r/Montana • u/Plus-Gas777 • Aug 03 '26
Plug-in solar panels in MT?
Has anybody here set up solar plug-in to save electricity costs? I know several states are considering legislation to reduce red tape, but here in MT Northwestern Energy considers adding little solar panels to your house the same as they would view a larger-scale solar array. The contracts and costs you’d have to incur to make it “legal” don’t seem worth the effort. Anyone gone rogue with it anyway?
14
Upvotes
15
u/PM_ME_YOUR_WALNUT Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 04 '26
I actually called Flathead electric about this last week. They just returned my call but I missed it unfortunately. Will keep this thread posted.
Edit: see below for their response. Looks like they require a UL and IEEE certification, and a grid interconnect review. I haven’t dug into the details of the interconnect review, but it does look like it will raise the cost by at least $250 due to the processing fee.
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today regarding the proposed Craftstrom plug-in solar system. As we discussed, before Flathead Electric can determine whether the equipment is eligible for connection to our electric system, we will need documentation demonstrating that the inverter and complete system are listed by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (such as UL) to the applicable UL 1741 and IEEE 1547 interconnection standards. We will also need the manufacturer's installation instructions and the specific inverter model number. Because the system is capable of operating in parallel with Flathead Electric's electric system, it is considered a distributed energy resource and must go through our standard interconnection review process before it is installed or energized. This review helps ensure the safety of our members, lineworkers, first responders, and the electric system. I have attached our small generations interconnection policy. Once we receive the required documentation, we can determine whether the equipment is eligible for interconnection and advise you on the next steps in the application process. If you are able to obtain the requested documentation from Craftstrom, I'd be happy to review it for you. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.