This is probably not the best place, but I am sure that someone knows the answer of the top of their heads. I am asking because I have a memory that these rules might have changed a dew years ago.
My question is this:
Is it legal to have a GPO (a power outlet) connected to off-peak power?
in QLD the appliance has to be wired in permanently and you cannot use a GPO
I don't see why you couldnt just install a GPO on the off peak line though, as unless a huge amount of your household load "suddenly shifted" to the off peak meter, no one is likely to check.
Having just said that, I found this in the paper 10 min later. It seesm that they want to relax the rules to allow some items to be plugged into a GPO to get people to put pool pumps, drink coolers etc onto off peak power.
Why not have 2 electricity accounts, one to the house, one to shed (or whatever) one with the solar, feed the solar one from the other one ;). Probably need a large isolation/step-up transformer and rectifier to feed into the solar inverter input (DC).
Depends also on what details the "smart meter" logs, if it showed that a 1kw system was pushing more kw than it could generate back into the grid 24/7, I'm sure you could expect:
1) A knock on the door from an electrical inspector, and a nice experience that involves a magistrate and substantial fine.
2) Guys who come around to replace the meter, thinking that its got a fault with it. ;).
3) CSIRO or similar coming to do extensive tests on the "magic solar panels", or offering huge sums to buy them, as they are more efficient than anything made to date ;)
More practical though might be to have the 2 accounts, just use one to feed back the solar into at the peak rate (with no user load on it during daytime) and another that you use to supply your home. For a really large solar array, this might be a profitable investment (as long as they don't change the rules or dump the feed in tariff, though what I think will happen is that the normal tariff will end up as much or more than the feed in tariff given time).
More practical though might be to have the 2 accounts, just use one to feed back the solar into at the peak rate (with no user load on it during daytime) and another that you use to supply your home.
** The way to do it all nice and LEGAL is to have the solar panels going gangbusters at NIGHT !!
Just set up an array of CFLs or white LED lamps to supply the light and run THEM from " off peak " power.
You would need a pretty good concrete slab to put it on too, if you want any useful capacity.
Try it in many modern houses or sheds with those waffle pods underneath, and it might go straight through.
I know a guy who had an unpleasant experience along those lines with a substantial fish tank. All that weight concentrated on 6 2' x 2' wooden legs was more than the floor could handle. The resultant mess, and the rush to get expensive fish off the carpet and into the bathtub was added stress.
Brilliant. Put the whole thing in a shed and create a kind of mega opto-coupler. You'd have to do something about all the UFO spotters hanging around marvelling at the strange eerie glow from your shed.
** That would be illegal as the solar array would not work in sun light - as is required.
** Nah - just have yourself the best lit roof in the whole area.
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