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this post was submitted on 12 Mar 2026
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Technology
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Easy check, grab a voltmeter and do it yourself.
Pull the plug, set voltmeter to AC, and read the voltage across the prongs. If you get anything over the usual float voltage you get from just holding the probes ungrounded, then you have a problem.
By "you" I did not mean your personal solar system. I mean how does the utility know that other users that have systems connected are doing so safely?
The PRODUCT is designed to stop feeding OUT the plug if it doesn't detect CURRENT from the socket. AC is alternating current so it pulses on and off so the solar system is doing the same. It's turning on and off quickly and seeing if it gets power back and if it detects no power incoming it shuts off the power from the solar. It's quite simple and ingenious.
I am not asking how the technology works. I am asking how the utility verifies that people are using compliant products.
The same way they do now.
You realize generators exist right?
Permanently connected generators typically require permits.
yup and if you install it wrong it's you in trouble but you still can buy them and diy without a permit. They should just be regulated so only the certified ones can be sold.
No, it's the linemen who are in trouble.
So you want to ban the sale of raw solar panels and inverters?
No, because we're talking about all in one systems that plug into the outlet, why are you bringing up raw components?
...because one can also connect those? If I was to buy them, I sure would, because they're less expensive, more readily available, and more serviceable. Why don't you want to talk about them?
This guy is trying to have an endless argument
For real.
I can go to the store today and get a generator and plug it right into my house and backfeed.
I know this is idiodic so I don't do it.
It's not just idiotic, it's illegal, and you'll face repercussions.
"The utility" has never had a way to prevent you from doing something dangerous with your wiring or with the electricity they send you. The best we've managed has been to encourage appliance manufacturers to design their products with safety in mind, through the UL program (which is voluntary). This is why the writer talked to the "vice president of engineering at UL Solutions."
Yes they have. It's called permitting.
And what's stopping you from doing it anyway?
If you're gonna break the law, you're gonna break the law and we can just ignore any discussion of legality. But that's not what we're doing.
There you go. You have now just answered every single one of your own overly aggressive, asinine questions.
Goodbye
Hope that oil paycheck was worth it.