Many people are excited by the idea of producing electricity from the sun to power their home. However, they may be discouraged when they think of all the paperwork they will need to wade through to get permission from the utility company to install a system. You don't always need to ask your Utility Company for permission to install a solar power system on your home. One could take advantage of a grid-zero configuration.
Some solar electric systems can provide electric power to your home and even use utility grid power when needed without running your electric meter "backward." Systems like these are" Grid Interactive systems, configured for grid zero" - that is, they can offset the home's electrical usage and utilize grid power (if needed) without pushing power back onto the power lines (into the grid).
These grid-interactive systems can also provide backup power to the home during grid blackout situations (stand-alone) using Solar Power, Battery Inverters and Battery power to maintain sustainability. These systems can be configured to provide power to essential loads , or the whole home. One typically would only need an Interconnection Agreement if their solar electric system were exporting or pushing power back onto the grid; these are called distributed generation systems or grid-tied systems. If you don't want to sell your excess power back to the utility company, you don't have to with a grid-zero configuration. You may, however, still need to apply for an electrical building permit to make electrical improvements if required by the local Authority Having Jurisdiction.
For more information on grid-interactive systems visit our learning center or speak with our application engineers directly. They can help you with system design and support you for the life of your purchased system.
Have a question? Give us a call or shoot us an email: 1.800.383.0195 or sales@solar-electric.com.
