101–110 of 180 posts
In short: most households get grid-tied solar power setups with no batteries. If the main grid is off, it creates islands of power where the units can't safely backfeed to the grid. However, you can legally get a battery setup which costs more money and use that when the grid is down.
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/70oz3k/due_to_e...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not exactly accurate. My Dad has a 7kw array grid-tie no battery system in FL. It has a single emergency outlet that will provide up 1500w when the grid is down. With the power being down last week from Irma it was able to output at least a 1000w load even with heavy overcast. It will off course shut off if it can't provide the attached load. If you have a solar system for home its going to have an inverter, but most…
7kw? Amazing! How large is the array? (sq ft) How much did that set him back?
Main issue I have seen with the law in FL for them is that they are net metered but the power bill can't go negative. So if they produce more than they use the power company doesn't have to pay them for it, also they always get a service charge no matter what. So their power bill ends up being about $20 a month no matter what which is just the service charge.
The article is trying so hard it's hard to tell what the actual issue is. It is dangerous to backfeed the grid -- you may kill the line worker coming to fix a blown transformer or downed line. In some places a grid connection is considered necessary by the building code. If so, you must use proper equipment.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not exactly accurate. My Dad has a 7kw array grid-tie no battery system in FL. It has a single emergency outlet that will provide up 1500w when the grid is down. With the power being down last week from Irma it was able to output at least a 1000w load even with heavy overcast. It will off course shut off if it can't provide the attached load. If you have a solar system for home its going to have an inverter, but most…
Does his system meet code? If so, it demonstrates that the article is, uh, not well researched.
The inverter doesn't backfeed for emergency power, it just has a separate output wired to a single outlet for emergency power.
Hysterical article is hysterical? The actual laws are more reasonable: "Renewable generator systems connected to the grid without batteries are not a standby power source during an FPL outage. The system must shut down when FPL's grid shuts down in order to prevent dangerous back feed on FPL's grid. This is required to protect FPL employees who may be working on the grid." Note the "without batteries" exclusion a sim…
It sounds reasonable but the way to do this is with a device called a transfer switch. It's used on any proper installation of local power such as a home generator. When the utility power is out, the transfer switch cuts over to local power. There is no feedback to the outside power lines; the transfer switch disconnects them. Are home generators illegal also?
> Are home generators illegal also?
If the quote is accurate then they are not: "Renewable generator systems". So why does it make a difference to law makers? This sounds utterly bonkers
This seems to be straight from a dystopian movie or book I'm not sure it isn't a joke. Is the "get off my lawn" a thing of the past in US? What business have US gov, or anybody else for that matter, to do with what I do on my property?
Most states wont even allow you to collect your own rain water to drink it.
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It is however legitimate to ensure that you're not going to electrocute nearby power workers who aren't even on your property.
In the article they mention that this probably wouldn't happen, and only became an issue because the utility forced homeowners to connect to the grid. In Australia lots of people have off-grid systems. You just switch b/w the two.
>From what I gathered in reading the three articles there's a state code that mandates that homes must be hooked up to the electrical grid. With out seeing the law or it's history (e.g. when it was mandated), it's difficult to say if it's malice on the part of utilities or just a poorly worded law from 50 years ago.
Electricity is regulated, like water, because it's something people have a hard time living without in modern society. It's perfectly reasonable for the state to mandate that properties have power as a protection for tenants.[0]
I haven't looked into this myself, but this comment makes a lot of sense. I'm from a state where there are a lot of old laws on the books that are both discriminatory and greatly infringe upon basic rights of people. The prevailing argument is that it would cost too much manpower to actually rewrite all of those laws, so we just deem those laws as clearly outdated and unenforceable while tending to other matters.
The law may just be old without ill intent. The power companies also may be dragging their feet to modernize as well, but slow bureaucracy is the one of the few arguments that makes sense to me.
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Does his system meet code? If so, it demonstrates that the article is, uh, not well researched.
Yes it was completely done to code. Here is the explanation of his inverter: http://www.smainverted.com/how-to-explain-secure-power-suppl... The inverter doesn't backfeed for emergency power, it just has a separate output wired to a single outlet for emergency power.
But the article would have us believe that it is illegal to use those inverters in Florida.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is however legitimate to ensure that you're not going to electrocute nearby power workers who aren't even on your property.
In the article they mention that this probably wouldn't happen, and only became an issue because the utility forced homeowners to connect to the grid. In Australia lots of people have off-grid systems. You just switch b/w the two.
TBH I think it makes sense that all houses should be connected to the electrical grid. Just like all houses should have proper sanitation facilities. This is a small edge case for people who want to be self sufficient even though it makes no economic sense, as FPL does have net metering in place. If they didn't have net metering in place I'd understand this, but considering they do and at first glance looks like a ve…