i grid tied two solar banks to my house last month. here in kentucky you do not get paid if you produce more than you use. what you get is credits towards your bill that is to never be turned into cash. my problem is i just want to break even at this time. i want to produce enough to get credits in the summer and use them in the winter. my set is is pretty simple. i have two banks of panels. one bank is a bank of eighteen 100 watt panels run to a d.c. disconnect switch(must have a d.c. disconnect switch here in kentucky and one biult into the grid tie inverter doesn't count). then from the d.c disconnect switch to the inverter. from the inverter to a a.c. disconnect switch. from that switch to a breaker in the breaker box just for that grid tie inverter. my second bank is a bank of twelve 200 watt panels. same setup as above. i found it pretty easy to get the level one permit believe it or not. the only thing i had to pay for other than the panels and grid tie inverters was the wiring of the grid tie inverters. i got them wired up the same day and it took the guy under 2 hours to do it. he is a friend of mine and it cost me about $60. i already had the breakers,wire, conduct, and switches. he was just out time. i know this bank won't cover my needs so next year i see another 4200 watts of solar going in. that should get me really close. also i use powercom usa solar king grid tie inverters. they have mppt, and i can hook my laptop into them and read real time and total output. not a bad setup for a starter system.
Got any pictures of your system Gonzo? That's one heck of a starter system alright, you must buy panels by the truckload ...
