Dear John and WeatherCat conscientious homeowners,
Hi, Edouard. We do return to the grid at night. We are able to use "zero net metering" which allows our array to feed into the grid during the day which makes our meter spin backward.
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Interestingly, having our system set up this way means if we have a power outage the panels are worthless to us as they feed the grid, not us.
This appears to be the typical way solar units are installed. That would appear to be a reasonable approach since the power grid has been very stable for essentially the entire United States. Alas, the very enthusiasm with which alternative energy is being advanced could seriously undermine that stability. The long-time rule of thumb was that a power grid could not have more than about 20% of its generating capacity come from sources like wind, wave, and solar. Otherwise there wasn't enough reserves to cope with the situations when those sources aren't available. The usual situation is a major storm when wind and waves are too strong for those power systems to remain on and there is essentially no solar radiation. Such situations are hardly the time for rotating blackouts.
California has recently mandated that 50% of electrical power for the state come from renewable power by 2030 - only 15 years from now. There have been advances, but the key problem: storing power remains basically unsolved. In 2000 California went through a period of rotating blackouts caused by the state having not built sufficient power plants to meet demand. I am very fearful that this latest move to reduce CO
2 emissions will backfire leaving the state with a serious electrical shortfall. Given the demand to reduce CO
2 emissions, the solution of 2000 won't work. Back then quite a few natural gas power plants were built since they are fast to build and inexpensive. Clearly that isn't an option any more.
I am very concerned that California may find itself with years of an unreliable electrical grid. Under those circumstances getting off the grid might be an imperative if you want to remain comfortable in your own home.
Oh well, . . . . Edouard