If you’re producing excess electricity with your solar panels or wind turbines, a grid tie inverter will allow you to sell this power to the utility company.

US citizens have the right, as outlined in the 1978 Federal Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA), to sell renewable energy to their local power company. This law was introduced after the 1973 Arab oil embargo and is just as relevant today.

A standard power inverter simply converts DC electricity to AC, which is needed for devices in the home. They also work to convert 12 or 24 volt electricity to 120 volt, for the same reason. While inverters are a standard part of any system using renewable energy, you can’t use just any inverter to sell power back to the grid. The AC power that comes from an inverter is basically the same as power that comes right from the grid: 120 volts, 60 cycles per second. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that both sorts of electricity are cycling in phase with each other. You won’t be able to transfer your electricity to the grid if this is the case. A grid tie inverter will ensure that your inverter stays in sync with the grid.

There’s more to a grid tie inverter than just making sure the phase is in sync. As a rule, electricity will flow from higher voltage to lower voltage. This is the principle under which battery charging, for example, works. The battery is connected to a source that is outputting more voltage, and the electricity flows to the device of lower voltage: the battery. This is why a 12 volt battery requires a charger of over 12 volts.

By that principle, you have to have electricity of a slightly higher voltage than that of the grid in order to send your electricity there. A grid tie inverter will also monitor and regulate the voltage levels to make sure that this happens. With the proper voltage level, you can send your excess electricity back to the grid, and when you do this, your power meter will actually run in reverse.

The extra functions of a grid tie inverter make it more expensive than a regular inverter. However, a grid tie inverter will give you the chance to actually make money with your renewable energy system, so it’s worth the investment. Anyone using renewable energy should really consider investing in a grid tie inverter.

The idea of off grid living appeals to many people. You can get more information by checking out Off Grid Living.

If you want information about the components of solar power system, visit Solar How To.

If you are looking for the best DIY charger plans, go to DIY Solar Charger.