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The biggest obstacle to solar in the US: utility companies. Ask anyone who has had a system installed. Your system can be totally compliant with national and s

The biggest obstacle to solar in the US: utility companies. Ask anyone who has had a system installed. Your system can be totally compliant with national and state electrical code, installed by a competent installer using staff who are licensed electricians, get a stamp of approval from your own's inspectors - and the utility will refuse to connect it and insist you meet an additional set of their own conditions. And there's nothing you can do about it. No appeals, no review process, nothing. It's not even consistent, with utilities seeming to just obstruct for the sake of obstructing. Over and over I've of systems going in, the utility comes out (eventually) to inspect, refuses to connect. They're called back out, nothing has changed, and the system gets approved. This is legislatures getting tired of all that power company bullshit, and bypassing them. As balcony solar rules hit state legislatures, expect some really absurd scare campaigns by power companies, and lots of lobbying. Power companies see every solar panel they don't own as a threat to the profits they make on their fossil fuel power plants.

Panino 2mo ago
> Ask anyone who has had a system installed. This didn't happen to me or anyone else I know with rooftop solar in multiple states, and I've never heard of it. What citations do you have?
cortesoft 2mo ago
> Ask anyone who has had a system installed. Your system can be totally compliant with national and state electrical code, installed by a competent installer using staff who are licensed electricians, get a stamp of approval from your own's inspectors - and the utility will refuse to connect it and insist you meet an additional set of their own conditions. Well, I am someone who had a system installed… I have a 14000 KwH per year system, and two 13 KwH batteries. It did take a while to get it inspected, which was annoying, although I was able to use it while I waited (I just couldn’t sent power to the power company until after), but they approved it the first time without any additional requirements. What makes you so sure everyone has the experience you are talking about?
- rcdemski 2mo ago
  Same. I self-installed a 5.5kw solar system, fully permitted, in the Denver metro. The utility company (Xcel) had an easy online portal for submitting plans, a quick back and forth on system labeling - they wanted placards instead of stickers. That took all of two weeks. To get their permission to operate, including having the city inspect my work and send the all clear to them.
  - jdyer9 2mo ago
    Did you work with a company for plans and permitting? Been thinking about doing this and I'm also in CO
- futevolei 2mo ago
  Yeah the truth is much closer to your experience than OP but, especially in California, there is a non-zero amount of people passing inspection but waiting a long time for the poco to give approval. Most delays don’t seem to be related to additional requirements but rather the poco just dragging its feet…
ademup 2mo ago
A single counter example: In East Bay CA. I designed and built my 9kw solar roof installation myself. No electricians at all. The process was very easy and working with my city and power company was simple, with no blockers at all. 4 years running. On a yearly basis, we make over double what we use. It boggles my mind how solar isn't on every house in the country.
sfblah 2mo ago
You could do what I did and set up a zero net export system and just not tell the utility.
tzs 2mo ago
It should be noted that if you are willing to forego selling excess solar power back to the grid you can bypass the need for inspection or approval from your utility. Put some (or all) of your circuits on a transfer switch or generator interlock and connect your solar system to that. Then legally your system is the same as a backup generator install. It should have permitting and inspection requirements similar to those of adding a circuit. That will just a city permit and a city inspection.

Panino 2mo ago

> Ask anyone who has had a system installed. This didn't happen to me or anyone else I know with rooftop solar in multiple states, and I've never heard of it. What citations do you have?

cortesoft 2mo ago

> Ask anyone who has had a system installed. Your system can be totally compliant with national and state electrical code, installed by a competent installer using staff who are licensed electricians, get a stamp of approval from your own's inspectors - and the utility will refuse to connect it and insist you meet an additional set of their own conditions. Well, I am someone who had a system installed… I have a 14000 KwH per year system, and two 13 KwH batteries. It did take a while to get it inspected, which was annoying, although I was able to use it while I waited (I just couldn’t sent power to the power company until after), but they approved it the first time without any additional requirements. What makes you so sure everyone has the experience you are talking about?

rcdemski 2mo ago
Same. I self-installed a 5.5kw solar system, fully permitted, in the Denver metro. The utility company (Xcel) had an easy online portal for submitting plans, a quick back and forth on system labeling - they wanted placards instead of stickers. That took all of two weeks. To get their permission to operate, including having the city inspect my work and send the all clear to them.
- jdyer9 2mo ago
  Did you work with a company for plans and permitting? Been thinking about doing this and I'm also in CO
futevolei 2mo ago
Yeah the truth is much closer to your experience than OP but, especially in California, there is a non-zero amount of people passing inspection but waiting a long time for the poco to give approval. Most delays don’t seem to be related to additional requirements but rather the poco just dragging its feet…

ademup 2mo ago

A single counter example: In East Bay CA. I designed and built my 9kw solar roof installation myself. No electricians at all. The process was very easy and working with my city and power company was simple, with no blockers at all. 4 years running. On a yearly basis, we make over double what we use. It boggles my mind how solar isn't on every house in the country.

sfblah 2mo ago

You could do what I did and set up a zero net export system and just not tell the utility.

tzs 2mo ago

It should be noted that if you are willing to forego selling excess solar power back to the grid you can bypass the need for inspection or approval from your utility. Put some (or all) of your circuits on a transfer switch or generator interlock and connect your solar system to that. Then legally your system is the same as a backup generator install. It should have permitting and inspection requirements similar to those of adding a circuit. That will just a city permit and a city inspection.