6kW system in Agoura Hills

[gvl]

String inverters warranties often run 10-12 years. In that time, most new stuff today will be working but outmoded and you will either want new stuff or have moved. Also, inverter tech. will have advanced a fair amount and prices will perhaps have dropped.

Also, there is perhaps more than a small likelihood that many/most/all inverter makers, string and otherwise will be out of business or look much different than today. If you're worried about the warranty on a string inv., buy a spare with the money you save and eliminate the extra potential failure points and labor that Enphase doesn't/may not cover, or buy a rip off extended warranty with the savings.

+1. You can buy an extended warranty that goes to 25 years on SolarEdge above 7.5kW for $745 as opposed to the 12 you get with the product. I wouldn't do it for the reasons stated above. There is always a chance your unit goes kaput late in the standard warranty window and you get a new one or at least a failure-prone component inside the inverter will be replaced. I'd rather bet on that than on SolarEdge/Enphase being in business in 20 years.

[gvl]

Systems with string inverters often and usually cost less than systems with micro inverters. Folks around here have been saying and claiming that in quotes for some time now.

Yes, it is just the price decrease was more than I expected as compared to micros based on the cost of equipment, i suppose they may have added an additional discount just to get my business.

[Gmoney!]

How is your installation working out for you, and how long did you have it? Sounds like there are a lot of similarities between our situations, I drive about 60 miles a day average, need 400-500kWh/month for my EV needs. Just as another data point, do you know what is your gross consumption for 12 months?

Installation went well, waiting for city inspection now.

I do not have 12 month data as i just bought the house but my first two months we were consuming around 1100-1200 kwh, majority of that was car and pool pump so i can shift that usage to off peak.

[J.P.M.]

Indeed. I'd want to know what the warranty is with this inverter, as opposed to the 25 years you get with Enphase. I have the 250s and love the system so far.

String inverters warranties often run 10-12 years. In that time, most new stuff today will be working but outmoded and you will either want new stuff or have moved. Also, inverter tech. will have advanced a fair amount and prices will perhaps have dropped.

Also, there is perhaps more than a small likelihood that many/most/all inverter makers, string and otherwise will be out of business or look much different than today. If you're worried about the warranty on a string inv., buy a spare with the money you save and eliminate the extra potential failure points and labor that Enphase doesn't/may not cover, or buy a rip off extended warranty with the savings.

[gvl]

In my opinion, no. If you feel good about the installer's history and are confident they will do a good job, it looks like a very good price. I've been getting calls from San Diego installers again in the last couple weeks, working through their old contact lists. I wonder if business is a bit slow right now.

Confidence is not the word I would use to describe my feelings but yes the reviews I found do give me some hope they do indeed go above and beyond to keep their customers happy. Btw, this was over the phone/e-mail quote, but I did provide them with all the relevant info. I suppose a face to face meeting will help to build up confidence or the opposite. They are not a big shop which has its pros and cons, but with understanding of what they are I still prefer to work with a small company. I'm waiting for another quote. I'm not fully sold on the LG panels, I understand they are nice but I have no space constraints, so it may make sense to go with lower efficiency/price.

[thejq]

I wonder if business is a bit slow right now.

I think there maybe some truth to it. Seasonally late summer to end of the year is probably the busiest time for installers, as huge AC bills push some over the edge and then the rush to secure tax credits before year end. Right now people are preoccupied with tax returns and electric bills are the lowest without heating and AC.

[sushijin]

Indeed. I'd want to know what the warranty is with this inverter, as opposed to the 25 years you get with Enphase. I have the 250s and love the system so far.

Systems with string inverters often and usually cost less than systems with micro inverters. Folks around here have been saying and claiming that in quotes for some time now.

[J.P.M.]

I got another quote from the same installer for a similar 34xLG300=10.2kW DC system but with SolarEdge SE10000A-US/optimizers instead of M250 micros for $31,824 bringing the price down to $3.12/Wt DC, this is $2856 less than for the M250-based setup. I'm finding prices about $2k for the 10kW SE inverter, and $60 per optimizer, so for 34 panels I expected the price to drop to be about $1200-$1500. I double-checked if they forgot the optimizers as they aren't specifically called out on the quote and they confirmed they are in fact included. Is this too good to be true?

Systems with string inverters often and usually cost less than systems with micro inverters. Folks around here have been saying and claiming that in quotes for some time now.

[sensij]

Is this too good to be true?

In my opinion, no. If you feel good about the installer's history and are confident they will do a good job, it looks like a very good price. I've been getting calls from San Diego installers again in the last couple weeks, working through their old contact lists. I wonder if business is a bit slow right now.

[gvl]

I got another quote from the same installer for a similar 34xLG300=10.2kW DC system but with SolarEdge SE10000A-US/optimizers instead of M250 micros for $31,824 bringing the price down to $3.12/Wt DC, this is $2856 less than for the M250-based setup. I'm finding prices about $2k for the 10kW SE inverter, and $60 per optimizer, so for 34 panels I expected the price to drop to be about $1200-$1500. I double-checked if they forgot the optimizers as they aren't specifically called out on the quote and they confirmed they are in fact included. Is this too good to be true?

[gvl]

I paid 3.37 for 5.1kw system with 17 lg300s and solaredge 6000 inverter.

I have basically the same orientation as you, slightly worse actually at 118.

Using PV watt and a spreadsheet I created, i calculated 5.1 system was enough for me. I have an EV and it along with my pool pump eat up close to 75% of my daily electrical demand between midnight and 6 am.

My spreadsheet calculations concluded that TOU-D-A was the best plan for me.

Do not listen to people who tell you to put it on the west roof just because the solar panel "friendly" sce plan gets you more peak generating credits. Do your math and see what works best for you.

But its sounds like you have a very similar situation to me, depending how much you drive your ev. I do 100 miles per day.

G

How is your installation working out for you, and how long did you have it? Sounds like there are a lot of similarities between our situations, I drive about 60 miles a day average, need 400-500kWh/month for my EV needs. Just as another data point, do you know what is your gross consumption for 12 months?

[J.P.M.]

I paid 3.37 for 5.1kw system with 17 lg300s and solaredge 6000 inverter.

I have basically the same orientation as you, slightly worse actually at 118.

Using PV watt and a spreadsheet I created, i calculated 5.1 system was enough for me. I have an EV and it along with my pool pump eat up close to 75% of my daily electrical demand between midnight and 6 am.

My spreadsheet calculations concluded that TOU-D-A was the best plan for me.

Do not listen to people who tell you to put it on the west roof just because the solar panel "friendly" sce plan gets you more peak generating credits. Do your math and see what works best for you.

But its sounds like you have a very similar situation to me, depending how much you drive your ev. I do 100 miles per day.

G

+1 on the panel orientation vs. output vs. POCO bill.

Every sit. is different.

You gotta do the math if you expect a reasonably close approximation.

Assuming a 270 deg. orientation will probably cost you money and be better for the POCO, at least in most of So. CA.

[Gmoney!]

I paid 3.37 for 5.1kw system with 17 lg300s and solaredge 6000 inverter.

I have basically the same orientation as you, slightly worse actually at 118.

Using PV watt and a spreadsheet I created, i calculated 5.1 system was enough for me. I have an EV and it along with my pool pump eat up close to 75% of my daily electrical demand between midnight and 6 am.

My spreadsheet calculations concluded that TOU-D-A was the best plan for me.

Do not listen to people who tell you to put it on the west roof just because the solar panel "friendly" sce plan gets you more peak generating credits. Do your math and see what works best for you.

But its sounds like you have a very similar situation to me, depending how much you drive your ev. I do 100 miles per day.

G

[sushijin]

Much better

Got a quote today from another local installer for exactly the same equipment as in the OP, $3.40/Wt DC, which is 55c/Wt better. Looks very competitive, the installer has many positive reviews on Yelp. I typically take them with a grain of salt, especially the ones that lack substance, but in this case they seem to contain enough details to be convincing that they come from people with real experiences.

They propose a larger 10.2kW DC system that covers 95% of my total consumption, including EV usage, for the last 12 months. While it will likely cover most of my needs and provide protection from future SCE pricing games, I'm not convinced I need that much power with a TOU/net-metering to zero-out, or close to, my monthly bill. Short of sitting down and crunching all data myself, is there an agreed-upon ballpark percentage of total usage that works well for TOU with net-metering, considering most of the usage is shifted to off-peak and super off-peak?

[sushijin]

I'm in southern cal, and I paid $3.31 per watt.... 37 solar world protect panels (that have 30 years performance warranty to produce 86% at year 30)... With Enphase micro inverters, M250.... Paid 33k.... 10.2kw system. ... I think the quote you received is a bit high. Keep shopping.

I think you could get an equivalent system for a bit less with some shopping...

In December, user JD31 shared in this post some quotes.

LG280's were about 0.25 / W more than Hanwha panels, and LG280's should be probably at least 0.10 / W less than 300's. I think paying $3.50 - $3.75 / W is reasonable for the 300's if your SE roof doesn't have space for something less efficient, depending on the installer.