Have any of you folks who did a grid-tied system, other than a total turnkey contract, carried out the installation as a "self contractor", by either pulling all permits required yourself, or entering into sub-contracts for specific parts of the install, where either you or the sub-contractor pulled the permits. The field-mounted 7.2KW I am contemplating can be broken down into at least three, and perhaps five distinct sub-operations. Under the rules of my county/state, I can do a self-install of the mechanical racking, solar panel & micro inverter components, plus the ( limited ) "placement" of combiner-boxes, service panels and PV system disconnect boxes. A licensed electrician is required for approving the intertie with the electrical grid ( SCE ). Trenching for the electrical conduit ( and the 4-wire #8 240V+ground cable ) does not require a permit, but if I choose to sub-contract the total conduit run, a permit would be required for that portion of the job, as well as another for the solar array itself. My local Building & Safety agency charges by the value of the improvement, not by the "complexity of the proposed system".
I am no longer interested in doing a turnkey project, as I don't expect to be in my present home for more than 7 years. I welcome any advice/information from forum members who have either completed a project this way, or investigated the details sufficiently to conclude that the approach was not economic.
I am no longer interested in doing a turnkey project, as I don't expect to be in my present home for more than 7 years. I welcome any advice/information from forum members who have either completed a project this way, or investigated the details sufficiently to conclude that the approach was not economic.
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