Grid Tie inverter is back feeding into grid an running power bill up

[ice2484]

My grid tie inverter is sending power back into power grid at times and i am getting charged for it. I ask the power company about a
different meter they said i need a UL1741 certification inverter and a inspection of solar. Once everything is setup to specs
they will change meter.

I looked around and they are expensive. Is there any options to go with besides burn more power than inverter puts out?

[Sunking]

That is what happens with a Gorilla system. POCO is a lot smarter than you are. If you fail to comply, they will disconnect you until you have removed your Gorilla system and charge you a big fine and reconnect fee. . You are putting the POCO personnel lives in danger, not to mention risking burning your house down, and putting your neighbors property and fire department personnel in danger. If that happens you wil be held liable and no insurance company will pay a dime of it. You have no defense for your actions.

[foo1bar]

My grid tie inverter is sending power back into power grid at times and i am getting charged for it. I ask the power company about a
different meter they said i need a UL1741 certification inverter and a inspection of solar. Once everything is setup to specs
they will change meter.

I looked around and they are expensive. Is there any options to go with besides burn more power than inverter puts out?

Which is expensive?

UL1741 certified inverter is not expensive - basically any reputable inverter has it. (but quite possibly/probably you're not using a reputable inverter, in which case you made a mistake IMO.)

An inspection shouldn't cost much - most places it's included as part of getting a building permit... You did get a building permit for this, right?
My permit was ~$300. Many places it's even less expensive than that and in some it's more.

[Sunking]

Which is expensive?

UL1741 certified inverter is not expensive - basically any reputable inverter has it. (but quite possibly/probably you're not using a reputable inverter, in which case you made a mistake IMO.)

An inspection shouldn't cost much - most places it's included as part of getting a building permit... You did get a building permit for this, right?
My permit was ~$300. Many places it's even less expensive than that and in some it's more.

Bet you a dollar to a doughnut he has a illegal Plug-In Inverter. UL 1741 inverters are hard wired into your main breaker panel which requires permits and inspections. He got busted doing a Gorilla install aka Jack Leg. The funny part is he is so ignorant he turned himself in to the POCO. He just as well grow ganja and call the police and tell them not to come around.

[Mike90250]

Grid Tie inverters ARE designed to back-feed the grid. You just need to have the proper arrangements with the power company FIRST.

[ice2484]

POCO does not know i ask them what is required for a solar setup they sent a email me with requirements.
I didn't know all this was involved in all this until later on. I have seen many videos on youtube people running these inverters.

So i wasted $200. What inverter is recommended for grid tie system?

[Mike90250]

....I have seen many videos on youtube people running these inverters.....

I've seen many videos on youtube, but I still won't do half of what I've seen there.

Sadly, you have $200 worth of lousy boat anchor. UL 1742 certified inverters start at about $500, and go up, depending on their wattage. And you have to hardwire them into the electrical panel, you can't just plug them into the wall.

[Sunking]

So i wasted $200. What inverter is recommended for grid tie system?

Here is the rest of the story. We are very familiar with the inverter. It is poor quality and very inefficient. If you run the maximum 200 watt panel your total investment comes to Around $400 to $500 dollars right?

With a 200 watt panel and poor efficiency only generates about 500 watt hours per day which works out to 5 or 6 cents per day. To get your $500 back will take 30 years. I would not count on that inverter lasting more than 5 years at best. You are screwed no matter what.

[ice2484]

I am going to send the inverter back and get my money back. They said they will take it back since i
just bought it.

[sdold]

The funny thing is you can buy an Enphase M215 for around $130.

[PVAndy]

The funny thing is you can buy an Enphase M215 for around $130.

To get back to the first ? the OP asked. In order to connect to the grid you usually have to file an interconnection application with the local utility. If they have not installed a Net Meter (a meter dual channel meter that keeps track separately of power going to the grid and from the grid.

A normal utility meter can't tell the difference in direction and will just add the power flowing iun each direction and bill you for the sum.

That's why we're real careful to tell customers to not turn on their systems until the Net Meter is installed and they receive utility Approval to Energize.

[Sunking]

A normal utility meter can't tell the difference in direction and will just add the power flowing iun each direction and bill you for the sum.

True for the older electro-mechanical meters. But just about all the new electronic ones can and how the POCO can catch and punish you. Back when I started in the biz, you could pull your meter, turn it upside down, plug it back in and they would run backwards. That is what those serialized meter seal are for to detect divergence and fraud.

[inetdog]

True for the older electro-mechanical meters. But just about all the new electronic ones can and how the POCO can catch and punish you. Back when I started in the biz, you could pull your meter, turn it upside down, plug it back in and they would run backwards. That is what those serialized meter seal are for to detect divergence and fraud.

Actually, the POCOs took it one step beyond the seals and started ordering mechanical meters which turned the dials forward regardless of the direction the disk was spinning in.
The first electronic meters worked the same way, either by deliberate design or because the integrator produced identical pulses regardless of which way the power was flowing and the meter just counted pulses.