So I am new to solar and need some advice about the system and orientation, if this is the wrong section or type of post i apologize.
So I did the initial research for the hardware and opted for the Solar World 265 black mono panels and SMA TL inverter and working with a local company they recommended a 9.54kW system (it is supposed to eliminate my bill) and below is what they installed:
West Roof:
24 - 265W panels (2 strings of 12)
SMA SB5000TL-US-22 Inverter
East Roof:
12 - 265W Panels (1 string)
SMA SB3000TL-US-22 Inverter
I originally questioned the inverters total output because they would never be capable to hit the 9.54kW that the panels are rated at but i was assured that these can work over their rating and i would be fine. so i signed the deal and the system was installed and i was excited about the whole project and the new solar.
now i am 3+ months in the peak time and the system is not producing anywhere close to the 9.54kW the system is rated at so i started doing research about why and the first thing i found was i needed to clean the panels. so i have cleaned the panels and have even went a step further and coated the panels with a nano coating to ease the cleaning process later.
next i found on many sites the information about panel tilts and here is where i found the most interesting information in that i believe my panels are not mounted to get the most optimum outputs. so i am at 34 degrees lat in So Calif and in looking at the tilt angles it is recommended that my panels be tilted at an angle below my lat degrees to something like 29 degrees in a south facing orientation. well in learning all that my panels are mounted facing west @ 6 degrees and east @ 6 degrees matching my flat roof pitch on each side. so from the research i have done so far these do not seem to be mounted in a preferred setup. I called my installer and they pretty much said that it is too late to do anything about it so i am stuck with this setup.
am i wrong in thinking this tilt/setup is not right?
i know there are many aspects to why i would not get the full output but i just don't want to blindly sit back and accept without knowing some of the reasons. so any advice would be appreciated.
thanks
James
So I did the initial research for the hardware and opted for the Solar World 265 black mono panels and SMA TL inverter and working with a local company they recommended a 9.54kW system (it is supposed to eliminate my bill) and below is what they installed:
West Roof:
24 - 265W panels (2 strings of 12)
SMA SB5000TL-US-22 Inverter
East Roof:
12 - 265W Panels (1 string)
SMA SB3000TL-US-22 Inverter
I originally questioned the inverters total output because they would never be capable to hit the 9.54kW that the panels are rated at but i was assured that these can work over their rating and i would be fine. so i signed the deal and the system was installed and i was excited about the whole project and the new solar.
now i am 3+ months in the peak time and the system is not producing anywhere close to the 9.54kW the system is rated at so i started doing research about why and the first thing i found was i needed to clean the panels. so i have cleaned the panels and have even went a step further and coated the panels with a nano coating to ease the cleaning process later.
next i found on many sites the information about panel tilts and here is where i found the most interesting information in that i believe my panels are not mounted to get the most optimum outputs. so i am at 34 degrees lat in So Calif and in looking at the tilt angles it is recommended that my panels be tilted at an angle below my lat degrees to something like 29 degrees in a south facing orientation. well in learning all that my panels are mounted facing west @ 6 degrees and east @ 6 degrees matching my flat roof pitch on each side. so from the research i have done so far these do not seem to be mounted in a preferred setup. I called my installer and they pretty much said that it is too late to do anything about it so i am stuck with this setup.
am i wrong in thinking this tilt/setup is not right?
i know there are many aspects to why i would not get the full output but i just don't want to blindly sit back and accept without knowing some of the reasons. so any advice would be appreciated.
thanks
James
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