What if the power goes out?

Many people have asked me what happens when the power goes down.

Naturally, having an electricity plant at your home, you would like to think you could continue basking in air conditioning, watching movies and sipping iced cocktails while your non-solar neighbors stare on in envy.
Well, that dream can actually become a reality, but it's not the reality for the majority of grid-tied solar producers.

What? The salesperson didn't mention that?
Well, in their defense, they probably didn't know that. If you want an opinion about your plumbing, you go ask a plumber. Not a plumbing sales rep. Same thing goes for solar. At West Delta, we're designers and engineers, and we can give you real answers. 

You see, solar electricity CAN be used directly, after it's converted from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) by your inverter (this article explains how solar works. I could geek out and stay up all night writing my own, but this would still be better); HOWEVER, if you were thinking you wanted to have some independence from the grid, there are some things to consider:
The National Electrical Code (NEC) standards require that grid-tied inverters shut down more or less instantly in the event that the grid goes down. I think anyone can understand why by putting themselves in the shoes of the lineman who's climbed up the pole to try to diagnose or repair the power. The last thing s/he wants is to have an unknown number of power sources feeding the wires being working on, so the NEC requires inverters to be U.L. tested to basically turn off as soon as there's a loss of voltage from the grid (called anti-islanding).
To maintain voltage from an active system (under sunlight), you generally have to connect your inverter to a something to disconnect the inverter from the grid (and meet listing requirements), while feeding a separate voltage source to the inverter to trick it out of it's shutdown state. Of course, trying to set up that system yourself isn't worth the time and effort, unless that's your thing.

So far, there are maybe 4 or 5 ways to do it:

One is to use an inverter with an optional onboard plug, and hook up some power strips and extension cords. Limited to a certain wattage, but relatively inexpensive.
Another is to set up separate system (maybe using microinverters) and install a manual transfer switch to feed your electrical panel when the power goes out. Of course, where does the power go when it's disconnected? Nowhere, unless you create a dedicated set of appliances that only need to run during daylight hours.
You could add batteries and an off-grid inverter, which might make sense if you were meeting different needs, such as in agricultural or industrial applications.
But for the most part, you would want to add batteries anyway, so you'd be able to use your lights in the dark, run the refridgerator, etc.
If you already have solar, you can add an AC-battery backup coupler (here's one) to an existing grid-tie inverter system, but it's going to be pricey.
In my opinion, the best value in the long run is to buy an inverter like an SMA Sunny Island, this new Schneider Electric inverter, or one of these purpose-built packages, are pretty sweet.

So those are some of the ways you can share your power with the grid, and still have some for yourself when the grid fails. I hope this helps, and as always, you can send your questions to info@westdelta.net