Learn solar

Wire panels in series and their voltages add while the current stays the same, like batteries stacked in a flashlight. Wire them in parallel and the currents add while the voltage stays the same. Most home strings use series to reach the voltage the inverter wants.

DC flows one direction — it's what panels and batteries produce. AC flips direction back and forth, 60 times a second in the US, and it's what your outlets and the grid use. The inverter is the translator between the two.

Power is volts times amps. Raise the voltage and you need less current for the same power, which means thinner wire and less energy lost as heat. Charge controllers and converters reshape panel output to fit what a battery or inverter needs.