zanydroid
Solar Wizard
Probably a basic arithmetic brain fart. I think 120kwh
Question About Preventing Grid Backfeed
- Thread starter jeff88
- Start date
cs1234
Solar Wizard
- Joined
- May 9, 2022
- Messages
- 2,791
Now I'm farting along with him.. questioning my own sanity.
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2022
- Messages
- 19,826
cs1234
Solar Wizard
- Joined
- May 9, 2022
- Messages
- 2,791
Yeah, it doesn't make sense for grid assist. We have to do dumb things like this because of the poco's and their nonsense.
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2022
- Messages
- 19,826
Backup is the only use I have for the grid.
I guess that it depends on how you want the grid to assist.
I only want it to assist me in getting to the next sunrise.
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2022
- Messages
- 19,826
It won't.
I just lost my dumb meter, a few months ago.
cs1234
Solar Wizard
- Joined
- May 9, 2022
- Messages
- 2,791
I think I can request they put a dumb one back in here in my part of Texas. I suspect that type of thing might make them suspect something is up though, considering they charge you extra for putting it back in and coming out to read it monthly.
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2022
- Messages
- 19,826
I don't care what kind of meter they use, anymore. lol
Your probably a good person to ask Tim but are they ratcheting? Hypothetically of course when setting up my on-grid/hybrid I'm likely going to commission it then have them inspect post install if I did back feed would the meter run in reverse? Getting caught reversing the meter here is probably a big offence especially for foreigners I wouldn't want to anger the utility supplier as it's a government entity.
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2022
- Messages
- 19,826
It's just a motor spinning that disc. The motor is powered by the current that flows through the meter. Most are not directional, but some are.
A person would have to actually see it spinning backwards to know.
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2022
- Messages
- 19,826
P.S.
If it's not directional, you will be charged for both import and export.
As it will not know the difference.
They regularly visually check the meters here so I'll try to commission my system right after an inspection to play it safe, cheers for the info.
I don't plan to export anything untill I have the system all finished and we book an appointment for the Poco to inspect, I guess then they will swap us out for a digital meter.
You guys lost me in all of this discussion, but I'm interested in a grid assist more than a grid backup. I'm only planning on having a few solar panels and a small-ish size battery so I want to maintain some amount of assistance from the grid as necessary without having a switch going back and forth. It may be too much to bite off, but I may just be overthinking it. The information and specs provided doesn't make it easy to figure out what is going to work for me.
Sorry let me see if I can help, from what I understand you would want a off-grid/hybrid this shouldn't back feed and has a built in ATS so it would only pull from the grid when solar doesn't produce enough to satisfy your demands
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2022
- Messages
- 19,826
Wrong terminology.
Grid-tied
Requires the grid to function. And sends all production to the grid, or directly to the loads. (Can export)
Off grid
Doesn't require the grid to function. Sends all production to a battery, or directly to the loads. (Can't export)
Hybrid
A combination of both above. (Can export)
zanydroid
Solar Wizard
Can you put some rough performance (quantitative) requirements around your use case? And budget range.
EDIT: And qualitative requirements expressed in terms of the applications (IE appliances and project goals) that you are plugging in.
As a basic feasibility check.
To be direct the vague description you have here makes me quite worried it is an infeasible unicorn. With numbers you can prove to me it's not, or I can explain to you the pitfalls.
zanydroid
Solar Wizard
Also, I'm not aware of an active forum member from the Bay Area that has a micro-scale system. There's some availability / survivorship bias in this, in that people who stick around to talk about/level up in the hobby escalate their projects in scale.
We generally have 5-20kW of solar panels, and AFAIK most of the panels themselves permitted even if some of the other stuff is less permitted. So if that is true, you are kind of on your own / need to dig up direct experience (via other forums or talking to AHJ, maybe). I can tell you what is officially needed for ground mount and roof mount in my town, but that may not make your project sound like fun.
I cannot tell you what you can get away with, on average, vs what people have come on saying they got caught for.
Here we have both on-grid/hybrid and off-grid hybrid on grid being grid tied but has a battery, off-grid/hybrid being one that's off-grid but can import grid power not export it.
From my pov and the terminology used in Thailand/China and off-grid hybrid perfectly suits his needs I use one as a ups for our fridge, sever rack and lights. When solar is producing it will take that as a primary input if the load is greater than production it compensates with grid power if there's no grid or solar it draws from a battery.
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2022
- Messages
- 19,826
The term "hybrid" means that it can function as both grid-tied and off grid.
What are you using the word "hybrid" to describe?
I'm not using the term SRNE is and after looking it seems there's no 120v versions so that's likely why you've never heard the term off-grid/hybrid they aren't available in the US.
Sorry OP seems my suggestion can't work in the US
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2022
- Messages
- 19,826
That's a very confusing advertisement.
vendors tend to say anything for a sale. Whether it's correct or not.
No idea but its an off-grid inverter capable of taking an ac input so seems to fit op's use case don't really care what they call it (magic sunshine machine)as long as it does what it needs too.Edit you think that's confusing they advertise 3 types here on-grid/hybrid, off-grid/hybrid and on-off-grid/hybrid no idea what the difference between an on-grid/hybrid and a on-off-grid/hybrid is.
Similar threads
