It's fantastic that everyone here is sharing articles and information.
What I really, really want to figure out is how to adapt my home both for efficiency and alternative energy sources. I know that people will suggest that we add more insulation to our house, add a ground-source heat pump, and so on...
These are all great ideas, but I'm trying to put them all together and it always seems to require a bespoke solution.
Of course every situation and geographical location are different. But there should still be a standard for a household system, that can: accommodate solar panels and wind generators, batteries (a little, or a lot), and connection to the grid (or not).
Ontario, Canada had a generous Feed In Tariff (FIT) program that paid generous amounts for energy fed into the grid by residential solar. I was not in a position to take advantage of this AND I wanted the option to first charge local batteries before selling the surplus to the grid.
We need better off-the-shelf solutions for people that want to power their homes with renewables while remaining connected to the grid without each person needing to explore individual solutions.
I appreciate your thoughtful response. Kinda buried in there was the reference to an SBU inverter configuration. Now when I read about that and the different configurations, this helps provide the background knowledge I need to ask the right questions when talking with contractors, etc. Thanks!