Grid Tie Inverters | Grid Tie Inverter Information

What is it?
A grid tie inverter is a power inverter with some extra functionality built in. A regular power inverter is designed to convert DC power to AC power so that regular household electronics can take advantage of a power source. These are primarily used with batteries to allow the use of various electronic devices where a standard AC signal is not available.

Benefits
Grid tie inverters are usually used with alternative energy sources. Although a home with a collection of solar panels can operate “off the grid,” it often makes sense to stay connected. If you are connected to the power grid, you can be sure that you can receive power at all times even when the panels are providing an unsteady source. Although you can store energy into batteries which would allow you to have electricity available when the panels aren’t directly active, one of these inverters will make sure that you have access to power even if your private source runs out. Besides, you’ll need some kind of power inverter to take advantage of your alternative energy source anyway, you might as well get one that allows all of these extra benefits.

It will also allow you to place excess generated back onto the power grid. This is good to make sure that your home power levels maintain a safe level and also because you can be compensated for the power you provide to the grid (although you’ll have to make special arrangements with the local utility company).

Who Needs One?
Most people do not need to buy a grid tie power inverter, because they have no external power source other than the standard electricity lines running into their home. It is only when you have created an extra source of power that you need to look into these. Unless you’re Tony Stark this probably means that you have setup solar panels, wind turbines, or water turbines in your house. Unless you have one of these green power sources installed, grid tie power inverters won’t actually do you any good at all.

Cost
Because of the benefits they provide, limited market, and complexity of the devices, grid tying inverters are quite costly. The cheapest model you will probably find will run you at least several hundred dollars. Of course the sky is the limit on the other end of the scale, but for a commercially available model the high end is probably about five thousand dollars.

Of course, the price is heavily dependent on the capabilities of particular model of inverter. There will be benefits to having an inverter that isn’t bottom of the line. You want to be able to trust the device to safety handle the transfer of electricity in your home without error or safety hazard. This is not the device to skimp on.

Where to Buy
It can be difficult to locate these in stores because of their cost and the small number of people who actually want to buy one. This basically leaves the internet and specialty stores. You can probably find them for sale anywhere alternative energy source supplies are sold, such as solar panel retailers. To get an idea of the market and to see what is available, I recommend checking out the selection at Amazon.