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What is Virtual Net Metering for Solar Energy?

Welcome to The Solar Energy Channel where you’ll get an honest inside look at all things solar. In this video, we’re going to talk about virtual net metering for solar energy or otherwise known as meter aggregation.

I’m Warren. – And I’m Larry, and don’t forget to like and subscribe so that you’ll receive notifications for future videos, just like this. – So Larry, why don’t you tell us what is virtual net metering or meter aggregation? – Meter aggregation is a really neat concept, which allows you to build one system tied into one meter and then use the overproduction from that one system to virtually supply kilowatt hours to another meter.

And the benefit of that or an ideal case study use case for that would be a farm or a business that has a perfect location for solar, but they have multiple meters and they don’t want to have to trench or try and connect that solar array to multiple different meters.

That’s correct, so now instead of building multiple systems which take multiple designs and multiple installations, you can now do one big system on one meter and virtually aggregate that power to all the other meters.

And it also saves money on fees associated with each of those meters as well. – Correct. – So not everybody qualifies for meter aggregation in states it’s a little different in each state and it’s also a little different between each utility.

So maybe why don’t you give us an example Larry of Pennsylvania and how meter aggregation is handled in Pennsylvania. – So here in Pennsylvania, meter aggregation is allowed. However, there’s a requirement that all your meter that you’re aggregating to are in the same utility and also that they’re all within two miles of the host meter or the meter where you’re tying your system into.

In addition to that different utilities do handle the crediting of kilowatt hours a little bit differently, – But anybody can qualify if they meet those qualifications. – Correct. – And so that’s a little different Larry compared to Maryland.

For example in Maryland, you have to be a farmer or nonprofit or a government entity in order to take advantage of virtual net metering. – Yeah that’s great Warren, and so in summary, virtual meter aggregation is a great tool if you have multiple meters and wanna save costs by installing just one system.

However the key is to check with your installer to make sure that your local utility and your state allow you to virtually meter aggregate in your area. – Thanks for watching. If you found this content helpful, don’t forget to like the video and subscribe to our channel for future releases

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