Is it as simple as buying the panels, an inverter and plugging it into a wall-socket, assuming it would just send power back into the outlet and supplement my house's electrical usage, or... Is it not that simple?Remember, I'm talking about a SMALL system, and I don't care how little power it'd make, or how uneconomical it would be.
How to tie small solar panel system into my house's electircal system? It's very complicated. Just for starters, if you plugged your solar panel into your electrical outlet, you would probably see smoke and fire, not electricity. Of course anything CAN be done. But this one is truly unfeasible at the consumer level. The only way to send power back into a live system is to synchronize the phase voltages. In your case you would require the solar panels, a battery backup system, a voltage inverter and some type of industrial synchronizer (probably a generator) so you could sync your inverter output to the utilities output. Solar is still more of a standby or supplemental type power at this time. The easiest way is to supplement your hot water by using solar panels to heat water rather than create electricity. If money was not much of an option then you could theoretically run your whole house without the need for any synchronization but have a gasoline or diesel generator to keep your battery pack topped up when needed.
If I were to assume you could (and I don't) you'd be back feeding voltage into your breaker and probably ruin it. Or worse, start a fire somewhere on that circuit. Not to mention the need to match the Hertz AND the signal. Short answer is No, you can't do that. Not because of code - but code wouldn't allow it anyway, but because it is foolish and beyond dangerous - it's a guaranteed disaster. Hope this helps. ??? —
Earlier answers kind of answer it for you...but there are alternatives, that avoid the cross-pollination problem: install a 2Vdc auxiliary home system. Lights primarily, and perhaps a couple of low-draw devices. Motor/mobile home suppliers have a wide range of gear. Use Google to find suppliers. A battery 'bank' would be needed, and of course indoctrination of users to shed the 'power when you want it' life-style. Strict rationing, priority tasks, and so on. Supplement with LP heat/gas lights. 'Off the grid' sounds fun for camping, but as a life-style, it's a lot of work and planning.
For one thing, you would be trying to supplement the entire electrical grid. Same reason you must have a cut out relay for an emergency generator. Cause without one, you generator would be trying to power the whole regions electrical system. You could set up a solar system to just power specific things, like a gate opener, etc. But thy would have to be wired separate from the house a.c. electrical system.
Not that simple. The N E C covers electrical systems and your state utility regulators cover what and how you can do it. As a practical consideration the inverter produces power and would have an outlet to tap it. Possibly a standard convenience outlet that is the same as your house devices. The problem is to provide a cord that does NOT have exposed hot conductors when it is plugged in and how do you isolate the system from the power grid. To do this you need both a reverse service device and transfer switch that will isolate the house from the grid while the inverter is operating.
