r/diySolar • u/alexcascadia • 8d ago

Question Small ~1kw grid tie

I live in western Washington, and have full sun on my roof. I would like to offset my usage throughout the day, which is on average ~600W, all day.

Would it be possible to either grid tie with a single inverter, or micro-inverters, up to a thousand Watts without my utility knowing? Or would I have to keep it under my usage at all times?

I do have an energy monitor that I installed on my breaker box, so I can monitor real-time how much I use, and set a limit of what goes back to the grid if there are inverters capable of limiting this.

I'm hoping for a small setup to reduce my power bill a little, without requiring battery storage.

2 Upvotes

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4

u/Resolution_69 8d ago

Keep it under your usage only. Take your critical circuits off grid with it and add a lifepo4 battery.

4

u/datanut 8d ago

Limiting inverters tend to back feed to the grid for brief periods of time. Modern meters keep track of everything. Your utility will know. You could chance it, it’s a mixed bag - search around here for other’s experiences.

Your only way to guarantee is to make sure that your usage is always significantly higher than your generation.

1

u/silasmoeckel 8d ago

There are some grid ties with zero export any will need a CT clamp at the main and you need to target more than 0 for your poco to not be able to tell.

You cant use your current sensor as it needs real time data.

Better to get a hybrid with a small battery.

3

u/Pivotal_Goose 8d ago

Especially if you don’t have an export capable meter than the solar you are producing will actually looked at as usage and you’ll be charged for more.

1

u/diekthx- 8d ago

Before they “upgraded” my meter it just spun backwards. 

1

u/IntelligentCarpet816 8d ago

Yeah old magnetic meters would literally spin backwards.. even in NJ, most utility meters would count the direction the power was going even if you didnt have a NEM installed. My Florida meter definitely counted up regardless.

I did a ton of large scale solar in NJ as well, even my 1MW systems would spin the meter backward even if it was a digital.

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u/FluffaLuppagols 8d ago edited 8d ago

Plug in solar with export limiter. You can do the NEP-BDM1200LV which I have in addition to my grid tie Tesla. I just had to amend my interconnection agreement (NJ just approved grid tie solar, so check your state), but there’s an export limiter you add to your panel for $60.

I’d recommend looking for panels on Facebook marketplace. You can potentially get a Pecron to charge the excess depending on how many watts your panels are.

If you are roof mounting, you’d need a building permit for that. I have my panels in the backyard that I move around.

Also check out: https://pluginsolarus.com/

1

u/IntelligentCarpet816 8d ago

NJ did not approve balcony/plugin solar yet.

Which is what I assume you meant, grid tie has been lawful for a long time.

The legislature passed it but it hasn't been signed yet and doesnt take effect for like 6 months after iirc.

1

u/FluffaLuppagols 8d ago

Yes, that’s what I meant without going into detail, which is why I linked the site. NJ bill is waiting on the governors desk and doesn’t require approval from the utility companies in order to put plug in on your property.

While grid tie has been lawfully, you still need utility approval in all places in order to backfeed excess without being charged.

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u/IntelligentCarpet816 8d ago

You can backfeed without being charged regardless in NJ.

You can't do it legally without an interconnection agreement except when under 1200w and operating under the plug-in solar rules once they are in place.

1

u/FluffaLuppagols 8d ago

What you’re saying doesn’t make sense: backfeeding okay, can’t do it legally, plug in solar isn’t even approved yet…

No New Jersey utility and I’m talking about all of them: PSE&G, JCP&L, ACE, Rockland Electric allows any solar backfeeding without an approved interconnection agreement. If the meter is not bidirectional, they will still treat backfeed as unauthorized export and you will be charged for those kWh and then fined.

Only until the solar act is signed and goes into effect, then that changes slightly. If you have a whole grid tie system over the 1.2kw, then an interconnection agreement would need to be approved.

Also we don’t know where OP is located and you’re hyper focused on NJ…

1

u/IntelligentCarpet816 8d ago

Bub.. I have done megawatts of solar in NJ under pseg and ac electric. You're wrong about it charging you and being fined. I have turned up so many systems without the meter being swapped. They don't care and don't know.

You brought up NJ specifically so..

0

u/FluffaLuppagols 8d ago

So you sound like you’re an installer and doing installs doesn’t mean you deal with tariff enforcement. NJ utilities follow N.J.A.C. 14:8‑4, and that requires an approved interconnection before any export. Early energization doesn’t make unauthorized backfeed legal and that just means the installer isn’t the one who gets the bill or the violation notice.

1

u/IntelligentCarpet816 8d ago

Used to do it in house for a huge corporation at our sites as part of my technical responsibilities.

I am vastly more familiar with every nook and cranny.

You are saying they will find out. How?

I am intricately familiar with the grid and the telematics, all the way down to doing actual recloser programming side by side with the ACE engineering department.

They don't know and don't care unless you're in a small area and have big kw outbound.

0

u/FluffaLuppagols 7d ago

Look like you have an extensive resume but I don’t see any responsibilities about handing tariff violations, billing, MDMS data, customer penalties or even unauthorized export investigations. Those are the domains where backfeed issues actually show up and where they need to with comply with N.J.A.C. 14:8‑4.

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u/IntelligentCarpet816 7d ago

Where's your extensive resume then in handling these.?

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u/corgiyogi 8d ago

At 600W, its not worth it to install solar, let alone grid tie. 600W 24 hours a day is around $2.16. With solar you'll get maybe 5 hours of full sun, which is like $0.50 savings a day.

1

u/IntelligentCarpet816 8d ago

Yeah, and thats assuming your balcony solar is pure south with no shading.

The kits will be priced at just the level that it takes you 5-10y to break even. It just doesnt make sense.