A Hybrid inverter and battery hooked up to electrical panel in a white garage with window

January 3, 2026

Can Solar Inverter Be Charged with Electricity? (Grid-Charging Explained)

Wondering if solar inverters can drink from the wall outlet? The short answer is yes—but only hybrid models! While standard units are one-way streets, hybrids can pull grid electricity to charge your batteries.

Dive in to learn how to fill your tank when the sun takes a nap!

Using Grid Power to Top Up Your Solar Batteries

Here is the biggest misconception that trips up new solar owners. People often look at the white box humming on their garage wall and think, "That’s where the power lives."

It isn't. That box is just a gateway.

Its main job is to take the raw energy from your roof and translate it into something your toaster can use. For 90% of systems, this gateway is a strictly one-way street. Power goes out, and nothing comes in.

If you tried to push grid electricity into a standard inverter to store it, absolutely nothing would happen. It would be like trying to fill a water balloon through a brick wall.

But then, we have the Hybrid Inverter.

These devices are the "smartphones" of the energy world. They are built with a special two-way transformer inside.

With the flip of a digital switch, they can reverse the flow of traffic entirely. They stop pushing power out and start pulling it in from your wall outlet.

They take that expensive grid electricity, convert it back into DC power, and shove it into your batteries. Suddenly, your solar inverter is acting just like a giant phone charger.

The grid power charges solar home backup batteries through the hybrid inverter

When to Charge from the Grid: Rainy Days and Peak Shaving

Now, you might be asking: "Why on earth would I pay the power company to charge my batteries? I bought solar panels to avoid paying them!"

It sounds backwards, I know. But there are two scenarios where this strategy is actually genius.

1. The "Storm Prep" Strategy Imagine you see a weather alert. A massive hurricane is hitting your town tomorrow, and it’s going to be dark and rainy for three days.

Your batteries are currently sitting at 50%. If the power lines go down tonight, you only have half a tank of gas to survive the storm.

In this case, you force the inverter to charge from the grid now. You pay a few dollars to top off the tank, ensuring you have 100% backup power before the chaos starts.

2. The Money Hack (Peak Shaving) This is for the finance nerds. In many areas, electricity is dirt cheap at 2:00 AM and incredibly expensive at 6:00 PM.

You can program your hybrid inverter to act like a stock trader. It buys power from the grid at night while you sleep (when it's cheap).

Then, when you come home from work and rates skyrocket, the inverter stops buying. It runs your house off that cheap stored energy. You are effectively buying low and selling high, every single day.

At night, the home uses grid power when grid energy consumption costs less. During 6 pm, it uses the backup batteries when costs on the grid are high.

Configuration Settings: Prioritizing Solar vs. Utility Power

If you own a hybrid inverter, you are the captain of the ship. You get to decide which fuel source gets burned first.

Most units (like those from Victron, Growatt, or EG4) let you toggle these "personalities" in the settings menu:

1. "Solar First" (The Eco-Warrior) This is the default setting. The inverter will use every drop of free sunshine to charge the battery. It will only touch the dirty grid power if your battery is about to die. This maximizes your green credentials.

2. "Utility First" (The Prepper) This is strictly for backup security. The inverter uses the grid to keep the battery glued at 100% charge, 24/7. It doesn't care about saving money; it only cares about being ready for the apocalypse.

3. "SBU Mode" (The Accountant) SBU stands for Solar-Battery-Utility. This is the money-saver.

The system runs on solar first. If the sun sets, it drains the battery. It only switches to the utility grid when the battery is completely empty. This keeps your electric bill at absolute zero for as long as humanly possible.

Can Solar Inverter Be Charged with Electricity? (Grid-Charging Explained)

Using Grid Power to Top Up Your Solar Batteries

When to Charge from the Grid: Rainy Days and Peak Shaving

Configuration Settings: Prioritizing Solar vs. Utility Power

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