The inverter does not produce any power; the power is provided by the DC source. A power inverter can be entirely electronic or a combination of mechanical effects (such as a rotary apparatus) and electronic circuitry. Inverters do the opposite of rectifiers which were originally large. . That means if you want to run something like an AC-powered gadget from a DC car battery in a mobile home, you need a device that will convert DC to AC—an inverter, as it's called. Let's take a closer look at these gadgets and find out how they work! Photo: A detail of the electronic circuit inside. . Efficiency Matters More Than Ever: Modern inverters using silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors achieve up to 98% efficiency, significantly reducing energy losses and operating costs over their 20-year lifespan. It's very portable, but its best suited for powering small electronic devices. See more pictures of car gadgets.