Advice re shading of inverter (Sunny Boy 7.0)

[Brad B]

My solar contractor designed and installed a 6.21 kW system with a Sunny Boy 7.0 inverter. The inverter was mounted on the west-facing exterior wall (thus, it receives sun in the afternoon). See first image below. The Energy Trust of Oregon just told them that they need to find a way to shade the inverter. Their proposed solution is to build a faux roof over the inverter (see second image). Frankly, this isn't a very attractive design and will still expose the inverter to sun. Does anyone have good suggestions for a simple solution? I'm thinking about fabricating some sort of shield out of a weather-resistant plastic or metal (possibly via a fabrication shop). I made a quick mockup in Sketchup (see third image). I haven't really figured out how I would actually attach this to the inverter though. Maybe I would just have the installer bolt it to the siding using standoffs.

Also, I expect that the installer will pick up the cost for rectifying this situation as they were the ones who made the mistake of installing it in a way that did not meet Energy Trust of Oregon requirements. However, what would a reasonable cost for fixing this be? I have a bit more experience than the installer does when it comes to working with fabrication shops (I often need custom parts designed for my job), so I'm looking into whether fabricating the shade would be cost-effective compared to this faux-roof.

[J.P.M.]

Best solution: Put it in the garage, or some semi controlled environment. Next best solution: An awning the same color as the wall. Poor solution: a cooling fan.

[jflorey2]

haven't really figured out how I would actually attach this to the inverter though. Maybe I would just have the installer bolt it to the siding using standoffs.

I'd use .060 aluminum, anodized a light color similar to the wall. Use standoffs to ensure 6" of airspace between inverter and plate. You should be able to get all parts locally.

[Brad B]

I'd use .060 aluminum, anodized a light color similar to the wall. Use standoffs to ensure 6" of airspace between inverter and plate. You should be able to get all parts locally.

Thanks. This is almost exactly what we ended up doing (although not the full 6" of air space).

[jflorey2]

Thanks. This is almost exactly what we ended up doing (although not the full 6" of air space).

Cool. Glad it worked for you.