Solar power works by converting light from the sun into electricity. This electricity can then be used in your home or exported to the grid when it’s not needed. This is done by installing Solar Panels on your roof which generate DC (Direct Current) electricity. This is then fed into a solar inverter which converts the DC electricity from your solar panels into AC (Alternating Current) electricity.

1. 1. Your solar cells produce electricity via the photovoltaic effect, where sunlight creates electricity in certain materials by knocking their outer electrons loose.
2. 2. The DC electricity generated by your solar panels is directed to your central inverter (or micro inverter, depending on your system set up), where it is converted into AC electricity your home and appliances can use.
3. 3. Your inverter will ensure your home always uses your own solar production first, only accessing additional energy from the grid when your own supply is not enough. Any solar energy you don’t use will be exported the grid for a nominated feed-in tariff.
4. 4. Your electricity retailer will install a new bi–directional meter which will monitor and report both the incoming and outgoing electricity.
5. 5. Your electricity bills will then take into account the lower amounts of electricity you will need to buy from the grid plus credits for the electricity generated by your solar power system that you don’t use.

With solar power, you don’t need to switch it on in the morning or switch it off at night – the system will do this seamlessly and automatically. You don’t need to switch between solar power and the grid – the system does this all automatically so you won’t notice any change to how the appliances in your home function. In fact a solar system requires very little maintenance (as there are no moving parts) which means you’ll hardly know it’s there. This also means a good quality solar power system will last a long time.

Your solar inverter (usually installed in your garage or in an accessible spot), can provide you with information like the amount of electricity being produced at any particular point in time or how much it has generated for the day or in total since it has been operating. Many quality inverters feature wired or wireless connectivity and sophisticated on-line monitoring and reporting.