Here is the meter currently in place for all the non-solar installations around here. The two blacked out areas just cover serial numbers . They are not screens.
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Home Solar
- Thread starter mattd
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My system feeds my panel directly first before going to the meter via a dual pole 25A breaker. There is nothing hooked directly to the meter outside. There is zero way for the utility company to determine how much I send back to or take from the grid at the end of the month except reading the meter at the beginning and end of the month.
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Here is a schematic on how it works for us up here. Not saying its how its done anywhere else. Enjoy.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
And that's exactly what's happening in California with NEM3 where they pay the value of the power, not retail. That's around $0.04/kWh now.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Yeah, that's typical net metering with no battery, grid-tie with the inverter feeding the panel. If the panels can cover your consumption+, then you are both back feeding the grid and covering your own use. Any deficit will change the direction of the meter and the you'll be drawing grid power to supplement.
With these systems, as a safety feature, if the inverter loses grid power, you have zero electricity. It cannot island and just run your house from the inverter and panels, a battery bank system and an isolation/transfer switch (like for a generator) is required for this function.
Yes, that’s part of the deal. If folks want solar during storms, good luck to them. A battery system and isolation switch is required.Yeah, that's typical net metering with no battery, grid-tie with the inverter feeding the panel. If the panels can cover your consumption+, then you are both back feeding the grid and covering your own use. Any deficit will change the direction of the meter and the you'll be drawing grid power to supplement.
With these systems, as a safety feature, if the inverter loses grid power, you have zero electricity. It cannot island and just run your house from the inverter and panels, a battery bank system and an isolation/transfer switch (like for a generator) is required for this function.
Nice schmatic. All I know is what I pay. And I pay peanuts. All good.
Loop on Month
PG&E ---> Bill ---> Me ---> $9 ---> PG&E
Repeat
Now, now, Jeff, you pre-paid for all this power years ago, but having said that you must be closing in on your pay out time.
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For bigger arrays they have to do a line-side tap. They connect the array to the conductors between the meter and the main breaker.
This is a 10kW array:
This is a 10kW array:
Here is another one of those solar irradiation maps, this time for North America. Despair not if you live in the crappy yellow area, it’s still 2/3 of what they get in Southern California . 
Well, you may have heard CA energy costs are a little on the expensive side...Now, now, Jeff, you pre-paid for all this power years ago, but having said that you must be closing in on your pay out time.
Am I at break even? Probably. The solar was an investment with an expected return. It will be far better than my calculations...
I have posted before that my long term goal was to minimize recurring costs. It worked; I live dirt cheap. I could easily exist on Social Security alone.
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