Comment Solar ... but grid-tied (Score 2) 498
So I get power off the grid when demand exceeds what the solar panels provide, but I push power onto the grid when I'm generating more than I use.
It sounds great, except for a few things:
1. the game is rigged so I can't actually make money by generating power, I can only zero my bill
2. I have an automatic shutdown, so if the grid is down, my power is off (safety, of course. We don't want to cook any linemen trying to fix the circuits). I could manually throw a disconnect and hook up my generator and get the benefit of both solar and generator, but the solar won't power the house in the absence of another power source.
3. I don't really have enough roof space to put up the number of panels that would meet my power needs, particularly in Winter. I can only fit a 2kW system, when I really need a 3kW system.