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A grid tie inverter is a particular type of power inverter where its function is to condition power from sources that are renewable like solar and wind energies so you are able to flow the electricity back into the power grid and sell it to your power company.
In 1978, the Federal Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act or PURPA stated that as private citizens you have the right to sell the renewable energy back to your local utility company. This law actually came about due to the Arab oil embargo in 1973; this guarantees that you have the right to sell the excess energy you have produced to the electric company.
Just like a standard inverter, a grid tie inverter take the direct current or DC power from solar panels or batteries then converts the energy to alternating current or AC power. AC power is the electricity that powers your appliances at home. Also, the inverter converts 12 or 24-volt electricity from solar panels or wind generators to a standard 120 volts for the electricity from the power grid.
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A lot of wind or solar power systems have inverters to let you operate common appliances with renewable energy but do not just plug any kind of inverter to the public grid.
The alternating current from a power inverter is typically the same as that on the grid – both utilize AC power of 120 volts in sixty cycles per second. The problem you may encounter is that of the electricity not cycling in phase with each other.
For instance, if the electricity coming from the inverter is at an up-cycle but the grid is on a down-cycle then things won’t work. A grid tie inverter oversees that the power coming from the grid is constantly in sync with that of the grid’s electricity cycle.
A grid tie inverter regularly monitors the power off of the grid so it can produce a slightly higher voltage so that any unused electricity flows back out to the grid and your power meter essentially runs backwards. That excess is what you sell back to your electric company.
Due to the extra operation of the grid tie inverter with the constant monitoring and conditioning of the power output and match it to the power from the grid, these kinds are more expensive that a simpler power inverter that does not have the capacity to tie into the grid. But if you monitor your electric consumption closely and theorize that you have excess power to sell to your electric company, then a grid tie inverter is worth the extra money.
Remember, a grid tie inverter can provide AC power to you appliances. When you are all set to get trading with your excess electricity you won’t have any problems since you have the perfect power inverter that you have invested in. Not only did you preempt any more expenses on your end but you also unknowingly have saved money that you can benefit from in the near future.
