That was my question that got no response about
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https://diysolarforum.com/threads/stupid-question-about-h6-solarcity.24592/
Faking a grid presence; from the response above from solar8484, about 'robustness' seems to be key. But cannot understand the 'power' capacity of the GTI. As long as it supplies the voltage; the "power" would be 'on demand' , wouldn't it ?
Can the 'done it many times' be exposed ?
NO.. The reason it won't work has two parts.. one could be solved, but there is no chance of solving the second.
Part1: You'd have to generate a grid quality signal.. No standard generator system, and even most inverters, won't be able to do this. But it is possible I believe with something as simple as a good Honda inverter type generator or a good quality battery inverter.
Part2: Once you generate that grid signal and the solar array starts making power, it will measure the voltage of the signal you created and then raise the voltage so the current flows into it.. Herein lies the problem that usually results in the magic smoke being released. As the grid tied inverter raises the grid signal, the current starts flowing back into the generator.. which I guess you can surmise, would be very very bad for the generator or whatever other power source you have hooked up...
It gets worse: As the system voltage goes up because the current has no where to go, the grid tied inverter, who's job is to pump current into the system, raises the voltage even higher to overcome the resistance to current flow..
Its a self-reinforcing snowball effect that results in the grid tied inverter causing something else to start smoking.
Battery Inverters capable of AC Coupling overcome this problem by shifting the grid frequency higher, which results in the inverter reducing its output if it is capable of FSPC (Frequency Shift Power Control).. and if it is not, then the battery inverter will eventually reach 62hz, at which point all grid-tied inverters will shut down.
There is one exception to the above:
It is possible to trick a grid tied inverter with a generator (inverter type?) so long as your loads are always greater than the maximum output the grid tied inverter can deliver. In this way, the load on the generator is reduced, but you must always make sure that your loads are always greater than the maximum output of the solar system. If you have 1000 watts of maximum solar output, then you must make sure you have at least 1000 watts of constant loads. If a cloud floats over and the solar dies out, the generator will make up the difference.. under full sun, the generator will just sit there running doing nothing.. There may be problems with this also that I'm not thinking of at the moment.. Truth be told, I'm not risky enough to take a chance on smoking an expensive generator.. and it will smoke if the solar has no where to send power..