Solar Panel Guides: Connecting to the Power Grid?

Posted by carrie_roll

Michael, a member of GreenJoyment, sent me the following in response to my email about the GreenDIYEnergy Guide.
It was a question I think a lot of people have when looking at buying guides to solar energy, so I thought I would post the question here and my answer to it.
Do these instructions explain how to connect the solar panel to my home’s power source?
Another way of asking this is: Does the solar panel guide from greendiyenergy show how to connect my home made solar panel into the power grid?

My Response
Hey Michael!
Yes, they do show how to take your own solar panels and connect them into the power grid via your house, but a lot of times your utility will still have to send someone out to verify the installation, look over the panels, etc., and you’ll often need to hire a licensed electrician to do the connecting.
Check with your local utility as far as their rules. Some utilities allow net metering (getting paid (or getting your electric bill reduced) for the power you put back into the system) and some utilities don’t. It depends on your state, and a whole bunch of other factors. Just call your local utility and ask them.
Alternatively, you can run some of your house’s appliances or lighting off of the solar panel system you build, while still running everything else off of the city power grid, without connecting the two.
You still may want to have a professional look over the system to make sure everything is done correctly and won’t fry something in your home before fully turning on your system.
Hope that makes sense!
Thanks Michael!
Warmest,
Jonathan