Solar inverters

Your panels produce direct current; your house runs on alternating current. The inverter converts between the two, and along the way it tracks how much each string is producing, obeys the export limit your network sets, and, if it is a hybrid, decides whether to send power to your battery or to the grid.

A string inverter is one central unit and is the right answer for most simple roofs. Microinverters sit under each panel and cost more, but they earn their keep on complex roofs or where shade hits part of the array, one shaded panel no longer drags down the whole string. We will tell you which your roof needs rather than defaulting to the dearer option.

Usually yes. A hybrid costs a little more up front but means adding storage later is a simple job. Retrofitting a battery to a non-hybrid system often means buying a second inverter, which costs far more than the original difference.

Typically [X] years under warranty, and it is normally the first component to need replacing, panels usually outlive it. That is worth knowing when comparing quotes: a cheap inverter is the most common false economy in solar.