One Virginia homeowner took to Reddit after a door-to-door salesman claimed their utility provider could deny their solar installation due to transfer capacity limits.
The original poster explained that they engaged with a Sunrun marketer, who claimed Dominion Energy could disqualify homes from solar because local transformers can only handle limited electricity flowing back into the grid from solar panels.
"Something didn't seem right," they noted. "Is what he is saying b******* to get me to commit?"
The OP also shared that Dominion offers one-to-one net metering with a 20-kilowatt system cap per home, but could find nothing on the utility's official website mentioning transformer capacity limits or any homes being denied solar access.
Their question is an important one, as going solar can save families major money on utility bills, along with guarding you against rising energy prices and making your home more resilient with paired battery storage.
TCD's solar partners, like EnergySage, can pave the way, saving you up to $10,000 through its free tools by curating competitive bids on your solar project.
Several fellow Redditors confirmed that transformer capacity issues do happen on occasion ā but were quick to emphasize that it shouldn't create a false sense of urgency.
"This is accurate to some extent. Local transformers can absolutely max out if too many people in a concentrated area have solar," one commenter explained. "This usually means that you either can't get solar or you need to pay the utility to upgrade your transformer."
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Another commenter clarified that utilities rarely deny solar installations. "If the grid lacks capacity they'll tell you that you must pay for the grid upgrades before PTO," they wrote, referring to Permission to Operate approval.
For their part, the OP noted only about five homes in their 100-home neighborhood had solar panels, making urgent capacity concerns unlikely.
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While transformer capacity can occasionally limit some solar adoption, most homeowners can confidently move forward without any barriers. Exploring your options can help you understand what's possible for your unique situation.
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