Grid-tied inverter test

ILFE

Greetings folks.

Been a while since I posted. I'll jump right in here. 

In the past, all of my solar installations have been off-grid systems. I know nothing, zip, nada, zilch, about grid-tied connections. 

Now, we have mains power at the farm. But, that isn't stopping me from using solar, and a fairly recently purchased generator (Honda EU20i Inverter generator), whenever necessary. This is due to the power being pretty unstable and unreliable in this country. We also experience our fair share of power cuts in Cambodia, although not so frequently where I live. Either way, I like being prepared, and being able to carry on business as usual, during a power cut.

Finally, to my point. 

I have some panels that are currently not being used. I want to try out one of those small, Chinese made grid-tied inverters that plug directly into a power point, and run directly from panels. (Yes, I know. All of my equipment thus far, is quality, name brand hardware.) I figured I would buy one and run it at half the rated output, just as a test. If it works out, I could go with a larger, better quality inverter. For now, I am only looking at buying a 600 watts unit and wiring 300 watts of panel to it. I am not trying to cause the power meter to run backward, or anything of the sort. I am merely wanting to put a small amount of power back into the grid, to help alleviate some of the power I will be using at the farm. If I can reduce my bill by even 10 - 20 kWh per month, I would be happy. If more, all the better. 

Since I do not entirely trust Chinese solar hardware, this unit will be connected and placed in an outbuilding, in case of anything happening. I'm not willing to bet my life on it working properly 100% of the time. But, power here is very costly. We finally got a discount from .375c / kWh, to $.275c / kWh. Some people pay more than that, for power. It depends on where you live in the country, and often, even where you live in a given city. 

Anyway, my questions are:

1. Will any grid-tied inverter automatically feed power back into a grid, once it is connected? I assume it simply synchronizes upon power up, once it is plugged into the power point.
2. Should I contact the power company, letting them know I am interested in attaching one of these inverters to the mains?
3. As long as the inverter produces less power than we are consuming, it will not affect the (digital) meter on the pole at all?

Thanks for any assistance,

mvas

1. Yes
2. No
3. Correct

ILFE

mvas said:

1. Yes
2. No
3. Correct

Thank you.

mcgivor

mvas said:

1. Yes
2. No
3. Correct

In Cambodia, yes, no, correct, have to agree on that.