Why is my rooftop solar not generating energy?

To understand what causes curtailment, (and why your rooftop solar is sometimes not generating energy), we need to go into some detail about a fairly dry topic: our system of electricity generation and transmission, which we call the grid. Electricity generation can be curtailed for economic or grid-capacity reasons.

Are rooftop solar panels threatening utilities?

At one level, the problem is obvious: customers with rooftop solar panels buy less energy and pay less to utilities. But the issue is not limited to giant utility companies’ earnings potential. After all, we all use electricity and rely on utilities to maintain the power infrastructure. Why is solar so threatening to utilities?

Should we put solar panels on rooftops?

Putting solar panels on rooftops across the country can help us to generate the clean electricity we need, while cutting our carbon emissions and sparing land for food, farming and nature. But how much solar energy do we need, and how do we unleash a rooftop revolution that is good for people and the planet? What does the government say?

Can a rooftop solar system be curtailed?

The extent to which your rooftop solar system may be curtailed depends on several variables, including the local capacity or strength of the electricity network, and whether your neighbours also have rooftop solar. "If every house has solar, then it's likely every house has curtailment," Dr Yildiz said.

Should we switch off rooftop solar swathes?

As the grid and smart distributed energy technology evolves, the need to arbitrarily switch off swathes of rooftop solar will become redundant, or at least very rare.

Is rooftop solar reshaping the grid?

Rooftop solar is grabbing a lot of headlines, and setting lots of records. It’s also eating the traditional feeding lots of the fossil fuel industry, and reshaping the way the grid is being managed. But it’s also presenting some interesting challenges.