When you have rooftop solar, it's very unusual for you to use your own power directly. That would require some expensive wiring and some very, very expensive batteries.

Instead, when you get rooftop solar, what you do is you get a second electric meter that hooks up into the grid while keeping your old meter that draws from the grid. Your rooftop solar feeds the grid through the second meter, you continue to draw from the grid through the first meter, and then the power company compares them to see how much you still owe or if they owe you.

You are also wrong about the power company 'reselling the power' at a profit. You are wrong by definition. Think a little bit about what 'retail price' means.


That said, I still support the system where utilities pay retail price for rooftop solar electricity. It's a pretty small subsidy for making the power supply much more robust and resistant. In sunny places like Utah and the southwest, rooftop solar is a pretty good idea. I have my roof covered with solar panels.