Plug and Play Home Solar coming to the USA

[zzyzzx]

Can't have them in my HOA

Seriously? Got a link to HOA rules?

 

[Astro_Guy]

As you can see from the graph, peak consumption in a home occurs in the evening not mid-day. You really want to be able to sell or store the mid-day excess.

You are absolutely correct on both points. Cooling demands are highest in the late afternoon and early evening. Burried ino that evening demand is my PHEV charging. Where I live we have net metering, meaning we pay the difference between consumption and production. In other places like California the scheme is more complicated. For 2025 YTD our solar panels have offset 91% of demand.

 

[Cujet]

For quite some time, we have been able to purchase 120V 'grid tie' inverters. Not approved in any way around here in FL, and generally not particularly efficient or effective. But they exist and people do try them. I believe there are a few that might be reliable...



Interestingly, some people have been able to get them to work with a Honda inverter generator powering a house, so they can provide addl power to the home when the sun is shining. The idea is to get the generator to provide the base sine wave.

https://todayshomeowner.com/solar/reviews/the-best-grid-tie-inverters/

 

[SC Maintenance]

It's the same at commercial solar farms. The cost and complexity of tracking the panels is not worth it versus derating them and using more.

And ultimately it takes the same amount of acreage per wattage, as gaps are necessary to prevent tilting panel assemblies from shading each other at low sun angles. The ground itself, being nominally flat and immovable, is subject to cosine loss.

They track the sun in the giant middle east farms. They only rotate around one axis though - more of a tilt from horizon to horizon.

Being closer to the equator possibly means the 2nd axis has less of an affect and is more worthwhile. Or possibly the giant farms here are more about tax credits and carbon offset credits than making electricity. Or possibly because utilities in this country have trouble spelling maintenance and motion control does require maintenance. Or possibly CCP subidized panels are still cheaper than CCP subsidized stepper motors.

Anyway my little project would be a money looser either way, and I like science projects.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Here in upstate NY, a lot of municipalities are outright banning solar in any capacity. Be it individual homes with a panel or solar farms. The one directly to the north of me has completely banned any solar. There's a few more jumping on board.

I do like the idea of small solar on homes, but for cost effectiveness and economies of scale there is only one solution: Nuclear.

 

[KrisZ]

No it’s not.
First it’s 120 volts
Second if power goes out to the house the panels disconnect.
However sure I would agree to an outlet on a separate circuit. But not required
If you do some research, you will see they are commonly used in Europe and now legal in Utah.

That’s how many generators work. Plug-in to a 240 outlet in that case its dedicated.

Lots of things are popular in Europe that don’t make sense, that’s because they have stupidly expensive energy over there, so people buy gizmos based on hopes and dreams, not logic and reason.

If it plugs in to a 120v outlet then it means it can do about 10 amps safely.
120v x 10a = 1200w max.
In reality you may get 500-800w after the inverter loses.

How does that make sense? You may get a a few kWh in a day, total waste of money and resources IMO.

Cujet mentioned using them alongside a generator. That makes a bit more sense to me.