The solar panels are made of photovoltaic cells – semiconductor layers of gallium arsenide or crystalline silicon. Once the sun shines, these layers absorb energy from the PV cells. The energy moves between positive and negative layers to produce a direct current. Once the energy gets in the inverter, it runs through the transformer and splits out an AC output. Technically, the inverter tricks the transformer to think that DC is AC. The appliances on your home run on 120/240V AC.
The energy is either sent to the battery or directly to the inverter – it depends on the inverter system you have. Most units are designed to run direct current through transistors that turn on and off fast.
If your solar power system produces more energy than what you need, a photovoltaic inverter can feed it back into the grid. But again, if the inverter is not producing enough power to meet your home needs, it mixes it with the grid power.
Since solar panels don’t produce energy at night, you rely 100% on the grid. Some inverters can mix the grid power with the energy from the solar batteries. With grid tie inverters, you won’t notice a change as it switches between the two.
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