2 meter setup for grid tie

oil pan 4

Looks like my utility is going to require 2 meters, one for the house and the other for the grid tie inverters to back feed into.
Anyone else have or hear of a setup like this?

BB.

Yes... Typically they "pay you" for the energy you generate and charge you for the energy you use... No "hidden" on-site energy usage (from what little I have seen).

Check the billing/rate plans. Some favor the customer, some do not. Also check connection fees (you now have two meters, two "bills", etc.).

-Bill

oil pan 4

They're saying they don't charge any extra for the additional meter if you already pay for regular electrical service.
But I have to pay an electrician to install it.

cow_rancher

Well it depends... Most meters made in the past 100 years will run backwards so there is no real need for a separate meter, however, they are not designed to run backwards so the Power Company wants to make sure that they aren't getting ripped off.  My COOP provided a new meter, digital of course and remotely readable, that is made for net-metering (and of course I pay more for it each month!), the installation company also installed a "regular" mechanical meter just on the output of the panels (microverters), which really isn't necessary, but I guess I could check it against what the Power Company says I sent back to them, and of course I can look up online what the microverters are putting out.

Rancher 

oil pan 4

The dumb smart meters count any power flow as consumption.
That way people can't turn the meter upside down and run them backwards or switch the wires in the panel to flow power backwards through the meter.
The old electromechanical meters do run backwards if you back feed them with power, wire them "backwards" or flip the meter upside down (if the meter has evenly spaced plug blades).
Dumb smart meters count any power flow as consumption, power coming, going, it doesn't matter. Put it in upsidedown or wire it backwards, it still counts up.

Any who, now it looks like I have to run any solar power I make all the way back to the 2nd meter box and I can't tie in and back feed like I planned.
This is why I added 2 more $120 each 12 space 24 circuit sub panels. I still needed 1 sub panel on the outside of the house and a bigger panel on my out building but I could have put in much smaller, cheaper sub panels, smaller wire and smaller cheaper breakers.

Luckily I didn't have an electrician to put them in and I was already planning to bury conduit between all the sub panels and solar panel areas.
I will probably put an additional 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch conduit down in the hole so I can run high voltage DC back to the service drop area.

oil pan 4

I have a couple of meter boxes on my property I think I will go harvest them for this install so I don't have to buy a new one.
Looks like at one time there were a few trailers out there.

oil pan 4

I talked to the coop electric engineer. When I talked to the meter shop it sounded like the solar power was back fed through its own service drop. (Maybe for large installs?)

They do require a second meter, but then it back feeds into the main breaker box like you would expect.

I think the 2 meter, 2 service drop setup is for large solar setups well over 10kw.
2 meter, 1 service drop is for residential.