A solar photovoltaic (PV) system turns sunlight directly into electricity. When light hits the silicon cells inside a solar panel, it knocks electrons loose, and that movement of electrons is an electrical current. It is a quiet, moving-part-free process that happens whenever the sun is up.
The electricity a panel produces is direct current (DC). Most buildings and appliances run on alternating current (AC), so the system uses a device called an inverter to convert DC into the AC power your property can use. The inverter is the brain of the system — it also manages safety, monitoring and, in many systems, the flow of power to and from a battery.
On a bright day a well-placed system often produces more than the property needs at that moment. Depending on how the system is set up, that surplus can charge a battery for later, or — where regulations and your supplier allow — feed back into the grid.
The amount of power a system makes varies with the sun: time of day, season, cloud cover, the direction your roof faces and any shading from trees or nearby buildings. This is why a proper site assessment always comes before a system recommendation — the right design depends on your specific property.
