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Something to consider is when adding more panels brings your total installation power over the limit of your net metering agreement.


The intverter should be able to be configured with export limits. In a lot of jurisdictions that's mandatory anyway. Still better to over-specify so that in Winter you get the full amount while in Summer you just throw some away. Or take up a power-intensive hobby like Bitcoin mining in Summer.


As I understand, the limits regulate the total capacity of the installation not the actual amount of electricity produced.


Nope, at least for ours it limits on export produced (on a technical basis, not a planning permission one). It will deliberately downgrade the energy produced to ensure it doesn’t exceed export limits. You get used to optimising for sunshine for when you run power heavy equipment eg car charging


That would be very peculiar. Unusual, anyway. Do you know anyplace that does it? Whose business is it what your total collection area is?


Oregon limits residential customers to 25 kW (nameplate capacity).

https://oregon.public.law/rules/oar_860-039-0010

From the cursory look it seems like most states have limits like those. A lot of them are generous enough so you don't have to worry about it. But there are some states where covering an entire roof of a moderately sized building would put your over the limit.

https://www.ncsl.org/research/energy/net-metering-policy-ove...


When do you think buffering batteries will be more profitable than throwing away surplus?




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