Sunpower 327 panels worth the cost?

[SStevenski]

Palocat:

If you have partial shading and have a string inverter system, retrofitting with Tigo optimizers (they call them "maximizers") is the most economical way to go. If you don't need module-level monitoring on every single panel, you ONLY NEED TO install a Tigo optimizer on those few panels that experience shading. You'd need to do some homework to identify those panels that may get shaded through all seasons. There was no need for you to retrofit a Tigo optimizer on every panel in your 40-panel system unless you wanted to have monitoring capability on every panel. If you can live without monitoring capability on every panel and only need to solve the partial shading issue, you could have saved a lot of money. It just depends on your needs and how much you want to spend.

I have a 3.5 kW system with 14 Trinasmart panels that have a Tigo optimizer built into each panel. It's only been a couple of months since installation. They work very well so far.

[palocat]

Hi SStevenski:

I had forgotten that I had posted this note in 2013. It is all really in the past and the technology and cost of solar have improved. In 2011, there were not many people using the Tigo system and fewer people with any knowledge of installing them or retrofitting them. Tigo and my installer both believed that I needed all 40 of them, and I was on a crazy quest to generate all the power that I consumed. I maybe generated an extra 2-3% of power using the 40 modules. It was not a good economic decision, but I was able to generate all the power that I consumed. I sold that home in 2013, so I do not know how my old modules have performed. In the end, I thought that the retrofit just made everything more complicated with more parts that could fail but the Tigo system was one of the few options available at the time. Good luck with your new system.

Palocat

[cebury]

This old thread has been posted to twice now... But at least your information was quite helpful sharing your the post-purchase eval honestly. Also seeing how you moved a few months after installation helps those who point to minimizing your upfront costs and not relying on 10+ year break even points.