novice solar homeowner needs..system & pricing..advice..

[rrwsandiego]

*Need Help ASAP

I have been researching solar all year and my head is going to explode. I still have little understanding of process.*I think I may have a narrowed it down to:*LGLG300N1KG4300W Monocrystalline Modules*enPhase M250-240 inverters.I will be buying system with 2nd from our house. I have had several quotes and they are all over the place.We need an upgrade but can only go to 125A because we would need to tear up street..or we can get the new RMA installed which is cheaper and quicker supposedly.The last pricing I got for above includes per panel monitoring and not the blob monitoring and is$22,344 before tax credit and includes RMA, monitoring and everything else.*System is 17 panels 5.10 DC Watts.$4.38 per watt..I assume before rebate?Please let me know what you think about this quote and the system and advise on who you ended up using.We are in Rancho Bernardo.Thank You

[solar_newbie]

*Need Help ASAP

I have been researching solar all year and my head is going to explode. I still have little understanding of process.*I think I may have a narrowed it down to:*LGLG300N1KG4300W Monocrystalline Modules*enPhase M250-240 inverters.I will be buying system with 2nd from our house. I have had several quotes and they are all over the place.We need an upgrade but can only go to 125A because we would need to tear up street..or we can get the new RMA installed which is cheaper and quicker supposedly.The last pricing I got for above includes per panel monitoring and not the blob monitoring and is$22,344 before tax credit and includes RMA, monitoring and everything else.*System is 17 panels 5.10 DC Watts.$4.38 per watt..I assume before rebate?Please let me know what you think about this quote and the system and advise on who you ended up using.We are in Rancho Bernardo.Thank You

LOL the longer you stay in researching, the bad headache you get ... That is why I did in few weeks ....

[J.P.M.]

*Need Help ASAP

I have been researching solar all year and my head is going to explode. I still have little understanding of process.*I think I may have a narrowed it down to:*LGLG300N1KG4300W Monocrystalline Modules*enPhase M250-240 inverters.I will be buying system with 2nd from our house. I have had several quotes and they are all over the place.We need an upgrade but can only go to 125A because we would need to tear up street..or we can get the new RMA installed which is cheaper and quicker supposedly.The last pricing I got for above includes per panel monitoring and not the blob monitoring and is$22,344 before tax credit and includes RMA, monitoring and everything else.*System is 17 panels 5.10 DC Watts.$4.38 per watt..I assume before rebate?Please let me know what you think about this quote and the system and advise on who you ended up using.We are in Rancho Bernardo.Thank You

See response post in new member section.

J.P.M.

[rrwsandiego]

It is true the more I read the more confused I get.
Okay so here is some more info that may assist.

Last 12 months usage at 902 kWh and would like to get around 90-80%
Per this quote this system produces 1.69% less than a south facing system.

I have 5 quotes from reputable companies all verified on solar review site. All but one is for microinverters with monitoring. Original quote referenced has per panel monitoring in addition to the new approved RMA instead of a panel upgrade. I have quotes with upgrade to panel as well that are about the same per watt.

Questions:

Would you use micro inverters with Enphase monitoring if so which one? (see below)

Enphase Enlighten monitoring vs. Enpahse Per Panel Monitoring. Does it really make a difference?

Anyone have experience with SDGE RMA upgrade?

Is this system sized correctly or should I go bigger?

Are these LG panel a good choice LG 300N1k-G4?
I have quotes with 275, 305 & 300. I see the 305 were discontinued but still in stock for sale.

Is the price per watt a good deal as it includes the RMA?

Thank you for the help.
Let me know if you need any more info.







SDGE RMA upgrade instead of upgrading panel from 100 to 125.

[thejq]

It is true the more I read the more confused I get.
Okay so here is some more info that may assist.

Last 12 months usage at 902 kWh and would like to get around 90-80%
Per this quote this system produces 1.69% less than a south facing system.

I have 5 quotes from reputable companies all verified on solar review site. All but one is for microinverters with monitoring. Original quote referenced has per panel monitoring in addition to the new approved RMA instead of a panel upgrade. I have quotes with upgrade to panel as well that are about the same per watt.

Questions:

Would you use micro inverters with Enphase monitoring if so which one? (see below)

Enphase Enlighten monitoring vs. Enpahse Per Panel Monitoring. Does it really make a difference?

Anyone have experience with SDGE RMA upgrade?

Is this system sized correctly or should I go bigger?

Are these LG panel a good choice LG 300N1k-G4?
I have quotes with 275, 305 & 300. I see the 305 were discontinued but still in stock for sale.

Is the price per watt a good deal as it includes the RMA?

Thank you for the help.
Let me know if you need any more info.

SDGE RMA upgrade instead of upgrading panel from 100 to 125.

The best and quickest way to know if you're sized properly is to put your location and orientation into http://pvwatts.nrel.gov/ . For LG panels, it's safe to select "premium panel" and select "8%" system loss. LG is good brand and very commonly installed here in San Diego, and just slightly more expensive than average.

If you have shading issues and/or want per panel monitoring, you have the choice of Enphase or SolarEdge. Depending on your orientation, SolarEdge may be a better choice to pair with LG300 or LG305 W panels; otherwise, string inverter should also be fine. I believe the basic Enphase monitoring is free, but the per panel option costs extra, but some installers will include it for free. SolarEdge's monitoring is completely free.

I haven't read SDGE's RMA installed from this forum yet (or I missed it somehow), since it's relatively new. You should call SDGE to figure out if it's an option for you, since they have to install it separately.

Will PM you offline for other pointers. Good luck.

[solar_newbie]

Some of your questions are answered below.

Would you use micro inverters with Enphase monitoring if so which one? (see below)
I guess you have all answer. If you want to use Enphase, either panels are fine. If you do not have space limitation, I would go with either 275 or 300. I use SW280 panels with Emphase M250.

Enphase Enlighten monitoring vs. Enpahse Per Panel Monitoring. Does it really make a difference?
Enphase Enlighten monitoring is used to monitor each panel. You can load it on iPhone, computer or push data to PVoutput. I use my iPhone to monitor my system daily . It requires an Envoy computer (2 year warranty) and must be provided by installer for free. All you need is to find a power plug in your garage and plug it in. Installer will provide you a WIFI USB stick, so you can configure WIFI for your Envoy. After that, you can go anywhere within your home.

Anyone have experience with SDGE RMA upgrade?
I read a bit on RMA from SDGE. You might get faster connection application with it. Is it worth it? The cost is around $1,300. The cost for upgrade panel from 100-125 is $2000. The cost to add additional sub-panel to the main panel is very low (You can ask your installer swallow the cost). You can make your choice. For me, I would not use RMA. If the second sub-panel is supported, I will choose it. If you have AC breaker on your main panel, you can go with second sub-panel by replace that breaker with bigger one and move the breaker to the second sub-panel. Otherwise, spend few hundred more to upgrade your sub-panel.
New or upgrade panel gives you space for future applicants , such as EV car, another solar upgrade perhaph or sauna, hot stub .... in the future as your current panel is full.

Is this system sized correctly or should I go bigger?
I am not sure about SDGE on super size your system. You can ask your installers. If they allow, you should go up a bit to take care 3 things:
- Extra usage you might have when having solar. Most of my friends regret about doing the same size of their usage as they use more when having solar.
- Panel degrade over time.
- Think about EV car if you are interested

Beyond above answer, I have nothing else to offer as I live in Bay Area

[SanDiego_installer]

We've had no problems installing systems with the RMA. The only downside is that it's not compatible with all service panels. SDG&E recently posted some pictures on their website of examples that work and don't work. Upside is the process is very fast, once the day after we submitted the application.

If you subtract the $1326 cost of the RMA, your cost per Watt is $4.12. Not great, but not excessive either.

[rrwsandiego]

Thanks for the info so far. It seems my installer is overpriced based on what I am reading. I think I agree now on the RMA...Maybe I just go with upgrade but it is supposed to take longer..not sure I would meet the net metering deadline.

[J.P.M.]

Thanks for the info so far. It seems my installer is overpriced based on what I am reading. I think I agree now on the RMA...Maybe I just go with upgrade but it is supposed to take longer..not sure I would meet the net metering deadline.

Do yourself a big favor and download and read "Solar for Dummies".

[thejq]

Thanks for the info so far. It seems my installer is overpriced based on what I am reading. I think I agree now on the RMA...Maybe I just go with upgrade but it is supposed to take longer..not sure I would meet the net metering deadline.

If you can have it installed before Q1, 2016, you should be fine with NEM 1.0 in SDGE. One thing I noticed from last year is that price and schedule seemed to move up and out slightly at the end of the year as many people try to squeeze in before the tax deadline, and move down slightly after the new year and before the tax season. Just so you know, to count for tax credit for this year, you need to have it installed and in operation before 12/31 which is NOT a lot of time from now.

[rrwsandiego]

Will read the solar for dummies...gonna start over getting new quotes..please PM me if you have recommendations in San Diego..Thank you for the help

[rrwsandiego]

Updated quotes posted on new thread for review

[Deep_blue]

Updated quotes posted on new thread for review

Where were the updates?

[Deep_blue]

Where were the updates?