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Hanwha 240 panels for .39 a watt and other DIY qs

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  • Hanwha 240 panels for .39 a watt and other DIY qs

    Okay guys I planned on doing this last year but built a patio and retaining wall instead.

    I ran across hanwha 240 watt panels for .39 cents a wattsin pallets of 22,wondering if anyone is running them or any reason to stay clear.

    We are in MN and have a accessory garage with a 26'x44' roof side that faces south and has its own electric service. I spoke with the power company last year and they supported it back then. I plan on calling them tomorrow to get the ball rolling.

    Last year I was eyeing up the Ironridge XR100 racking, is there another alternative you like that is less money?

    Im just in the beginning stage of planing and appreciate the help, this forum looks like the perfect place to dig into.

    I plan on doing it myself and paying cash for the project, we have 5 acres so I could expand later to ground mounts. Our house uses a bunch of electricity as it has geothermal, well, septic and a electric water heater. Excluding winter months I average about 1800 kw.

  • #2
    Hello Dsspro and welcome to Solar Panel Talk. Hanwha panels are OK and as fit for purpose as any, just check to make sure they are not scratchy seconds. Some people can do DIY and some cant, its not just me sayn that, in some states you are actually not allowed to install solar panels unless a solar qualified electrician is involved. So first step is to find out all about the local rules and regulations. If you have not done electrical work before I would suggest you look to get an electrician involved, even if just for plan and design and hooking everything up at the end. Lots to read here that will help, good luck

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    • #3
      I am very experienced in high and low voltage electrical work over the years. They claim they are grade A but haven't spoke with a sales rep yet, just the ad online.

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      • #4
        Among many other things, make sure you have a way to get access to the array, particularly in the winter time. Snow will impair array performance. Clearing it can be easier if planned for.

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        • #5
          I'll add that the 240W panels are a generation or two behind the current ones. If you shop around you can occasionally find their newer G4 panels for about the same price.

          Are they 'better'? Hopefully, but at least with a 325-340 watt panel you'll install significantly fewer panels to get the same output.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by J.P.M. View Post
            Among many other things, make sure you have a way to get access to the array, particularly in the winter time. Snow will impair array performance. Clearing it can be easier if planned for.
            any suggestions for dealing with the snow? I believe it is a 6/12 or 7/12 roof.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Spektre View Post
              I'll add that the 240W panels are a generation or two behind the current ones. If you shop around you can occasionally find their newer G4 panels for about the same price.

              Are they 'better'? Hopefully, but at least with a 325-340 watt panel you'll install significantly fewer panels to get the same output.
              Well I am much more informed since this weekend but still long ways to go, I passed on those panels. The good news is I've spoke with the poco and state and its pretty cut and dry what they require and expect. Tomorrow it meeting with the city.

              Thanks for the insight.

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              • #8
                Hanwa panels are just fine. Yes, 240W is now old stock as mainstream is now about 275 to 290W, but that is why they are blowing them out cheap to you and .39/w is a fantastic deal. Aslong as you have the roof area go for it.....
                BSEE, R11, NABCEP, Chevy BoltEV, >3000kW installed

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Dsspro View Post
                  any suggestions for dealing with the snow? I believe it is a 6/12 or 7/12 roof.
                  I lived in central and western NY state for a long time, and regularly saw 100 to as much as 200 in/yr. of snow but didn't have PV, so I've no practical experience w/PV in a snowy climate. The best suggestion I think I can make is to scour Bruce Roe' s threads. He probably forgot more about solar array's and their foibles in snow and how to design for that condition than most. He's a bit unusual in that he's walked the walk. He ought to write a big long stickie about PV in a snowy climate. If he did that, my guess is that a lot fewer arrays in snowy climates would result, but the ones that got built would be more fit for purpose and of a better design.

                  I'd guess, among other things, and in addition to a bunch of usual design considerations, but only as a semi-detached observer, and always after safety first considerations, a lot of planning/design might ride on local conditions and knowing them, and then expecting the unexpected. Don't kid yourself on things going wrong - they will - and always plan for access and where the snow/ice will fall and where to put it when it does, as well as the possibility of ice damage to equipment.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Dsspro View Post
                    any suggestions for dealing with the snow? I believe it is a 6/12 or 7/12 roof.
                    A 6/12 or 7/12 should shed the snow just fine all on it's own. Panels are pretty slick, and snow will allow some amount of light through, which will begin to warm the panels.
                    You never want to put yourself in danger of falling off the roof just to save a few dollars.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Dsspro View Post
                      We are in MN and have a accessory garage with a 26'x44' roof side that faces south and has its own electric service. I spoke with
                      the power company last year and they supported it back then. I plan on calling them tomorrow to get the ball rolling.
                      You said your garage has separate electric service (meter?), but your house is the big consumer? It might be advantageous if the
                      PV power was fed into the same meter as the big loads are connected to, powering them directly as much as is practical. Check
                      your available grid tie plans; there were 4 in NW IL. Selling your energy at wholesale and then buying it at retail would be a huge
                      loss to you. Bruce Roe

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by bcroe View Post

                        You said your garage has separate electric service (meter?), but your house is the big consumer? It might be advantageous if the
                        PV power was fed into the same meter as the big loads are connected to, powering them directly as much as is practical. Check
                        your available grid tie plans; there were 4 in NW IL. Selling your energy at wholesale and then buying it at retail would be a huge
                        loss to you. Bruce Roe
                        Well the nice thing is my pc pays the same as sell rate half the year and .005 cents different the other half of the year. They said they will just issue a credit to the other account.

                        it would be difficult to get the lines over to the other meter and I might add panels to my house next.

                        If I'm wrong about this Logic please let me know.

                        Thanks for the help!

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                        • #13
                          Dsspro, your location looks great for a 6/12 roof, at that angle your snow will sluff off nicely. Go here (http://pveducation.org/pvcdrom/prope...tilted-surface) to see your harvest vs roof angle, time of year, etc, and go to PVWatts to calculate annual yield.. You can absolutely do it yourself so long as your power company and AHJ are reasonable.
                          Last edited by DaveDE2; 03-23-2017, 05:17 PM. Reason: ..by the way, I did Ironridge 100 on my installation and it's bombproof.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Dsspro View Post

                            Well the nice thing is my pc pays the same as sell rate half the year and .005 cents different the other half of the
                            year. They said they will just issue a credit to the other account.

                            it would be difficult to get the lines over to the other meter and I might add panels to my house next.
                            I would leave as little to promises as possible. It might be easiest to run your panels as high voltage strings, with
                            smaller gauge wire over to the house. Then have an inverter close to the meter. My DC runs 230' from a combiner.
                            Bruce Roe

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by bcroe View Post

                              I would leave as little to promises as possible. It might be easiest to run your panels as high voltage strings, with
                              smaller gauge wire over to the house. Then have an inverter close to the meter. My DC runs 230' from a combiner.
                              Bruce Roe
                              I understand that logic, the poco being able to change the rate is a scary thing.



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