bewildered by panel choices for DIY system

[Mike90250]

Solar panels do not work well when any amount of shade is on them. On a cloudy day, my 5kw of PV might produce 400w, less than 10% of nameplate. It's going to be a learning process for you if you think otherwise.

[J.P.M.]

Yeah, thanks. An installer came and measured my place at 30% shading, and gave me a guaranteed kwh/yr number based on using that with PVWatts, so I think it's pretty reliable. But if I were not saving a lot by DIY, I might not think my site is viable; also though, I'm on 5 acres, so have the ability to cut down problem trees at will.

If you're close to being as knowledgeable as Bruce about PV, how it works and the practical side of installation, you might be able to make the economics work. Otherwise, I think you're going to be in for some surprises and rude awakenings.

In any case, good luck.

[RShackleford]

I don't know about the brand specifics, but be aware that panels put out almost no power when shaded.

Yeah, thanks. An installer came and measured my place at 30% shading, and gave me a guaranteed kwh/yr number based on using that with PVWatts, so I think it's pretty reliable. But if I were not saving a lot by DIY, I might not think my site is viable; also though, I'm on 5 acres, so have the ability to cut down problem trees at will.

[sdold]

I don't know about the brand specifics, but be aware that panels put out almost no power when shaded.

[RShackleford]

I am at the point of purchasing panels for a small system (5kw +/- a few hundred watts). The range of choices is bewildering, and I seek some guidance.

I'm looking at A1solarstore-dot-com, because they have a wide selection, a nice flat shipping charge of $175, and no sales tax; but first off, I'm appreciate opinions on this vendor.

I can't see any good reason to pay a premium of $1/watt or more for names like Panasonic and LG. I don't need that kind of power density. So I guess I'm looking for recs of the "second" or "standard" tier of manufacturers. Canadian and Trina seem to come up a lot, and they give me enough power density.

Canadian (I realize they're actually Chinese) seem to talk about the low-irradiance performance of their PERC cells. This is important to me, as I'll have significant shading. Some of Canadian's offerings are of the "half cell" type.

Trina seems to offer PERC and half-cell too, and at a similarly attractive per-watt price and energy density.

RENVU is offering some "B grade" Solaria at a signficant discount (https://www.renvu.com/Solar/Mono-Pol...87cc-277659901) but these are pretty pricey. Worth the extra cost and imperfect appearance ?

So what do folks think of these brands, and are there others that might be more attractive to me ?