GRID TIE DAY TIME
sunlight falls on the solar array and generates dc electricity. that dc electricity is converted into household 240v ac electricity by the inverter. the ac electricity is fed into your electric meter and circuit breaker panel. the electricity either goes to your appliances and lights, or to the grid, or some to each. this happens silently and automatically every day.
GRID TIE AT NIGHT OR DURING A CLOUDY DAY
At night and during cloudy weather, the solar system’s output is reduced or stopped; however, your home then gets electricity from the utility grid. You are always connected to the grid, so you can have as much power as you need, any time you need it, regardless of whether the solar system is able to put out any power. When the solar system does put out power, it reduces your usage at the time, or, if there is excess, your meter spins backwards, counting down your electric use and bill. Special metering, such as Time-of-Use metering and billing arrangements can help you take advantage of higher daytime rates, allowing you to sell power at a high rate and buy it back at night at a lower rate. This helps reduce the necessary size of your solar system while still cutting your bill by the same amount. The only catch is that during a utility power outage a standard grid tie system will not produce power until the grid power is available. If this is a issue read on.
How Does On-Grid Solar System Work?