Or, am I confused on what electrical engineers actually do? That *IS*
possible, since i'm not one.


For a given insolation, a PV panel looks more like a current source
than a voltage source. Depending on where the operating point sits
on the V-I curve, relatively small changes in load can have a major
effect on the voltage and cause your inverter to behave badly.
A smart inverter would shutdown until you reset it or the voltage
in dropped to a very low voltage, AKA dark.

A not so smart inverter would shutdown, but the load going away
would let the voltage rise to the point it restarted. Repeat until
smoke, then repeat some more.
It's called a limit-cycle oscillation. It's very bad
for electrical equipment.

Building a PV system with neither local storage nor grid tie
is a fool's errand.