Microinverters and power optimizers essentially do the same thing as they allow your solar panel array to continue working partially shaded.

Solar energy doesn’t provide electricity in a format that can actually turn on your lights. This is where inverters step in. Think of them as a currency exchange for your power. You might have a roll of pound notes, but until you stop and exchange it for AUD, you can’t pay cash for Maccas on the drive home.

Your inverter should be aligned with the DC rating of the solar system itself, so if you have a 6 kilowatt (kW) system, you will need an inverter that is around the 6000 W mark to match it. It is perfectly fine if your inverter is slightly smaller or larger, but you want it to be about the same size as your system so that all of the DC being produced can be transformed into usable AC electricity for your home.

In 2017 industry competition in the grid connect solar inverter market is very tight with many of the top-rated manufacturers releasing models with innovative hi-tech features including online monitoring and smart grid capabilities.