How is electricity forced into the power grid with a solar system?

Question:

I know it can be done, but how does it actually happen? Is there a diode or something that only allows current to flow into the grid. Does the system have to be at higher voltage than the grid?

Answer:
Yes. It is that simple. (not the diode, the higher voltage)The solar panels need to generate a voltage higher than the voltage on the power grid. We assume the voltage coming from the solar panels is adjustable. Better yet it should be adjusted automatically, because the current going up into the grid will rise rapidly as you increase the voltage only a little.

Using a gadget called an inverter. It converts the direct current from the solar cell array into an alternating current with appropriate magnitude and phase to match the power line, with a slightly higher voltage so that energy will flow into the line. Commercial inverters have instrumenation to show the performance of the solar cells, and how much energy is being delivered to the grid.

How is electricity forced into the power grid with a solar system?

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