Power inverter
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"Inverter" redirects here. For the logic gate, see
Inverter (logic gate). For other uses, see
Inverter (disambiguation).
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(October 2011)
An inverter for a solar-mounted free-standing plant in Speyer, alongside the Rhine.
Overview of the solar inverters
A
power inverter, or
inverter, is an electronic device or circuitry that changes
direct current (DC) to
alternating current (AC).
[1]
The input
voltage, output voltage and frequency, and overall
power handling, are dependent on the design of the specific device or circuitry.
A power inverter can be entirely electronic or may be a combination of mechanical effects (such as a rotary apparatus) and electronic circuitry.
Static inverters do not use moving parts in the conversion process.
Typical applications for power inverters include:
- Portable consumer devices that allow the user to connect a battery, or set of batteries, to the device to produce AC power to run various electrical items such as lights, televisions, kitchen appliances, and power tools.
- Use in power generation systems such as electric utility companies or solar generating systems to convert DC power to AC power.
- Use within any larger electronic system where an engineering need exists for deriving an AC source from a DC source.
Electric power conversion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to:
navigation,
search
For generic power conversion (e.g.,
heat to
electric energy), see
energy transformation.
For national power supplies, see
Mains electricity by country.
In
electrical engineering,
power engineering and the
electric power industry,
power conversion is converting
electric energy from one form to another, converting between
AC and
DC, or just changing the
voltage or
frequency, or some combination of these. A
power converter is an electrical or
electro-mechanical device for converting electrical energy. This could be as simple as a
transformer to change the
voltage of
AC power, but also includes far more complex systems. The term can also refer to a class of electrical machinery that is used to convert one
frequency of
alternating current into another frequency.
Power conversion systems often incorporate
redundancy and
voltage regulation.
One way of classifying power conversion systems is according to whether the input and output are
alternating current (AC) or
direct current (DC), thus:
There are also devices and methods to convert between power systems designed for single and three-phase operation.
The standard power frequency varies from country to country, and sometimes within a country. In North America and northern South America it is usually 60
hertz (Hz), but in many other parts of the world, is usually 50 Hz.
[1] Aircraft often use 400 Hz power, so 50 Hz or 60 Hz to 400 Hz frequency conversion is needed for use in the ground power unit used to power the airplane while it is on the ground.