Technology

That's what I have. Basically a small-ish parallel electrical system that runs critical loads like a mini split, refrigerator, water heater, etc. And a small UPS for modem/server.

My thoughts exactly. Also I wouldn't really like to risk my stuff by connecting to their infrastructure anyway. At least over here, I saw how incompetent they are. 

My power company is a co-op. They have long term contracts with various providers, so my power bill doesn't fluctuate much on short term news.

At the end of every year, we get a dividend check in the mail for any excess profit.

Pretty sure all utilities should work that way.

“Non profit” “shareholders”. Pick one.

If power generation becomes so cheap that it can’t sustain the company then don’t rely on that for revenue.

I'm not aware of anywhere power generation is that cheap yet. That may be a problem for the future when commercial fusion is viable, but thats likely a lifetime away.

I’d rather pay a flat rate for the infrastructure and operating costs than a fluctuating generation charge.

I think everyone would, but the cost for generation is always fluctuating because the variation in the market for the fuels that generate electricity, supply, and demand of electricity on the market. If its a flat rate, and that rate is below the cost of generating the electricity, who pays?

Many places already do charge a “line charge” if you have solar power and use little or no utility company power. You pay for being hooked up to the grid even if you barely use it.

These systems are designed to not push power back up if the grid goes down. In most areas, the municipality won't even allow a solar installation to be connected or even finished without it being inspected to verify you have that sort of setup.

I had a chat about this with a friend who works for the national grid (UK).

Apparently the problem is keeping the grid balanced and stable. Basically, the grid struggles to react fast, so they plan ahead. Things like large scale solar can provide predictions on output. Home solar can't.

When clouds pass over an area it can cause slumps and surges in the local grid. The more home solar, the worse it gets. The current grid is designed to work top down, with predictable changes in demand. It needs upgrading to deal with large scale bidirectional flows.

The plug in units are (potentially) even more ropey. If used properly, they are no worse than normal home solar. Unfortunately, being cheaper, there are worries over the microinverters not shutting down. Either due to the manufacturer cheaping out, or turning on an "off grid" mode.

There are also worries about overloading household circuits. Back feeding bypasses the household circuit breakers and RCDs. They could overload wall wiring and cause fires, or stop an RCD tripping, allowing for a person to be shocked.

I don't know how much this would apply to the American Grid, but I would imagine it would be worse. Your grid is older and larger. You also use 120VAC which makes the current overload issue a lot worse.

The microinverters stop feeding in if grid goes down. So it's safe.