> They come with small inverters to convert the DC output of the solar panels into AC power, which plug straight into an existing home power socket.
Hopefully these inverters are smart enough to cut the feed if the AC mains power goes out, to avoid backfeeding utility lines that may be under repair.
telotortium•42m ago
I think this is why they're supposed to be limited to 800 W, but is that enough to avoid serious danger to utility workers when a whole apartment building or neighborhood is full of these?
InvisibleUp•35m ago
Yes. Any system that’s UL 3700 (or more generally IEEE 1547 / UL 1741) compliant mandates anti-islanding by shutting off the power within two seconds of grid loss.
couchand•26m ago
Fortunately they do, and in fact the article makes that clear. +1 for reading to the end of the paragraph that was quoted.
testing22321•52m ago
I really hope these become legal in Canada.
Right now it seems Utah is the only jurisdiction in North America where they are
bamboozled•46m ago
The only negative thing I feel about all of this is that we're doing now. Once the glaciers are farked, the snow is going and the mass die offs are started. Better late than never they say, but why the hell didn't we just invest in this in the 1990s?
SoftTalker•45m ago
Solar panels were expensive and not very efficient then.
SoftTalker•53m ago
Hopefully these inverters are smart enough to cut the feed if the AC mains power goes out, to avoid backfeeding utility lines that may be under repair.
telotortium•42m ago
InvisibleUp•35m ago
couchand•26m ago