How come solar panels are ubiquitous elsewhere? Is it that e.g. Germany is risking the lives of line workers? Is Florida doing the right thing, or the wrong thing?
1. Florida does not provide any subsidies for solar installs (only the Federal 30% tax credit)
2. Florida utilities continue to lobby directly against solar, while sinking money into non-renewable generation technologies (this is changing, as some Florida utilities have thrown in the towel and have begun to plan to install utility scale solar and battery storage)
3. Unlike other states, utility power in Florida is already very inexpensive (~6 cents/kwh) generated from coal, natural gas, and nuclear, so there's less incentive than in other states to move to rooftop solar.
Source: Florida resident
https://www.duke-energy.com/_/media/pdfs/rates/peratespefres...
(a) If the grid goes down, your solar also is deactivated
(b) If the grid goes down, your house is powered separately by solar, but disconnected from the grid.
In Germany the second is more common, while in parts of Florida, the first is required.
If you have a completely segregated solar installation no one cares.
Up to 4Kw the power distributor has to accept your connection and it is done on a post reporting basis. Over 4Kw you fill in a form and get generator permission from the distributor. I got mine in a few weeks.
Once it is grid connected, then the inverters isolate if they lose grid power. Since the UK has fairly good grid connections that rarely if ever happens.
Never a problem - except for the guns and butter brigade. Fortunately most of those who were that way inclined moved to the Americas 100 years or so ago.
Bigger installations can have automatic switching from the grid to the inverter, much like an uninterruptible power supply. (This is technically possible with smaller installations as well, just uncommon, since it doesn't make a lot of sense)