How a hybrid inverter works, step by step

September 29, 2026 · 5 min read · Danilo Nascimento

Understand the ports of a hybrid inverter, the order in which it decides where each kW goes and its operating modes. Follow the energy flow in a calculator.

One inverter, several ports

The hybrid inverter brings together, in one device, what in an ordinary system would be separate: the solar inverter, the battery charger and the energy management. That is why it has several ports.

PV input (MPPT)

Receives the panel strings and tracks the maximum power point (MPPT); on some models each input has its own independent MPPT.

Battery port

Charges and discharges the battery. With lithium batteries, it talks to the BMS over a communication cable.

Output to the home

Delivers energy to the home board and takes from the grid what is missing.

Grid connection

Imports and exports energy, with the protections the utility requires, such as anti-islanding.

Backup output

Feeds an essential circuit when the grid fails, with the inverter forming its own grid.

The order in which it decides

Each manufacturer allows adjustments, but the self-consumption logic usually follows an order of priority:

1
1. Panels supply the home
Everything the panels generate goes first to the consumption of the moment.
2
2. The surplus charges the battery
If the panels generate more than the home uses, the excess charges the battery, up to the power and charge limits.
3
3. Battery full: the surplus goes to the grid
With no room in the battery, the excess is exported, if the local rule allows it.
4
4. If energy is missing, the battery supplies it
When the home uses more than the panels generate, the battery covers the difference, respecting a minimum reserve.
5
5. At the reserve, the grid supplies it
With the battery at the configured minimum, the grid takes over feeding the home again.

Follow the energy

Move the generation, the consumption and the battery charge. The calculator shows, in kW, where the energy comes from and goes to, using the example’s rules.

Interactive

Follow the energy in a hybrid inverter

Move the generation, the consumption and the battery charge. The example shows where each kW comes from and goes to, in the order a hybrid inverter usually decides.

Panel generation4.0 kWHome consumption2.0 kWBattery charge50 %

2 kWfrom panels to home

2 kWfrom panels to battery

0 kWfrom panels to grid

0 kWfrom battery to home

0 kWfrom grid to home

Order in the example: panels → home → battery → grid (surplus) and panels → battery → grid (shortfall). Battery limited to 3 kW, with a 10% reserve. Each manufacturer allows other priorities.

A typical day

Adding up the flows over a day, it is common to see the battery change the source of the energy the home consumes. An illustrative example for a home that uses 17 kWh per day:

Where the energy consumed by the home came from (example, in kWh)

Directly from the panels8 kWh

From the battery, at night5 kWh

From the grid4 kWh

In this example, panels and battery cover 13 of the 17 kWh: about 76% of the consumption comes from the sun, assuming the battery was charged by the panels. The real result depends on the size of the panels, the battery and the household’s habits.

Operating modes

	Self-consumption	Backup priority	Time-of-use tariff
Who charges the battery	The solar surplus	Solar and, if needed, the grid	Grid at the cheap hours
When it discharges	Whenever the home needs it	Only if the grid fails	At the expensive hours
Reserve for an outage	Small	High	Medium
Good for	Cutting the bill	Areas with frequent outages	Tariffs that vary through the day

✓ advantage · ◐ depends on the case · ✗ point of attention

Draw it in Editor Solar

This is Editor Solar itself, already loaded with the diagram from this article. Move the equipment, edit labels, connect new parts and export to PNG, SVG or PDF. It is free and runs right in your browser.

A hybrid inverter with panels, battery, home board and grid: at the moment of the example, the panel surplus charges the battery.

Try it: Change the battery charge to 100% and redo the energy path on the diagram: where do the 2 kW left over from the panels go now?

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Open this diagram in the full editor ↗

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