Inverter

How it is used

Used in solar energy, UPS systems and industrial drives. Engineers talk about grid-tied and off-grid inverters, pure sine wave inverters, inverter efficiency and inverter faults. In industry, a variable frequency drive (VFD) is often just called an inverter.

Example sentences

1. The solar inverter shut down at noon because the grid voltage went too high.

2. The pump runs from an inverter, so we can change its speed from the control room.

Common collocations

• solar inverter
• grid-tied inverter
• pure sine wave inverter
• inverter fault
• inverter efficiency

Related terms

• rectifierA circuit or device that converts AC into DC, usually with diodes. A bridge rectifier uses four diodes so that both halves of the AC waveform are used.
• DCShort for direct current: current that flows in one direction only, usually at a steady value. Batteries, solar panels and most electronic circuits work with DC.
• ACShort for alternating current: current that changes direction many times per second. Mains electricity is AC, at 50 Hz in Turkey and Europe and 60 Hz in North America.
• batteryOne or more electrochemical cells that store energy and supply it as DC. Capacity is given in ampere-hours (Ah) or milliampere-hours (mAh), and the voltage depends on the cell chemistry.
• motorA machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical rotation. Most industrial machines use three-phase induction motors, while small devices often use DC or brushless motors.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• inverter · Automotive
• inverter · Energy & Renewables

More terms: Power Systems and Electrical Machines

• transformer
• load
• three-phase
• generator
• phase
• grid
• substation
• transmission line