Small Grid Tie Inverters.

nibs · 05-25-16, 10:49 PM

Just went on ebay and about fell out of my chair. 1KW grid tie inverters for $120 +/-
Thought I was reasonably up to date on this stuff...... Oh well.
So we have a smart meter on the house, what happens if I buy one of these and just hook it to my panels and plug it in.
Can I slow the meter down,
will the utility know its there,
what if I put enough of them on to create all my power (unlikely this far north)
Would love to be brought up to date on this stuff.

oil pan 4 · 05-25-16, 11:18 PM

A lot of so called "smart meters" only know how to count up.
As in any power flow they sense is assumed to be consumption.

What I did with my vehicle to grid solar project was select a house circuit that always has a 2 amp vampire load on it and put the grid tie on that circuit to cancel out some of the load.
I have a dumb smart meter too.

nibs · 05-26-16, 10:39 AM

So am trying to think of uses for the power available.
What load is always there during daylight hours, or what could I build to use that power.
Possibly fridge or freezer, on a timer so it is only on in daylight hours.
Ideas would be welcome.

oil pan 4 · 05-26-16, 01:23 PM

Get an amp meter and find which circuits are drawing power all the time.
The last thing you want to do is be charged for the power you produce.

nibs · 05-26-16, 04:05 PM

Since we are building, right now we have no circuit that is always drawing, so am thinking about the design stage, what circuits can I set up that have load whenever the sun shines, so far fridge/freezer and filter pump for the very important hot tub (almost daily use) are the only ones that come to mind.
Another possibility is to put in two golf cart batts to store any surplus and re distribute it at dark, which sort of defeats the low cost, at least in part.

oil pan 4 · 05-26-16, 08:43 PM

Cool, so try to do something like put all the vampire loads on one line, doesn't have to be on the same circuit.
Things like fridge, tv, cable box and entertainment stuff always draws power, base load could be no less than 200 to 300 watts.
You could use solar to cover that load.

05-25-16, 10:49 PM	#1
nibs Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 206 Thanks: 1 Thanked 18 Times in 17 Posts	Small Grid Tie Inverters. Just went on ebay and about fell out of my chair. 1KW grid tie inverters for $120 +/- Thought I was reasonably up to date on this stuff...... Oh well. So we have a smart meter on the house, what happens if I buy one of these and just hook it to my panels and plug it in. Can I slow the meter down, will the utility know its there, what if I put enough of them on to create all my power (unlikely this far north) Would love to be brought up to date on this stuff.

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05-25-16, 11:18 PM	#2
oil pan 4 Land owner Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: NM Posts: 1,026 Thanks: 12 Thanked 127 Times in 107 Posts	A lot of so called "smart meters" only know how to count up. As in any power flow they sense is assumed to be consumption. What I did with my vehicle to grid solar project was select a house circuit that always has a 2 amp vampire load on it and put the grid tie on that circuit to cancel out some of the load. I have a dumb smart meter too.

05-26-16, 10:39 AM	#3
nibs Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 206 Thanks: 1 Thanked 18 Times in 17 Posts	So am trying to think of uses for the power available. What load is always there during daylight hours, or what could I build to use that power. Possibly fridge or freezer, on a timer so it is only on in daylight hours. Ideas would be welcome.

05-26-16, 01:23 PM	#4
oil pan 4 Land owner Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: NM Posts: 1,026 Thanks: 12 Thanked 127 Times in 107 Posts	Get an amp meter and find which circuits are drawing power all the time. The last thing you want to do is be charged for the power you produce.

05-26-16, 04:05 PM	#5
nibs Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 206 Thanks: 1 Thanked 18 Times in 17 Posts	Since we are building, right now we have no circuit that is always drawing, so am thinking about the design stage, what circuits can I set up that have load whenever the sun shines, so far fridge/freezer and filter pump for the very important hot tub (almost daily use) are the only ones that come to mind. Another possibility is to put in two golf cart batts to store any surplus and re distribute it at dark, which sort of defeats the low cost, at least in part.

05-26-16, 08:43 PM	#6
oil pan 4 Land owner Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: NM Posts: 1,026 Thanks: 12 Thanked 127 Times in 107 Posts	Cool, so try to do something like put all the vampire loads on one line, doesn't have to be on the same circuit. Things like fridge, tv, cable box and entertainment stuff always draws power, base load could be no less than 200 to 300 watts. You could use solar to cover that load.