How does Grid Tied Solar work?

FAQs - Renewable Energy Installations

How does Grid Tied Solar work?

Sunlight is converted into DC electricity by your solar panels.
Your grid tied inverter then transforms the DC electricity into 240V AC sending it to your mains switchboard.
Your residence gets power from your mains switchboard.
While the sun is shining you are feeding electricity from your solar inverter into your residence as well as the local grid, through the mains switchboard.
When the sun goes down the inverter switches off and 100% of your energy is then provided from the electrical grid.
At sunrise the inverter switches on and starts exporting 240V AC electricity back into your residence and out onto the electrical grid.

Other details
If your area experiences a black out during daylight hours, your inverter will sense this and disconnect itself from exporting energy until the grid energy resumes (Protecting local repair crews from solar powered shocks coming from your system).
If the generating capacity of your solar array is equal to or exceeds your daily energy consumption then you will neutralize your power bills.
Any excess solar generated kilowatts that aren't consumed by your dwelling will be credited towards your electricity account, earning you funds.
In Queensland, for example, there are an average of 5.5 peak sun hours (PSH) per day throughout the year. So if you look at your energy bills "Average Daily Usage" in KWh (for example 11kWh), then divide that figure by 5.5 PSH you can roughly work out the size of the Grid Tied Solar System you would need to break even with your current energy usage (in this example it would be 11kWh / 5.5 PSH = 2kW Solar System). Keep in mind that Ecoworld can assist you in reducing your current energy usage by optionally providing a comprehensive Energy Audit Report before your system sizing is worked out.