GRID-TIED SYSTEMS
While off-grid systems are completely independent and philosophically popular, a grid-tied solar system actually has several major advantages over completely off-the-grid solar systems:
RELIABILITY
Solar panel systems are not perfect. There are bound to be days when efficiency is not what
it could be and the system doesn’t produce enough power (very heavy cloud cover, torrential rains, hurricanes,
etc.). However, many of your daily (and nightly) activities will continue to require the use of electricity.
Unlike off-grid systems which may run out of power, grid-tied solar systems are less likely to leave you
in the dark at inopportune times. If the power generated from your solar panel system is less than
optimal, extra energy will be pulled from the grid. The grid essentially acts as a backup battery for your solar
energy system. Less energy is wasted as a result and the efficiency of your solar power system goes
up dramatically. Except in the event of a complete power outage, you will always have access to
electricity during any time of the day, as long as your system is connected to the grid.
COSTS
To function properly, off-grid solar energy systems require more specialized equipment that gets
expensive quickly. Clearly, less equipment generally means lower installation and maintenance costs.
This happens to be the case with most grid-tied systems. Since the power grid functions as a battery for
your system, you not only don’t have to pay for batteries, you also don’t have to pay for the maintenance
that is involved with those batteries.
NET METERING
The key concept to understand about a grid-tied system is that it gives you the ability to
feed power to the grid during the day, when you may be producing excess energy … and then to use
the grid supply at night as necessary. Net metering is an automatic utility billing process that credits the
owners of grid-tied systems when they produce more energy than the home needs. Because grid-tied
homes are almost always net-metered, the power meter tracks this exchange between your solar system
and the grid. Excess energy generation leads to your power meter spinning backward rather than
forward, thus giving you a credit. The credit can be used to offset payments for future power usage.
VISUAL