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  • #16
    Originally posted by Ewp2308 View Post
    Yea I asked for the invoice to see exactly what items they were expecting me to purchase. The difference between the quotes provided obviously made me question as to what was going on. I agree with everything you said regarding vendor, components and bang for buck. Don't want to be that sucker that over pays when I could have achieved same result with a different company. Also forgot to answer above, there are currently no TOU's in Florida.
    Hi EWP2308 , did you make a decision ? The SE option sounds kinda pricey ?
    btw, I am in central FL as well hoping to get a system pretty soon. Let me know how you experience is.
    12.1 kW Canadian Solar 295W ;SMA SB-6.0-1SP-US-40

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    • #17
      Originally posted by Ewp2308 View Post
      Hello, I have been researching residential solar panels for a weeks now and stumbled across this forum. We have met with 3 different companies and obtained 2 quotes. All 3 companies have stated we need a system around 6.2kWh to 6.6kwh to zero our monthly electric, however when I put my usage in a solar calculator it is telling me roughly around a 11kWh system. Obviously that's quite a difference, even one of the invoices from the company on a 6.6kWh system only estimated roughly 50 percent of electric usage per year. Here is my setup:

      central florida
      3100 sq ft. (New build, been in 6 months)
      Oct 2016 roughly used 1530kWh and march 2017 was 897kWh.
      No shading/trees chimney issues
      roof faces pretty much dead south

      first quote:
      7.08kwh
      24 canadian 295s
      solar edge se7600 w/ 24 se300 optimizer
      permitting installing and whole 9 yards for
      $26020

      Second quote:

      6.55kWh
      23 solarworld 285s
      sb tl7000-us
      Permitting installing and whole 9 yards for
      $15299

      thoughts?

      Thank you for your time and response.

      First timer here. Trying to research the pro's and con's of my quotes. Your quotes seem really high. I have received 2 quotes for an 11.7 ground mount system with racking in central Florida that were both in the $27k range. One used Solar World 325's and the other one used Hanwha Q 300's. Trying to decide between the 2 now. I have also received quotes on the same size system that were in the $38k range. It's really strange how much fluctuation there is in the pricing of systems that are virtually the same.

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      • #18
        Your low number seems awfully cheap for a ground mount system. Does this include all trenching, underground conduit, concrete and ground up racking?
        2.2kw Suntech mono, Classic 200, NEW Trace SW4024

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        • #19
          Originally posted by littleharbor View Post
          Your low number seems awfully cheap for a ground mount system. Does this include all trenching, underground conduit, concrete and ground up racking?
          This is the first quote. Having a little trouble copying and pasting the second one,

          36 Solarworld 325 watt premium USA made solar panels (11,700 watts)
          2 SMA 6.0 TL US grid tied inverter with 2,000 watt SPS (secure power supply)
          Iron Ridge racking ground mount
          All conduit, wiring, MC4 connectors, ground lugs
          Internal WIFI Monitoring included in the inverter
          Warning labels applied to conduit
          Engineering, Permitting, Installation
          Balance of system parts
          Total cost $27,700

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          • #20
            At $2.37 a watt for a ground mount, that seems almost too good to be true. Can you get reviews from previous customers or any other reviews of this contractor? If that checks out and you do decide to go with them, you ought to make sure the total is correct and not a typo.
            2.2kw Suntech mono, Classic 200, NEW Trace SW4024

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            • #21
              Originally posted by BugDoc View Post

              This is the first quote. Having a little trouble copying and pasting the second one,

              36 Solarworld 325 watt premium USA made solar panels (11,700 watts)
              I have read good things about SolarWorld panels, but I would be concerned that the warranty on my system depends on a company whose German parent has declared insolvency and whose US division is on the verge of bankruptcy.

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              • #22
                Originally posted by brucet9 View Post
                I have read good things about SolarWorld panels, but I would be concerned that the warranty on my system depends on a company whose German parent has declared insolvency and whose US division is on the verge of bankruptcy.
                Who isn't on the verge of bankruptcy? Is a warranty from some faceless overseas corporation any better, just because they have a division that will sell you a TV too? I doubt I'll ever meet a single person who successfully wins a claim on a solar panel manufacturer's warranty.... the only payouts I've heard of are when the problems elevate to lawsuit level (BP Solar, for example). Installer warranties are worth much more (as long as they are in business)... the actual cost to replace a bad panel is much more about the time and effort to swap it than the equipment cost of the panel itself.

                CS6P-260P/SE3000 - http://tiny.cc/ed5ozx

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                • #23
                  Originally posted by sensij View Post

                  Who isn't on the verge of bankruptcy? Is a warranty from some faceless overseas corporation any better, just because they have a division that will sell you a TV too? I doubt I'll ever meet a single person who successfully wins a claim on a solar panel manufacturer's warranty.... the only payouts I've heard of are when the problems elevate to lawsuit level (BP Solar, for example). Installer warranties are worth much more (as long as they are in business)... the actual cost to replace a bad panel is much more about the time and effort to swap it than the equipment cost of the panel itself.
                  Kyocera being a rare exception from my experience.
                  2.2kw Suntech mono, Classic 200, NEW Trace SW4024

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                  • #24
                    Originally posted by sensij View Post
                    I doubt I'll ever meet a single person who successfully wins a claim on a solar panel manufacturer's warranty....
                    We have had a handful of modules replaced under warranty...

                    Pretty easy with the solaredge monitoring data to show they are defective.
                    OutBack FP1 w/ CS6P-250P http://bit.ly/1Sg5VNH

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                    • #25
                      Originally posted by brucet9 View Post
                      I have read good things about SolarWorld panels, but I would be concerned that the warranty on my system depends on a company whose German parent has declared insolvency and whose US division is on the verge of bankruptcy.
                      One thing about Solar World panels I don't care for is the cheap plastic corners on the frames. They know all about this as I was shipped, at no cost, corner repair kits to cosmetically repair them. I say cosmetically because all the kit does is have you remove the broken corner and silicone in a new outer patch. The broken structural part remains in place and the patch covers the ugly remains.
                      In their defense, and I don't know if they have remedied the problem but, if they have then the problem may not still exist.
                      2.2kw Suntech mono, Classic 200, NEW Trace SW4024

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        I have a similar question. I am in NJ and have been talking to a few installers big and small.
                        my question is about production guarantees.
                        i feel I have a good price from a installer who quoted me 20 lg 365 w panels and solaredge inverter/optimizer for $24895.
                        which I believe will cover almost 100% of my electricity usage.
                        now this vendor says 10 years labor warranty but no production guarantees.
                        other quotes are similar with older lower wattage panels but with 100% usage coverage and production guarantee but about 2k higher price.
                        should I worry about production guarantees? Or just take on the risk myself?

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                        • #27
                          Production (of a properly operating system) is pretty much a function of the weather (for those of us who
                          actually HAVE weather). Any guarantee is going to be set so low that it can't fail. Bruce Roe

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                          • #28
                            Originally posted by Bhavin66 View Post
                            I have a similar question. I am in NJ and have been talking to a few installers big and small.
                            my question is about production guarantees.
                            i feel I have a good price from a installer who quoted me 20 lg 365 w panels and solaredge inverter/optimizer for $24895.
                            which I believe will cover almost 100% of my electricity usage.
                            now this vendor says 10 years labor warranty but no production guarantees.
                            other quotes are similar with older lower wattage panels but with 100% usage coverage and production guarantee but about 2k higher price.
                            should I worry about production guarantees? Or just take on the risk myself?
                            production guarantees are rare and dependent on weather anyway.

                            Why do you say others are "older lower wattage panels" did you base your dicision primarily on watts per module? if you did you do know that those LG modules are larger by 12 cells than the more common residential 60 cell modules? The 365 modules are actually the older lower efficient (Neon 1) modules than the smaller 60 cell LG Neon 2s.

                            Basically solar is sold by the watt not the module (panel). A 7.3kW system will produce the same if it is made of 20 modules or 23 modules.
                            Last edited by ButchDeal; 06-03-2017, 11:29 AM.
                            OutBack FP1 w/ CS6P-250P http://bit.ly/1Sg5VNH

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                            • #29
                              Ref:Butchdeal
                              My decision to go with LG 365 was two fold.
                              1. They are the neon 2 panels
                              2. Limited roof space

                              so I need to get the max output from the least number of panels.
                              size wise from specs I was given are the same so why not go with get 365w instead of 280w or 300w in the same space.
                              i just signed the contract for site inspection and have asked to max out the roof space with whatever can fit, which as per calculation is max of 21 panels. Which is very close to my 100% electricity usage.
                              site inspection will be the final decision as to how many can fit on the roof.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Originally posted by Bhavin66 View Post
                                Ref:Butchdeal
                                My decision to go with LG 365 was two fold.
                                1. They are the neon 2 panels
                                2. Limited roof space

                                so I need to get the max output from the least number of panels.
                                size wise from specs I was given are the same so why not go with get 365w instead of 280w or 300w in the same space.
                                i just signed the contract for site inspection and have asked to max out the roof space with whatever can fit, which as per calculation is max of 21 panels. Which is very close to my 100% electricity usage.
                                site inspection will be the final decision as to how many can fit on the roof.
                                Good luck.

                                Did you really have to sign a contract to have a site inspection? Hopefully the truth comes out before you are fully committed to moving forward with this vendor -- because if they told you the LG 365 panels are the same size as the other 280w or 300w panels, then they can't read spec sheets. The Lg 365 panels are 1960mm x 1000mm vs their 60 cell panels which are 1640mm x 1000mm.
                                8.6 kWp roof (SE 7600 and 28 panels)

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