This may be a little off topic, but I figured I could add some info on house type solar. Utilities have a big issue with Solar, not from the mindset of not liking it, but more from the mindset that it doesn't always play well with substations. First off, small solar inverters are sometimes not putting clean power on the grid. This can cause power issues for neighbors, and harmonics in expensive substation transformers. This is, and will continue to get better with technology, but it's something they need to look at. Secondly, the power grid is designed to run in one direction, towards the load. There are ways to make them work with power flow both ways, but they are MUCH more expensive than standard substation equipment. More on that next. This ultimately means that a minimum load must be maintained on a electrical distribution circuit from a substation in order to maintain the quality of the power to everyone on that circuit. Third, is cost. For most Utilities, the cost of the distribution system (wood poles along the road), transmission system (bigger steel poles), and substations (link between the distribution and transmission systems) is passed along evenly to everyone who is connected based on how much power they use, and is all included in the per KWh costs. This makes a lot of sense in places where everyone is on the same playing field. The problem is that people who use solar upset the idea of spreading those back-bone costs among all customers. Those costs don't decrease if a person uses solar to lower their usage from the grid, only if they disconnect from the grid. Utilities are trying to find ways to "decouple" the costs of their assets (distribution, transmission, substations) from the cost of power. New electrical meters that are installed on houses have the ability to measure how much power is sent out and how much is pulled in. This will show how much power uses the distribution backbone and the hope is that you can then tell the difference between net power usage and backbone usage and the costs be appropriately charged for. This is, by most accounts, and in my opinion, the only way to fairly share the costs of the infrastructure to everyone. The downside of course is that it certainly changes the ROI on a solar installation.
Don
Full disclosure, I work for a utility, so my views may be biased. Hopefully they're not though, and I love talking about all things solar/electrical. I don't have solar on my home, but will on my FWC.
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