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    Getting quotes at the moment and rather confused , my annual consumption is 4000kw per year ,have been told by one company I need 12 400w panels and by another I only need 6 400w . Both companies have quoted me for huawei 3.6kw inverter and huawei 5kw battery and perlight delta panels but which company is correct ??.

  • #2
    In sunny San Diego County my 4kW solar is producing, on average, 7,700kWh per year. Your mileage will depend on your location and orientation of your installed panels.

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    • #3
      Maybe neither.

      What's your zip ? Or, which one of the 6 Worcesters in the U. S. do you live in ?

      Run PVWatts and check the array sizing for yourself.

      It might be the 12 X 400 W is a typo but if so, and it is a 6 X 400W array being the intent, unless I'm missing something, I can't see a need for a 3.6 kW inverter for a 2.4 STC kW system for either bid.

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      • #4
        To the OP, please let us know where you live (zip code). Then do yourself a great favor and buy a copy of solar power your home for dummies. Now read it. Best investment you can make if you are considering solar. BTW why are you considering a battery?. Unless you really need the off grid operation or have local incentives that cover the cost why add the complexity?

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Dave jones View Post
          Getting quotes at the moment and rather confused, my annual consumption is 4000kw per year ,have been told by one company I need 12 400w panels and by another I only need 6 400w . Both companies have quoted me for huawei 3.6kw inverter and huawei 5kw battery and perlight delta panels but which company is correct ??.
          12 400 Watt panels is 4.8 kW which represents a DC to AC ratio on a 3.6 kW inverter of 1.33 to one. The other proposal is only 2.4 kW of panels which is a DC to AC ratio of 0.67 to 1 which some people would say is underutilizing the inverter.
          Without knowing the orientation of your panels or your location it is hard to estimate what the annual production would be. At my location I annually get 1400kWhs for every 1 kW of installed panels. As a previous poster mentioned your annual number could vary based on orientation and location. If you use the above factor as a way to gross rank the two quotes the larger system might generate 6000 kWhs or more and the smaller system would only generate 3360 kWhs which would not cover your load. I am assuming your load is in kWhs not kWs and is 4000 kWhs. If you know the orientation and tilt of the proposed installations you can go to PV Watts and enter the details and get a fairly good estimate of the annual production for your general location.
          9 kW solar, 42kWh LFP storage. EV owner since 2012

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          • #6
            Dave Jones must live in a very small house, or else is very frugal with electrical consumption. The US national average annual residential consumption is supposedly around 10,000 kWh. We live in the West TX desert and use more than twice the national average just trying to keep our house cool and our electric cars charged. Our 15 kW (nominal) system makes (annually) about 1800 kWh per 1 kW of installed panels. I would recommend he go with the 12 panel bid. Very few people have ever said "I have TOO much solar".
            Last edited by SolTex; 05-20-2022, 09:49 AM.
            Enphase 15kW: (40) LG380N1C, IQ7+, (2) 10T storage

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            • #7
              Originally posted by SolTex View Post
              Dave Jones must live in a very small house, or else is very frugal with electrical consumption. The US national average annual residential consumption is supposedly around 10,000 kWh. We live in the West TX desert and use more than twice the national average just trying to keep our house cool and our electric car charged. Our 15 kW (nominal) system makes (annually) about 1800 kWh per 1 kW of installed panels. I would recommend he go with the 12 panel bid. Very few people have ever said "I have TOO much solar".
              My guess is the OP lives in the north, most likely in MA. Of the 6 Worcesters in the U.S, 5 are in the north, MA,WI,VT,PA, NY. The 6th is in MO.
              Assuming the OP is in the largest Worcester, in MA, (s)he can might plan on somewhere between 1,200 and 1,400 kWh/yr. per installed STC kW of PV and if in MA, probably has a fair probability of heating with oil, especially with relatively low annual electrical usage.

              As for that usage being low, when I lived in Buffalo, I owned 3 different homes, all about 1,500 - 2,000 ft.^2. I used beween 4,000 and ~ 4,600 kWh/yr., pretty much regardless of house size and didn't suffer too much (if that's possible given Buffalo's winter climate). But, as you might guess, I didn't need A/C. The OP's annual electrical consumption, while low, is attainable and does not surprise me. But since we've not heard (read) a response from the OP after several queries, (s)he may have lost interest, so we may never know.

              My current average annual usage in ZIP 92026 where summers are very warm to hot is ~ 7,200 kWh/yr. in a 3,200 ft.^2 house. That's ~ 1/2 of what my neighbors burn through in a year.

              Energy usage is a largely a matter of lifestyle with a lot of that a matter of choices. Pay your money, take your choice.

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              • #8
                I am in Ashland, MA about 25 or so miles from Worcester. Last year's consumption here with an energy swallowing, old 26' fridge with 8100KWH. I am in the process of having a 10.4KW system installed. Your estimate of 1,200 and 1,400 kWh/yr I think is right on the mark from my conversations with different companies.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by foggysail View Post
                  I am in Ashland, MA about 25 or so miles from Worcester. Last year's consumption here with an energy swallowing, old 26' fridge with 8100KWH. I am in the process of having a 10.4KW system installed. Your estimate of 1,200 and 1,400 kWh/yr I think is right on the mark from my conversations with different companies.
                  Thank SAM for the possible output. Orientation was a dart throw on my part. Your results will vary.

                  Q: (~1,300 kWh/(yr.*STC kW))*(10.4 STC kW) = 13,520 kWh/yr. 13,520/8,100 ~ = 2/3 over annual use. Why so much excess capacity ?

                  BTW, Just for goofs & giggles, I'd see if MA/local gov. or your POCO offers deals/rebates/etc. on energy saving appliances. Just sayin'.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by foggysail View Post
                    I am in Ashland, MA about 25 or so miles from Worcester. Last year's consumption here with an energy swallowing, old 26' fridge with 8100KWH. I am in the process of having a 10.4KW system installed. Your estimate of 1,200 and 1,400 kWh/yr I think is right on the mark from my conversations with different companies.
                    Around 2000 I bought a typical fridge-freezer, Energy Star, it uses 366 KWH
                    a year, a huge improvement. Several years ago I added a 21 cu ft freezer,
                    Energy Star, it uses even less. Doing something about that would be a far
                    better investment than solar. Tracking down and getting numbers for the
                    other stuff would be next. Bruce Roe

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                    • #11
                      I am in the process of making major improvements to our home. Included for our kitchen will be Wifey's selection of a new SS fridge which will be purchased within a few weeks or so after the linoleum floor is replaced with engineered wood flooring. Back to solar---- Electric prices here are soaring and as I see it the sky is the limit with what we all see happening to oil/gas prices. And our Pilgram nuclear plant is now history.

                      Three years ago I changed my provider from Eversource that still delivers the electricity to Constellation on a 3 year contract for 11.2 cents/KWH. Eversource charges 15 cents/KWH for delivery. Constellation now wants 15.9 to renew (over 30% increase) and I have until 1 June to commit or the price will increase to 17.49 and for sure, Eversource will increase also.

                      IMHO home electricity will soon become unaffordable for many! I firmly believe my solar investment is wise.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by foggysail View Post

                        I firmly believe my solar investment is wise.
                        As do I for my solar investment.

                        While all that may be true, a lot of the idea of residential solar as an financial investment is contingent on the idea that the value of solar energy produced largely (at this time anyway) depends on the form of the NEM agreement that enables it to offset POCO supplied power and the value that such NEM agreements impart to the PV generated power.

                        Seems to me that NEM is under assault by the POCOs more so now with that level of assault accelerating.

                        Point is, things are changing. don't assume the new is the same as what's come before. What to do ? - one thought - keep an eye on battery technology, both as an adjunct to a home energy strategy and, not unlike the merchants who got rich selling necessary goods to gold miners, as a financial investment in battery technology companies. I got out of PV stocks and into battery technology stocks a few years ago.

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