Beacon Solar Inverters - From Sunlight to Household Appliances

Many people are becoming more and more conscious about the environment and man's impact on it. This has sparked an interest in alternative sources of electricity, in particular solar power. Another reason people are turning to solar power is because of the cost savings. The main reason people don't want to generate their own electricity is simply because they don't know enough about them.

Solar panels are also known as photovoltaic panels; these are the things that you commonly see on peoples roofs. These panels convert sunlight into DC or Direct Current electricity.

If you think back to school you might remember the difference between AC and DC electricity. DC current is great for powering some things, however the appliances that you plug into your mains power supply run on AC electricity. DC is the type of electricity in batteries. If you want to use solar panels to run appliances in your home, and let's face it who wouldn't? Then you need something to convert DC into AC, this is known as an Inverter.

Most solar power inverters are only used to convert DC into AC; however there are some grid interactive forms of inverter which are used where your solar power system is connected to the power grid. These systems can be installed by your utility company, which makes them very easy to install. Electricity that you generate will be sold back to the grid and credited on your bill.

An inverter may seem like a boring box; however it is very important to any solar power system. A regular residential home will place quite a lot of demand on an inverter due to the regular fluctuations in power requirements.

There are loads of companies that produce power inverters which are suitable for use in solar power systems, one such company is Beacon Power Corporation. They created the Smart Power M5, which not only provide the inverter functions, but also offer battery backup.

An inverter is a vital part of your solar power system which cannot be overlooked. There are so many different brands of solar inverters that you have plenty to choose from.