All solar farms connect to a specific point on the electrical grid, the vast network of wires that connects every power generation plant to every home and business that consumes power. That point is called the “point of interconnection,” or POI. The POI is different for utility-scale versus community solar scale projects.
Solar panels can be expensive but you can connect your solar panel to your home's grid-power electricity. By doing this, you save money and make yourself less dependent on the whims of your municipal supplier. In this article, we go over all the steps to connect your solar panels to the grid.
To connect solar panels to the grid, you need to install a bi-directional meter on your home. This allows energy produced by your solar panels to be fed into the grid when you're not using it, and for you to draw energy back from the grid when you need it.
How many solar panels do I Need?
You have to install a minimum of 20 250-watt panels for your home to become completely energy independent. If you're using more than one solar panel, you need to find out how to connect multiple solar panels. By using solar panels, you can reduce the amount of power that your power grid uses.
All solar farms connect to a specific point on the electrical grid, the vast network of wires that connects every power generation plant to every home and business that consumes power. That point is called the “point of interconnection,” or POI.
Utility-scale projects either connect directly to a substation or a transmission line of 69 kV or higher. Unless a solar farm is installed next to transmission lines or substations, the solar contractor needs to install a generation tie to connect the clean energy project to the grid.
There are two primary types of grid connection: supply-side connection, where solar panels connect directly to the electrical panel, and demand-side connection, where solar energy powers your home first with any excess energy exported to the grid.