Do grid tie inverters work with wind turbines?

There has been a lot of discussion about using grid tie inverters (GTIs) with wind turbines to connect to the grid. Here we go trying to do our best to answer some basic questions about GTIs, their use with wind turbines, and to summarize trends we see emerging.

How does a grid tie inverter work?

With a grid tie inverter, you can either tie directly to the grid (without batteries) or elect to charge a battery bank and be connected to the grid. Though more expensive due to the cost of batteries and a grid tie inverter, the advantage of charging a battery bank is having energy in the event of a power outage.

Do you need a grid tie inverter?

In summary, the need for an inverter with most small-scale household systems holds whether you are using a battery bank or connecting directly to the grid because, at the end of the day, what you need is AC power. Like any inverter, grid tie inverters change DC power into AC power.

How do inverters work?

Inverters take direct current (DC) power and change it into alternating current (AC) power. For most small-scale do-it-yourself power generation (like what folks are doing with WindyNation's products), the power coming out of your wind turbine or solar array is DC power. When you charge a battery bank, your batteries are ready to put out DC power.

Should you charge a battery bank with a grid tie inverter?

Though more expensive due to the cost of batteries and a grid tie inverter, the advantage of charging a battery bank is having energy in the event of a power outage. With or without batteries, tying to the grid makes it possible to reduce your utility bill by generating some of your own power.

How does a grid forming device work?

A grid-forming (GFM) device partially mimics the behavior of a synchronous generator: its voltage is controlled by a free-running oscillator that slows down when more energy is withdrawn from the device.