Inverters

Power inverters take the direct current (DC) electricity from a DC power source (battery bank, solar panels, etc.), and convert it to alternating current (AC), similar to the power you get from the utility company. The vast majority of electrical appliances available today operate on AC power, so an inverter greatly increases the variety of appliances you can use with your DC/battery-based power system.
True (or Pure) Sine Wave Inverters create smooth-waveform AC power, which is equivalent to utility company power. All electric appliances will operate properly with true (or pure) sine wave power.
Inverter-Chargers perform two functions: Converting DC battery power to AC power for your appliances, and recharging your battery bank from another source of power (such as utility power, or renewable sources).
Solar Microinverters are installed directly on photovoltaic modules, converting the DC electricity produced by the solar panels to AC power right at the source. They help improve solar array performance, and are especially useful in grid-tie systems, or when you are using solar to offset your utility power usage.
Modified Sine Wave Inverters produce a 'stepped' waveform, which may interfere with the proper function of some sensitive electronics (such as monitor heaters, and some laser printers). However, they are very economical if you do not have any affected appliances in your system.