And the meter goes backwards

[tubeadelic]

No one ever posts whether or not any power meter, old and new works, or the process to request one that is grid-tie capable from your power company..everyone just films their meter running in reverse........Whoopty Freakin' Doo.....got any wet paint I can watch dry?

[screens123]

All the line guy does is pull the meter and he good to go..

[arcticcattim123]

I recently completed Lineschool and am starting work as a meter installer and I know the risks to linemen. If there is a power outage and a lineman works on a line assuming it is dead, serious if not fatal results would occur. this is highly dangerous, if not illegal to do. There should be some sort of switching device on the customer side of the meter preventing you to backfeed when you have your solar panels producing power. I hope this is fixed for well being of your power companys employes

[Duaneoca]

The safety of linemen is of course a concern. As I said below, the inverter shuts down if there is no grid power.

[battleship62]

@arcticcattim123 solar co-generation syst will not operate without pwr company pwr. so when a lineman works on the line and has a clearence on the ckt -pwr will be off at the co-gen site and co-gen will not operate thus no backfeed to the distribution line . for generator co-gen a disconect transfer switch must be installed so u can pwr home without a backfeed to the line.

[mayordjq]

The point of net metering is that when you're producing "excess" electricity, is flows into the grid.

Did you have the PV panels installed professionally? There's usually a disconnect that will prevent backfeed if the grid looses power, preventing injury to line workers.

[Duaneoca]

yeah, the inverter doesn't run if the service is off. There should be no risk of backfeed if there is no power from the grid.

[Duaneoca]

Fair enough. It was taken during testing of my new solar electric system before my electric company came out to install the "net" meter (which while shiny digital and new, doesn't have a nifty wheel the rolls back, and is much less fun to look at) I see you point regarding back feed, and you can rest assured that was running this way only during testing. Thanks for pointing out the risks of the situation.

[ChrisShort]

That is illegal to do for most electric companies. The metering equipment belongs to the electric company. When you have this setup it creates backfeed and endangers the lives of people working on the power. I don't know your situation, but as an employee of an electric company, I'm hoping that people ask there electric provider before they attempt anything. I know that we do not allow this type of setup.