&gt;&gt; Solar is only really practical if it fits into the grid system, otherwise there&#x27;s no real point. The energy it gives you goes up and down, and not in sync with your own household needs.<p>&gt;&gt;So you need something to do with excess capacity.<p>The simplest solution is to push it onto the grid. With net metering you can get the energy back later at not cost. It&#x27;s like using the grid as a battery.<p>The alternative of course is to up the installation cost a bit and install an actual battery system in the home. Much like those available from Juicebox:<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.juiceboxsolar.com&#x2F;home&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.juiceboxsolar.com&#x2F;home&#x2F;</a><p>So this whole thing about net metering is really just delaying the problem the power companies are experiencing. Hardware prices will continue to fall, and at some point the solar installation plus battery will cost the same as today&#x27;s installation and the demand will return.<p>At that point we&#x27;re likely to see some fees just for connecting to the grid. And after that, we&#x27;ll see larger batteries and more panels so that people can unplug from the grid completely.