Tim in OR

Member
Have any of you noticed. In California, some municipalities have mandated solar panels on new construction. Now, they have no power because PG&E has shut off the power. Their solar systems won't make power because they have a safety device that shuts down their system if it doesn't sense the "true Sine Wave" from the power company. This prevents backfeed, but sure seems like a better system could have been designed.
Those people have spent all that money for a system that won't work when they need it most.
Tim in OR
 
Most likely solar systems designed to be grid tie only. It would have cost more money to build a system that can run stand alone.

I think the majority of the people involved deserve what they got.
 
Know a guy in Florida and they have the same garbage from their power company down there. If they catch you they rip your service out for awile. You can thank your own state government he said. They passed the bill.
 
I sense a cottage industry about to arise. Surely it can't be rocket science to modify those grid-tied systems so they could also work stand alone, when needed, by flipping a couple of switches. I don't believe that California guvment is going to suddenly lose its wackiness, so the blackouts will probably continue (reminds me of the old saying "The beatings will continue until morale improves").

And the further irony is pics on the news of a bunch of wildfires going strong, despite everybody freezing in the dark to prevent them.
 
First of all Solar Photovoltaic panels produce DC power, which varies in accordance with the suns intensity and angle to the panel, while as yall know the utility furnishes AC, so it requires Inverter technology to change the raw DC into the proper AC voltage and frequency. The so called "grid tie" systems essentially sells the homeowners produced solar energy (when and if its producing) back to the utility. HOWEVER if the homeowner wants a stand alone system that can power his home if the utility is down IT COSTS MUCH MORE since he has to store the energy in batteries and then Invert it into useful AC plus have all the necessary and safe transfer methods.. Im NOT getting into economics or feasibility but ONLY explaining a bit about solar and grid tie versus battery backup for energy storage.

John T Longgggggggggg retired n rusty electrical engineer so no warranty
 
I have a stand alone, 16 battery system with 15 panels that runs several of my appliances 24-7, and can run more if the power goes down. I think you need the batteries so that the power is usable. My guess the reason most folks don't do it this way is because it is much more expensive and the batteries require topping off the water, equalizing every 30-60 days, and they wear out in 6-10 years, needing replacement. Battery systems NEVER will pay for themselves in electricity production. My system saved me only .50 per day.

My dad taught me years ago that there is a reason people do things, and to be open minded and figure it out.
 
Wonder if someday they could figure out a way to use the battery bank in their electric car as the battery bank backup?
 
I looked into off grid electricity and the calculator told me 20 years to break even and that was if I ignored the cost of replacing the battery bank every 10 years.

If you live alone in a little cabin it's probably different than trying to run a family home.
 
Question. 1) Could the owner have a simple disconnect switch on the solar panels, to disconnect from the grid? (I have such a switch on my heating system to power up blowers with a generator during power outages.) 2) Could the solar panels run thru a convertor to provide AC power to the residence during the daylight hours (without battery backup)? 3) Couldn't the daylight power be used to keep the freezer and refrigerator cold, charge computer and phone batteries, heat water in a water heater for showers and washing? Other daylight uses?

Thanks
 
I believe another reason they shut down is so they dont back feed the grid
While they're being. It does take about 20 years for these systems to break even with govt subsidies. If a homeowner wants a stand alone system it will cost much more which the govt is not going to pay for. Probably much cheaper to buy a generator.
 

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