Solar Photovoltaic (PV) - Can I Sell Power to The Grid?

The electric power grid is the large interconnected system that moves electricity across North America , delivering it through the utility companies to the end users. There are several individual entities that have agreements to work together allowing them to share and sell power back and forth across the grid. Established standards make it possible for this linked sharing of electricity to work. Most all Solar PV electric panels on homes are connected to this grid too.

As an individual or a business you can connect to the grid with your Solar PV systems and sell energy that you don't use back to the utility by feeding it into the grid. Your electric power meter will actually run backwards when this happens. Without a battery storage system many systems need to buy energy from the grid (utility company) at night and then they may sell it to the grid during the day.

Many remote locations or the truly energy independent among us go "off grid" with battery back-up to store power that is not used. This allows them to enjoy generating 100% of the electricity they use directly from solar energy. In Canada, going of the grid is quite popular and there is a significant percentage of people who are not connected to the utility company in any way at all. In remote locations the solar electric system will be less costly than running power lines to the home.