https://permies.com/t/85965/Economical-excess-grid-solar-electricity
""" William Bronson wrote: What can we make to sell from any excess electric? Compressed air? Nitrogen or oxygen extracted from.the air? Ice? Dry ice? Purified water? Milled lumber? Split firewood? Hydroponic weed? Hydroponic hops? Server space? ... """
I'm interested in ways of turning the excess electricity + extra work on my behalf + whatever needed equipment into something which is sell-able / profitable. The prices offered by the government for feeding in electricity into the grid are miserably low where I live.
Ideally, the proposed ideas should not be dangerous (e.g. "Compressed air") and not require a substantial initial investment and/or special licensing.
The idea of making ice (mentioned above) and selling it, seems actually pragmatic enough, but there is not much demand for it where I live.
You could set up a car charging station. Maybe one of the existing companies would want to put one in if they know they can get energy from you at a discounted rate (like paying you the market generation rate but not having to pay a transmission fee).
Change the laws in your area so the electrical utility/grid operator is required to buy it from you at prevailing rates.
This is the case in many (if not most) areas of the USA. Excess power simply feeds back in the electrical grid. The electrical meter works both ways so power feeding back into the grid runs your meter backwards. If this reduces your bill to less than zero, the utility will send you a check for the amount due.
Energy storage costs money.
Useful industrial processes that need electricity cost money to set up. The lower the utilization factor the less the cost of electricity factors into the total cost.
That said, time shifting load is the way to go to consume excess energy.