Solar Panel System Disposal

[brewbeer]

I am comparing two systems from two different companies. Both front of house, roof mounted systems, on a ranch style house in Western Massachusetts.
Part of the system will be over the front door of my house. All Black panels will be used on both proposed systems.
1) 6.16 kw System, annual production first year 6699 kwh, 22 Suniva Opt 280 Black solar panels, Enphase M250 Microinverters, unirac Solar Mount, $3.59/watt from a national company,
RGS Energy. Online reviews state mediocre customer service with RGS, and I worry about racking sticking out on edges of panels, and worry about Suniva panels looking like crap in years 12-20. If I went with them I would buy an extended warranty to cover years 10-20 for roof leaks, wiring, labor and shipping on parts that fail,etc.
2) 6.030 kw System, annual production first year 6715 kwh, 18 Sunpower 335 Black solar panels,with built in microinverters & ac converters, Invisimount racking system, the best 25 year soup to nuts warranty and production in the industry, fewer number and best looking panels, $4.50/watt, from either Rayah Solar of Newton,MA., or PV Squared of Greenfield,MA.. If I went with them I would buy an extended warranty to cover years 10-20 for roof leaks, wiring,,etc.Neither company has very many reviews of any kind on Solarreviews.
Can anyone help me make an informed decision? I'm inclined to go with the better panels, but don't know which company to go with.
Thank you.

I had PV Squared quote for my house before I decided to so with the other firm. They quoted 24 Sunpower 327 panels and unspecified microinverters at $4.68 per watt. I think PV Squared likes the Sunpower panels because they are an American company. They were very professional and I strongly considered their quote before going with Solar Store of Greenfield.

PV Squared is a reputable firm, and they are based in western Massachusetts. My company does consulting work for them (foundation design for ground arrays). As indicated in previous posts, working with a local company is very preferred, since western Mass is a relatively small economic market, and it's important to keep our means of economic production local, which in turn helps support or neighbors and friends.

[ButchDeal]

I asked my installer about a skirt or cover. He said they could do it but that it could trap leaves and things like that under the modules. Now I have never been up on my roof before despite living in my house for 12.5 years. I don't own a ladder tall enough to get me on. I don't really plan on going up on my roof to deal with the panels. With that said would you recommend not getting the skirt/cover so that I can avoid having to deal with the junk that gets stuck under there? I don't have any trees touching my roof but leaves can get blown around from other trees.

I do not recommend the skirts, they not only trap debris, but limit air flow. The air flow is what cools the modules so warmer modules means less production.

[NYHeel]

There is black racking and flash feet, I specifically didn't get it as the roof is very light silver grey ( energy star) shingles so the aluminum blends in.

You have to be pretty close to see the hardware, from the road to is hard to see. I left the rail ends a bit long, to give option to add more latter, easier to attach more rail.

I have not had any problems with anything under the modules. Some companies have a bottom shield , but we don't use them as it traps junk under the modules.

I asked my installer about a skirt or cover. He said they could do it but that it could trap leaves and things like that under the modules, similar to what you said. Now I have never been up on my roof before despite living in my house for 12.5 years. I don't own a ladder tall enough to get me on. I don't really plan on going up on my roof to deal with the panels. With that said would you recommend not getting the skirt/cover so that I can avoid having to deal with the junk that gets stuck under there? I don't have any trees touching my roof but leaves can get blown around from other trees.

[mpkelley20]

I met with Rayah when I was getting quotes. They are a good company and came closest to matching what I paid for my system. They were still about 40 cents higher than what I paid but they were under $4 per watt using LG panels. Did Rayah give you a quote on non sunpower panels? If company one says you can fit 22 panels on your roof, I would guess you can get higher efficiency LG panels on there as well.

And forgive me if it was already stated but have you ruled out optimizers over microinverters? All the advice I got last year was to avoid Enphase like the plague. And yes, that advice was on this forum. Whatever issues people were referring to are probably fixed but not positive. And I was also cautioned about Sunpower's proprietary tech which "could" be an issue later on down the road if you need stuff fixed/replaced. I don't think that is a big deal but it was a consideration that was brought to my attention.

[Lexnice]

I am comparing two systems from two different companies. Both front of house, roof mounted systems, on a ranch style house in Western Massachusetts.
Part of the system will be over the front door of my house. All Black panels will be used on both proposed systems.
1) 6.16 kw System, annual production first year 6699 kwh, 22 Suniva Opt 280 Black solar panels, Enphase M250 Microinverters, unirac Solar Mount, $3.59/watt from a national company,
RGS Energy. Online reviews state mediocre customer service with RGS, and I worry about racking sticking out on edges of panels, and worry about Suniva panels looking like crap in years 12-20. If I went with them I would buy an extended warranty to cover years 10-20 for roof leaks, wiring, labor and shipping on parts that fail,etc.
2) 6.030 kw System, annual production first year 6715 kwh, 18 Sunpower 335 Black solar panels,with built in microinverters & ac converters, Invisimount racking system, the best 25 year soup to nuts warranty and production in the industry, fewer number and best looking panels, $4.50/watt, from either Rayah Solar of Newton,MA., or PV Squared of Greenfield,MA.. If I went with them I would buy an extended warranty to cover years 10-20 for roof leaks, wiring,,etc.Neither company has very many reviews of any kind on Solarreviews.
Can anyone help me make an informed decision? I'm inclined to go with the better panels, but don't know which company to go with.
Thank you.

[ButchDeal]

Sure but the frames are not designed to do the work of the rails. Rails strengthen and stiffen the roof when adding the wheight, but railess weekend the roof, don't add any structure.

[ButchDeal]

There is black racking and flash feet, I specifically didn't get it as the roof is very light silver grey ( energy star) shingles so the aluminum blends in.

You have to be pretty close to see the hardware, from the road to is hard to see. I left the rail ends a bit long, to give option to add more latter, easier to attach more rail.

I have not had any problems with anything under the modules. Some companies have a bottom shield , but we don't use them as it traps junk under the modules.

[NYHeel]

Glass and aluminum do not discolor. (ask DeLorean about the aluminum).
BTW, Aluminum oxidises to a clear thin hard compound that protects the rest of the metal from oxidization




Well I guess I would, 3kw Canadian modules right on the front of my home:

Since you posted pictures, are you bothered by being able to see under the front section of panels on the front of the house? The part where you can see the L-feet and rails under the front of the panels when facing the front of the house. I just got my system installed and that's the only part that bothers me a little. The panels are a good few inches above the roof and you can really see the L feet and rail hardware under the panels from the front of the house. Is there any way to put up a cover or skirt to close or cover up the bottom part of the front section of panels so that you can't see under the panels?

Also, does anyone have any issues with nests or wasp/bee hives under panels? I don't have any trees that touch my roof but I know bees/wasps like to hide under things. I used to have wasps behind the shudders next to my windows.

[ButchDeal]

Thank you for the info? How about discoloration worries or such with either LG 315 or Suniva opt-280 panels?

Glass and aluminum do not discolor. (ask DeLorean about the aluminum).
BTW, Aluminum oxidises to a clear thin hard compound that protects the rest of the metal from oxidization

Would you put solar panels on the front of your house?

Well I guess I would, 3kw Canadian modules right on the front of my home:

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPMMPGTCScbKGSa9f-eoXVziZR6FK9I2F35sdMjzpHUH_WZLz58OZ0b2ta5tcaQQQ?key=MGRqOWg3NWtMZTFKMFk5RHpsZDVwT3ZMTmNka0VB

[Lexnice]

Thank you for the info? How about discoloration worries or such with either LG 315 or Suniva opt-280 panels? Would you put solar panels on the front of your house?

[ButchDeal]

they are generally made of glass, silica, and aluminum. Should be nothing to rust.

[Lexnice]

RE:Solar Panels. Reading the fine print of solar panel warranties, they do not cover rust or discoloration, or labor years 12-20, among other things.So nobody knows what these panels will look like fifteen to twenty years down the road? I am weighing better output by putting solar panels on front of my house (+400 kWh/yr.) , but back roof would be better for possible snow slides and hiding potentially weathered panels in future years. Plus I would need one or two more panels to equal the output gained if panels on front of house. Anyone have thoughts on this? Thank you.

[mpkelley20]

The one area I neglected during my entire bidding process was the racking system. My installer used Roof tech railless mounts. Based on rsilvers response, this is not a good thing. Yet everything I find when researching racking leads me to believe that there is nothing wrong with this type of mounting system. And it may become even more popular to help speed up installs, reduce costs, etc... There are drawbacks, of course, but there are also drawback with a full rail system. I am seeing stuff on "shared rail" systems which look to be different from the traditional rail system...so I am obviously confused a bit.

Whatever the case, I have what I have. I had my roof re-shingled before the install and my town's building inspector was overly anal about every bit of the install. After 6 months I have had nothing but zero electric bills and no headaches from leaky roofs or any other issue. Of course, our winter was very mild compared to last year so we didn;t have 7 feet of snow sitting on the panels like I would have the prior year. But I would think the lighter railless system would help here....

[rsilvers]

You should ignore the annual production estimates. They are just estimates and are mostly not comparable between quotes at all - though they could be if one company puts your panels in an inferior location. But that is a separate issue and not important at the quoting stage. Once you go with someone, you can make sure they make smart choices on panel locations.

A 300 watt panel in one brand will the same production as a 300 watt panel in another brand, because they are tested under what is called STC (standard test conditions). Now that is not exactly true as there will be some variation, but for the purposes of what you need to know to make a decision, you can consider them the same.

[rsilvers]

I am just someone who got seven quotes for my own system and had to learn a lot.

But my comments should be self-evident. Isn't it obvious that one would want better equipment for less money per watt?

For example, why consider #2 when the panels are less efficient, a lower-end brand, and more costly?