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Plug and play solar consists of installing solar panels into a home, often done without an installer or an electrician.
You’ll receive solar panels, mounts, an inverter, a mini circuit breaker/smart plug, and all the associated wiring. You set solar panels up on their mounts, connect the solar panels to an inverter, and plug the inverter into the smart plug, which you then plug into the wall. The energy flows from the solar panels, and gets converted into electricity usable by the grid by the inverter, which then pushes energy into your home electrical system.
The concept of being able to plug in an energy source, the same way that you’d plug in a phone or laptop charger, seems impossible. Thankfully, it’s not. This is because Alternating Current (AC) electricity, which is what the grid uses, is inherently bidirectional. It is sinusoidal, going positive and negative. We can take advantage of this phenomenon and push energy through a standard outlet.
The energy would initially flow into the same circuit that the inverter is on. If there were TVs or lights on that circuit, it would feed into them first. Then, the energy would go back to your electrical panel. From there, the energy would be redistributed to the rest of your home — any of the energy draining devices that are present (such as AC, your fridge, etc). Most Americans, even those who live in an apartment, have their own electrical panel (as evidenced by their home’s breaker box) and electrical system (as evidenced by the fact that they pay a separate electric bill than their neighbor). That means that the solar system would benefit you, and you won’t have to do any extra work to make sure of that. All you need to do is a quick setup and plug in.
In general, plug-and-play solar is legal in America, given that it follows a few conditions. There are also several important safety concerns that a prospective buyer must take into consideration before making the decision to purchase it. These include:
Let’s break these down one-by-one.
Anti-island features:
When the grid goes down, the plug and play solar pod must go down too. There’s a massive danger of electricity going through the lines and electrocuting one of the line workers trying to fix the grid. There have been cases of islanding in the past that have caused great harm to such line workers. There must be a rapid shutoff mechanism in place that prevents such an event from happening.
Flame Protection:
With high power, there is often a risk of a fire. Therefore, there must be flame protection on the devices, such as the solar panels, inverter, wiring, and more. These electrical devices must prepare for the edge cases in order to ensure the safety of their users.
Fault Considerations:
Things like ground faults and fault currents are alarming situations that inverters must be able to be resilient against. There should be proper isolations built into the inverter, and fail safes such that if one part of the system fails, there are 3 other parts that can makeup for it.
There are a few things to check for when purchasing a solar kit to ensure that it is legal and up to building code.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
If your primary objective is to have full-home backup power, then plug and play solar isn’t for you. As stated before, plug and play solar has to go down when the grid is down in order to be safe and comply with regulations.
However, for everyone else, plug and play solar is likely a better option. It is much cheaper, quicker to set up, it’s modular and portable, and can be done by homeowners and renters alike. Although it can’t provide full-home backup power, it can power batteries that you can plug your devices into when the grid goes down. It can backup some of your most essential energy uses. It’s also transparent. Plug and play solar cares about the price you pay for electricity, rather than the price the grid would pay you (which is often less). And, with tools such as https://www.zoltux.com/, you can plug in where you live and see with unprecedented clarity how much plug and play solar would help you.
Plug-and-play solar offers an accessible and cost-effective alternative to traditional rooftop solar, making it ideal for renters and homeowners alike. With its quick setup, modularity, and portability, it caters to a growing demand for flexible solar solutions. While it may not provide full backup during outages, plug-and-play solar is an excellent way to harness the sun’s power with minimal hassle and maximum convenience. For many, it’s a straightforward & transparent path to reducing electricity costs and increasing energy independence.