Today’s modern solar systems are reliably simple. When exposed to the sun, solar panels produce an electric current. This is passed through a device called an inverter that conditions the power to match your utility power. Your home, business, or organization will now use solar power first, and the utility is there for nighttime and additional power needs. When your system makes more power than is needed in the home, the excess goes out to the utility grid for credit (AKA, savings!).