Large wind turbines that you see dotted around the countryside generate AC power, so don’t need any conversion. They need to be synchronized to mains grid power so that generated power can flow seamlessly into the general supply. Small wind turbines are very similar in operation to a car alternator. All generators create a wave of electricity because they move in an arc. If a turbine is used to charge batteries, such as used for energy storage in off-grid domestic generation systems, then the electricity is converted into DC by a commutator mounted on the rotating part.

All power generation components have a power curve, or voltage-current curve. The MPP or Maximum Power Point for solar panels and wind turbines is different and so inverters used for each will be slightly different. In particular, solar panels output is very predictable over the irradiation range, while the output of a wind turbine can vary dramatically, needing an inverter with a wider range and the ability to accommodate greater peaks in power generation.