Energy
Inverter
An inverter converts the direct current that solar modules produce into the alternating current the grid and most equipment use. It also manages the array, tracking the operating point that yields the most power as light and temperature change through the day.
It is the component most likely to need replacing within the life of a solar plant, because the modules outlast it, so replacement is planned for rather than treated as a failure.
Its efficiency and its behaviour in heat matter as much as the module specification, and it is where most plant level monitoring data originates.