How Do Solar Panel Meters Work

The electricity you use from your solar panels is free and you only pay if you have to fall back on the power from your supplier.

How do solar panel meters work.

This is your usage meter shown on the right in this photo. Most customers choose a roof mounted solar power system. In a dual metering situation you have two separate meters that do not communicate. If you are using electricity it spins one way.

They allow the consumer to see exactly how much energy they are using from their solar installations and how much they are importing from the grid. When your solar panels produce more electricity than you need that energy is sent to the grid in exchange for credits. Simply put a solar panel works by allowing photons or particles of light to knock electrons free from atoms generating a flow of electricity. In other words when your solar panels produce more electricity than your home needs that excess power will be sent to the power grid.

A new second meter measures how much solar electricity you send to the utility. Your original utility meter continues to tell you how much electricity you are taking from the utility. For most of australia panels installation facing north is in order to take full advantage of the sun. Solar panels actually comprise many smaller units.

As a part of a plan to push the country towards being more environmental the uk government is working on an initiative to install a smart meter in every willing home and business by 2020. Net metering also known as net energy metering or nem is a solar incentive that allows you to store energy in the electric grid. Furthermore the same is valid for the export of solar energy back to the grid. However a west facing installation may also be desirable.

This positioning may provide power at the time of the day when there is most demand. Net metering is a solar incentive that requires your utility to purchase excess solar electricity that your solar panels produce at the full retail value of electricity. Many consumers who are thinking about going solar have heard the term net metering but aren t sure what it means what is net metering put simply net metering is a utility billing mechanism available in most states that offers a credit to residential and business customers who are making excess electricity with their solar panel systems and sending it back to the grid how does net metering work when you have a rooftop solar system it can often generate more electricity than you. It typically has a dial that spins when the electrons flow past it.

When coupled with solar panels a smart meter can save you a substantial amount of money on your energy bills and there s nothing sexier than savings. Once you ve had solar panels installed they ll feed electricity into a meter in your home and then on to your electric supply. Most importantly the new smart meters work with solar panels and other photovoltaic systems. If your solar panels are producing more electricity than your house can use it spins in the opposite direction.