For financial benefit. Connecting your solar PV system to the grid allows you to take advantage of the FIT, which gives you a fixed amount of money for each kWh of electricity you generate. On top of these payments for energy generation, you also receive a sum of money for feeding any surplus energy into the grid.
A grid-connected photovoltaic system, or grid-connected PV system is an electricity generating solar PV power system that is connected to the utility grid. A grid-connected PV system consists of solar panels, one or several inverters, a power conditioning unit and grid connection equipment.
Grid-connected PV systems are installations in which surplus energy is sold and fed into the electricity grid. On the other hand, when the user needs electrical power from which the PV solar panels generate, they can take energy from the utility company.
About 99 percent of all European and 90 percent of all U.S. solar power systems are connected to the electrical grid, while off-grid systems are somewhat more common in Australia and South Korea. : 14 PV systems rarely use battery storage.
While it is possible to have a solar PV system that is not connected to the National Grid, choosing not to connect means missing out on potentially lucrative incentive schemes like the government's Feed-In Tariff (FIT). Here is a list of FAQs on connecting to the National Grid.
In order for homes and businesses to use cleaner, greener energy, more renewables – such as solar power and wind power – will need to be connected to the electricity grid.