverter kicks in, the grid interactive inverter seamlessly converts DC power into AC power from the fully charged battery while still converting solar generated DC power and using that as well.
You can check out our own highly efficiency Solar Grid Interactive inverter – ThingsHiFi.
With ThingsHifi, you can use solar energy to generate electricity for your home, office, or any kind of industrial setup. At the same time, you can stay care-free during power cuts because of its build in UPS.
That’s not all – power generated that is not used by you can be sent back. In effect, you can sell this power back to the grid.
