How does solar power tie into the home electrical network?

14 years ago

I'm trying to get an idea how this is done. I would think that there would be some type of a device that all the solar panels would feed into, with an output line containing all the power, and that would go and tie into the line coming from the utility through some other, merging device. I would presume that this merging device would be placed outside where the utility line comes in. Since most solar panel systems are add-ons, I would think that the line would not have to merge at the breaker box, since that could be anywhere, and thus be difficult to run another line to.

Is this accurate?

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Comments (6)

Ron Natalie
14 years ago
There are several different ways to do this depending on how the PV system is designed (are you always grid-tied, or do you have batteries, etc...). The typical grid tied system just backfeeds the main panel through a cute gizmo that makes sure things are boogieing with the incoming commercial feed.

Lots of information through Home Power Magazine and their website.
terribletom
14 years ago
"The typical grid tied system just backfeeds the main panel through a cute gizmo that makes sure things are boogieing with the incoming commercial feed."

Exactly. Well done.

And now for an off-grid system:

The solar power comes from DC via a Dodge Charger which bulks it up into cells for use when the sun don't shine. After it's done bulking up, it tickles the bank until it says "uncle". The cute gitmo puts the hertz to the power and turns it upside down before boogieing with whatever or whomever you've turned on.
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Steve, most homes with an existing well or watersource use one of two pump types to create pressure water. If pumping from a stream, cistern, lake pond or shallow well, they use a AC jet pump. If pumping from a drilled well, they use an AC submersible inline pump. Both of these pumps types, hard start, that is the pump uses full power to try to push the full head of water. This causes a major initial draw of power, which in most cases, is either too much draw off the inverter, and a major drain of power. To add alternative energy to a on grid home, as back up power for the grid being down, requires a separate breaker panel, wired to specific circuits on the main panel. This is done because the alternative power array, and the battery bank are too small to run the whole house. Unless the well pumps are replaced, there is not enough power to run the well pumps, and as in most applications the well pumps are also the pressure pumps, there will not be running water, other than the initial amount in the pressure tanks, while the grid is down. They make however, soft start AC submersible inline pumps. These pumps have a built in valving system that allows bypass to the pump vanes, so the initial draw by the pump is easily handled by the inverter. These pumps are not cheap. I have not been able to find any soft start AC jet pumps. So, with an existing on grid house, to run the well pump during a blackout, will resuire in the minimum, replacing the submersible or jet pump, with a very expensive soft start submersible pump. Off grid homes are another matter, and I would suggest that the system be built around a 24VDC or 48VDC soft start submersible inline pumps, as these pumps are capable of providing both lift and pressure, (or if the well is close to the house, 120VDC soft start submersible inline pumps).
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terribletom
14 years ago
...seriously, though, the gizmo ("merging device") is called an inverter. Logically (if not physically), it hooks in below the meter because the object of the grid-tie game is to cause your meter to "spin backwards", as they say.

If you're designing a new house with solar power in mind, it's true that the wiring run between PV arrays and inverter/meter is one consideration. Much more important, however, is the orientation of the roof surface(s) if you plan on putting panels on the roof. The ideal case is a roof plane which is never shaded during sunlight hours and faces due south with a pitch (angle) more or less equal to your lattitude.

These issues are also covered in various solar-oriented magazines, blogs and books.
Ron Natalie
14 years ago
Well the gizmo is really the "grid-tie interface" though there are models of inverters designed for grid tie that include the interface. It is also available separately depending on your system design.

In addition to all the electrical issues (and don't forget the issues with grounding the panels and the DC side of the wiring), don't for get the weight factor of putting all those panels on your roof that wasn't designed for that kind of load.
azlighting
14 years ago
Don't forget about the additional disconnect that needs to be installed on the solar side of the service. This is for emergency teams to shut off BOTH sides of the "grid".
fixizin
14 years ago
I have a rental duplex @ lat. 26.1N that is perfectly oriented for massive solar power, except for certain chicken-egg a priori issues, to wit:

> Without a long documented history of solar generation & savings, most tenants wouldn't be willing to pay extra for the PV privilege.

> The roof work needed to make the installation both leak-proof and HURRICANE-proof suggests that the ROI would be... never. Same with tiles that have the PV cells built-in.

In short, solar power is a very tough financial threshold to overcome at the "retail" level. Massive .gov subsidies tend to not help, and further distort the market.

How does solar power tie into the home electrical network?

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Ron Natalie

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