Learn to read the symbols: circles with plus/minus signs represent batteries, rectangles with wave patterns indicate inverters, and boxes with diagonal arrows show your solar array. In this guide, we'll cover it all from simplified wiring diagrams to a thorough coverage of materials and safety procedures so that when it comes time for you to connect your solar panels to your inverter, you're ready without hesitation. Before hooking your solar panels up to an inverter, however. Solar Panels: They are considered the backbone of a solar system, made up of different PV cells connected in parallel or series. Get it wrong, and you could be looking at wasted power, costly inefficiencies, or even safety.