Solar Pricing - How do you know.....

[Anjen]

Having estimates on solar for my home. Looking at at 10.7kw system I am told to use Micro Inverters because this way the system can be monitored per panel. Seems that the industry is going that way in lieu of string with one large inverter. Makes sense although what happens if the micro inverter has a problem, could it cause a fire. I have seen that with the larger inverter near the electrical panel.

Can somebody please tell me if this is a good set up; This includes permits and roofing material under panels (I am currently doing a remodel), located in Southern California. I am thinking this system should cost about 35k or less based upon what I have seen others pay. "Help".....

34/LG 315 watt panels 10,710 watt system (estimated 1,450 kWh per month/17,400 K WH per year)
Enphase S280 Micro Inverters or Solar Edge with Internet monitoring system.
$52,950

[Anjen]

How so I convert the pricing to a per kilowatt price? Is it the purchase price divided x the system size (10,710 using the above pricing)??

[azdave]

I'm never an advocate of adding more failure points to a circuit unless there is a very clear benefit. If I had shade issues I might consider micros but otherwise I would not want the cost or concern of all those parts up on my roof. My inverter is quite happy inside my garage.

[azdave]

How so I convert the pricing to a per kilowatt price? Is it the purchase price divided x the system size (10,710 using the above pricing)??

Yes. Most people use the cost before any rebates or incentives for better uniformity in our comparisons.

[J.P.M.]

I'm never an advocate of adding more failure points to a circuit unless there is a very clear benefit. If I had shade issues I might consider micros but otherwise I would not want the cost or concern of all those parts up on my roof. My inverter is quite happy inside my garage.

+1.

[SunEagle]

How so I convert the pricing to a per kilowatt price? Is it the purchase price divided x the system size (10,710 using the above pricing)??

Using that math of initial system cost divided by the system wattage your would come to $52950 / 10710watts = $4.94/watt which is pretty high.

[J.P.M.]

Unless there are other things going on like a new roof or other electrical upgrades, $3.50/Watt or less is possible in So. CA. The price per Watt is before incentives/tax credits and = total price/nameplate Watts. So: $52,960/(34*315) = $4.94/Watt.

Unless there's a lot more work included beyond what's common for a turnkey solar system, that price is about a buck and a half high.

[solarix]

I'm also NOT a fan of microinverters unless you have bad shading or need a micro small system.
I would be very suspect of their claims of 25 year reliability. So far they have not demonstrated it.
So what if they pay for replacement of the failures. Do you really want you installer coming out every few months replacing them one at a time?
The new SMA Sunnyboys are bringing the costs down again with better features than ever.

[josefontao]

Whats your annual electricity usage? Remember that with NEM you dont need to offset %100 of your usage.
Have you considered changing your bulbs to LEDs if you havent already? If you have a pool, do you have an efficient pump?
Finding ways to reduce your usage is a heck of a lot more cost effective than offsetting it with solar panels.

$53K for that system is way way way too much money. If you really need that many panels, and assuming your roof and electrical panel doesnt need any work, you should not pay more than $34K for it. And you would recup the cost of the panels in about 6 years (after the tax credits).

[randomuser]

I'm never an advocate of adding more failure points to a circuit unless there is a very clear benefit. If I had shade issues I might consider micros but otherwise I would not want the cost or concern of all those parts up on my roof. My inverter is quite happy inside my garage.

Are the SolarEdge power optimizers also considered high failure points on roofs? Nearly all the quotes I received were for Enphase micro inverters. I went the direction of SolarEdge not for the components on the roof but rather the short warranty on the expensive Envoy monitoring box. Buying 3 or 4 of those over the life of the system is the cost of or more than an inverter in the garage.

[Anjen]

Whats your annual electricity usage? Remember that with NEM you dont need to offset %100 of your usage.
Have you considered changing your bulbs to LEDs if you havent already? If you have a pool, do you have an efficient pump?
Finding ways to reduce your usage is a heck of a lot more cost effective than offsetting it with solar panels.

We have already changed everything to LED and have upgraded most of everything in the home (insulation through a remodel). The system cost I was given was based upon my telling them (with the bill) that we have a 12 month usage of 16k KW, but since I am adding to the footage of my house I wanted to add 15% which I am told is the maximum you can do (Edison issue). There isn't any shade so to speak my roof are East West so we get plenty of sun and this was to be spread on 3 different roofs.

How can I find the name of another company in SoCal to get quotes that have performed well for others?

[Anjen]

Using that math of initial system cost divided by the system wattage your would come to $52950 / 10710watts = $4.94/watt which is pretty high.

How can I find other solar companies in SoCal to get quotes. I don't know what is appropriate for this forum.

[randomuser]

Anjen, where are you in SoCal? I'm guessing Orange County/LA, as you mention SCE. The below link is a topic thread which was provided to me and was helpful. I'm in San Diego. I'm using a company, SRE, which I learned about on this forum. We're waiting for my city to approve the permit. The installer has been good so far. I signed a contract on a Friday. The next day, I was told the paperwork for the permit was completed. The following Tuesday, I was told the permit request was submitted and I was provided a copy. I'm now awaiting my city.

Something else I learned from this forum is the CSI database. It lists every solar install, where you see the companies and the size of systems they install with price charged. Others who have posted on this forum have said who they use. Also, take a look at the Solar Reviews website or even Yelp. I spoke with about a dozen companies before deciding.

To get an idea how much electricity you'll generate with panels located at different locations on your roof, use the calculator at the pvwatts website. It's a really good resource and others here say it's accurate with the few minutes of work on your end.

https://www.solarpaneltalk.com/forum...-forum-members

[josefontao]

http://www.solarreviews.com/ is your friend. Enter your zip code and get a bunch of results.

I would stay away from the big name guys. They tend to be lots more expensive and you really dont get anything extra for that extra cost.
You should also search on Yelp and look at the reviews.
If possible, chose a company that does more than just solar. That way there is more chances of the company being around 10 or 15 years down the road should you ever encounter any problems. That said, problems with solar installations happen during the first 2 year if they were to happen at all.

With 3 roofs facing differently you will probably benefit from microinverters.

I havent seen your detailed usage, but my guess is that you can probably get away with a 9kw system. That includes your extra %15 planned future usage.
This is how I came up with that number. Your current usage is 16kwh and you want to increase that by %15, so that would be a total usage of 18400 (which is a lot, but ok).
Using NEM, you can easily get away by offsetting %80 of that. So you will need to make 14700kwh.

Check out this system in SoCal at http://pvoutput.org/aggregate.jsp?id...=29873&v=0&t=y It has been producing betwen 14 and 15MWh per year and the system is 8.9kwh

You need to do your research and your math to find the best possible option based on your usage and again, remember that you dont need to offset %100 of your usage.

[DanS26]

Just to throw my $.02 worth of advice into the fray.......if panel monitoring is what attracts you then you can accomplish quite a bit by designing a system with two smaller string inverters. Less parts to fail and you know immediately when a panel or inverter is not producing at a much lower cost than micros or optimizers.