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This may be a stupid question, but I've always heard to never plug a generator into an outlet - what makes these safe enough that you can? |
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Fancy power electronics in them that make sure they only send power to the outlet while the grid is energizing it too. |
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The inverter box contains circuitry that cuts power output within some specified number of milliseconds if unplugged rendering the prongs "cold". |
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It's not so much being unplugged as it is sensing whether the mains power is down. If it is, they stop backfeeding immediately, just like hardwired solar inverters do. |
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Thanks. I would have asked Claude or something but I know so little about this topic that I wouldn't have been skeptical enough of its answer. |
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It doesn't have to be cheaper than utility-scale. It only has to be cheaper than retail electricity. In other words, it can be useful even if it's not the most efficient way to do it. It only has to be more efficient than the status quo. I don't have thd capital to build utility-scale solar. I do have the capital to install residential solar. My electricity is now cheaper. |
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There are advantages to distributed infrastructure as well! You mentioned one of the biggest disadvantages. I am thinking along the line of: - You can just do it / upgrade it etc
- Robust against central failures for various reasons
- Resistant to those in charge of centralized infrastructure abusing their monopoly
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Utility-scale solar might be cheaper but doesn't make my house resilient to grid failures. It also only benefits me when the grid is upgraded enough that ... well, it benefits me. |
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Plug in solar doesn't make your house resilient to grid failures either. You would need an inverter that can generate an AC output without having an existing one to follow; a disconnect to isolate you from the grid during an outage, batteries to smooth the output, an electrician to install it, and an inspection to certify that it was all done correctly. If you are going through all of that, there is not much benefit to plug-in solar instead of traditional. |
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(And this is intentional to avoid electrocuting line workers who are working to fix the grid when it breaks) |
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By that logic literally everything should be distributed. That's going to be a big undertaking to re-architect our entire civilian infrastructure against that. I'm not saying you're necessarily wrong, I just don't see society taking that measure until it's either 1) cheaper, or 2) the threat moves from being just a threat to reality. |
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