Inverter

An inverter for a solar-mounted free-standing plant in Speyer, down the Rhine.

Overview of the inverters

An inverter is a device that changes electricity from devices such as batteries and solar panels (DC voltage) to electricity similar to that used in the home (AC voltage) so that small household devices can be run from batteries or such. It usually also increases the voltage. An inverter can range in size from a portable device designed to plug into a car cigarette lighter to a many megawatt device installed, for example, in a solar power plant. In order to increase the voltage, the current must be decreased, so an inverter will use a lot of current on the DC side when only a small amount is being used on the AC side.