Comment on European-style plug-in solar could quickly cut soaring utility bills in Massachusetts
dadarobot@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
how is plug in hybrid safe with a male plug? strikes me as a “suicide cord” type situation (male to male extension cords people want if they accidentally string christmas lights backwards).
does the system wait for electricity to flow in before it flows out? do you only connect a small amount of panels per plug so the voltage isnt dangerous? do you just have to be very careful with the plugs? do you plug in the inverter to the wall before connecting the panels?
im not trying to imply that they are dangerous, im generally curious how this works.
does the system wait for electricity to flow in before it flows out?
Basically, yes!
If you unplug the micro inverter, it’ll cut the power within milliseconds of it detecting no electric signal. AC alternates around 50hz in the UK which the inverter detects and starts generating. Once it losses the hz signal it stops.
rainwall@piefed.social 1 day ago
Each unit has it’d own inverter that uses the line frequently to sync. Current won’t flow from the panels without the line already being active.
The panels are basically inert by design without companion home current, which is also why they are safe for lineman during outages. This makes them useless as backup power however, but that isn’t their intended use case.
thank you for the clarification!