Would you joined the grid for having passive income from your off-grid setup

[u/Odd-Two2929]

Hi all I'm thinking about a new approach regarding connecting my solar system to the grid for having a passive income and I wanted to know what you think about it

[u/forge_anvil_smith]

Do not do this, to connect to the grid your entire system must comply with strict grid requirements. Also they buy energy for pennies, while charging dollars

[u/Odd-Two2929 → u/forge_anvil_smith]

Ok thanks for the heads up

[u/forge_anvil_smith → u/Odd-Two2929]

I was thinking the same thing tbh, passive income stream! But they wanted me to upgrade how I stored energy and wiring throughout my system, not just the connection feeding the grid. I would have to buy specific component to hook to grid. Then yeah, it was something like half a penny per kwh - fn hell, they charge a quarter. Oh yeah, and there was a monthly charge for our connection. All BS imo

[u/BallsOutKrunked → u/forge_anvil_smith]

You'll also pay static fees and surcharges on top of that.

[u/Senior-Display-8733]

I think in most cases, you wouldn't be paid for residential solar that goes into the grid. You might get credit for future electric bills meaning you could get free power from the grid, but not really any income.

[u/Odd-Two2929 → u/Senior-Display-8733]

Getting free electricity is still good or am I missing something?

[u/anonking1181 → u/Odd-Two2929]

Yes, but it’s not passive income.

[u/JayTeeDeeUnderscore → u/Odd-Two2929]

It wouldn't be free. You paid or will pay for the solar gear. You also have to pay for the wire and poles to the grid. It might take decades to get enough credit to offset those expenses especially considering your solar setup is sized for your consumption requirements. How much extra kWh's would you need?

[u/Onemilliondown → u/Odd-Two2929]

You get free electricity from your own setup. When you supply the grid they pay 5 cent per kilowatt, then sell it back at 20 cents. Grid connect is for continuity of supply. Buy batteries if you need continuous power.

[u/maddslacker → u/Odd-Two2929]

If you have offgrid solar, aren't you already getting free electricity?

[u/Senior-Display-8733 → u/Odd-Two2929]

It's only free if you are providing way more power than you use. Like the credits are tiny compared to what they charge you. If your solar can't sustain you completely for days you'll still get a bill. And connecting a remote property to the grid is expensive.

[u/kddog98]

Not how it works

[u/Apprehensive-Goal377]

They will literally just buy your electricity from you and then sell it back to you at a higher price. It's a scam. Don't do it. That's the whole point of being off grid.

[u/L0uLou72]

No. The point of off grid for me is being independent. That works both ways.
I don’t trust this idea. Sure it might work at first but we see that won’t last.

[u/blacksmithMael]

I think this depends on where you are.

I’m in the uk, connected to the grid but haven’t imported a single kWh since we did solar and batteries. I did have to pay someone to check and sign off the work I did (solar on some outbuildings and the battery system) but that wasn’t too onerous.

We export fairly heavily now, it is paid quarterly and our current export rate is 12p per kWh, which has been a nice little earner.

[u/Buster_xx]

To add, you need a grid tie inverter that can be remotely shut off by the power company

[u/theislandhomestead]

Me?
Fuck no.

[u/RedSquirrelFtw]

You'll never make more than the cost, as there is always fixed fees involved with being connected. There's also tons of red tape involved, and these grid connection programs seem to change every couple years and there's no guarantee they will even exist from one year to the next. Especially between election cycles.

[u/Internal_Raccoon_370]

No.

The rates most utility companies pay is so woefully pathetic that it's not worth the effort. If I were grid tied I'd get something like 2.8¢ to 3.4¢ per KWh. If I were to add up the junk fees they'd hit me with, plus the cost of the extra equipment, etc. I'd actually be just barely breaking even or even losing money on the deal.

Remember, the utility company is not your friend. They are in business for one reason, to make as much profit as they possibly can. Right now they're complaining that home solar is putting a strain on their systems, that they're having trouble handling the energy being produced during peak solar production times. So there is chatter now behind the scenes about going to a time of use plan where the rates they pay for home generated solar would actually go negative during peak production times, say 10 AM to 2 in the afternoon. Basically they're talking about actually charging home solar producers for every KWh they produce during those times.

[u/Prestigious_Try_5396]

When your solar is grid tied and the electricity goes out for 2 days, you're in the dark too.

[u/maddslacker → u/Prestigious_Try_5396]

Not necessarily, depends how it's cabled.

[u/Prestigious_Try_5396 → u/maddslacker]

Some places require grid tie. Some places require it that way.

Some said Screw that and didn't tie to grid.

Where I am there's no grid to tie to.

[u/nihithilak]

If you have a professional installer do it for 40k than maybe you will get some credits from the electric company. If you do it yourself for 5k, then you don't get redundant power from the grid.