What everyone ought to know about purchasing a grid tied inverter

It sounds great, make money by selling power back to your electric company with a grid tied inverter, but is it really that simple? You will need to make a decision whether you want sell power to the grid or do you want to pump your power into a bank of batteries.

1. Is a Grid Tied Inverter more Expensive

One of the first things you need to consider is cost. A residential solar power inverter which is designed for solar grid tie is normally lower cost. You, however save money as you will not need to invest in a bank of batteries for holding your power, unless you want to have a battery backup system. Your storage system could actually be the electric company. You can use power from your system as it is being generated, and any excess goes out to the electric company. During the night hours, when no energy is being produced, you can use power from the electric company.

2. Are Approvals Cumbersome for a Grid Tied Inverter

The one challenge is sometimes getting the approval for the grid tied inverter to be connected into the grid. You will need to work with the electric company to get your system tied in. Most commonly you will need to use a professional electrician to make these critical connections and make sure everything is working properly. Solar power systems which use a grid tied inverter have a higher DC voltage, and you must take greater care to protect yourself and family members from potential shock hazards. It is wise to have a professional wire and connect any of the critical connections on these high voltage systems to the solar grid tie.

While a solar energy system which uses batteries for storage can give you power during the night time hours, it also may be more expensive. One challenge you will have in a battery system is replacing the batteries on a periodic basis. This may not only add to your cost, but also creates challenges in disposal versus a grid tied inverter system.

In both systems, you should consider true-sine wave inverters. Your computers, televisions, and other sensitive electric powered components may not work as well on simulated sine wave power.

3. How Much Money can you Save by Selling Power back to the Electric Company

Before you make your decision, make sure to contact your power company, and check with state regulations to determine your rights. You may discover the power company is not even required to buy your power, which would eliminate the option of solar power systems with a grid tied inverter. In most states there are regulations requiring the purchase of the power, but often you are given power credits instead of cash. This can work out fine if you use enough electricity during night time and low sunlight hours to consume the amount of credits you receive. Check to see if the credits are transferable if you will not be consuming all the credits from the solar grid tie system.

If you have the option to have a grid tied inverter as part of your solar energy system, you will most likely to find it to be a great value but just make sure to do your homework first.