It looks like my permit is going to be issued, so it is about the right time to start a thread to document this installation. The plan is to put up 28X CS6K-280M with a 7600 W inverter. Here is the layout. All of the greenery south of and around the sides of the array are much lower than the 2nd story, so the only potential shade source I'm seeing is a plumbing vent that might affect the rightmost panel on the top row early in the morning, if that panel ends up too close to it (San Diego requires at least 4" clearance). Layout.JPG
I'll write more about some of the design decisions with updates to the thread, and provide pictures of progress as it is made... I expect this will be drawn out as I work on it in free time over the next several months. The system is sized much too large for any of my existing needs, but we are planning to add a 2nd EV in the next couple years, maybe an AC, and for this cost, I'd rather do this once and get locked in under NEM 2.0 than take my chances with what comes next. Until SDG&E's GRC phase 2 is approved, I should still be able to get into the tiered DR tariff, and receive the (small) credit back for the overproduction at the end of the year. Definitely not the most cost-effective design I could go with, but my wife had asked why stop at just 5 kW if I'm going to be up there anyway, so I took the easy way out. An installation of just the 16 panels across the bottom (4.5 kW) would probably have been enough for the short term (Thanks to the miracle of the TOU-EV-2 tariff).
The budget has been helped by working with Tandem Solar Systems, who look like a viable competitor to Renvu here in southern CA. Free delivery of a pallet of panels saves over $400, and their pricing is very competitive on the rest of the system (inverters, racking, tile roof attachments) as well. With the BOS electrical coming from big box stores, it looks like the total cost will come in somewhere around $10k ($7k after the tax credit).
I'll write more about some of the design decisions with updates to the thread, and provide pictures of progress as it is made... I expect this will be drawn out as I work on it in free time over the next several months. The system is sized much too large for any of my existing needs, but we are planning to add a 2nd EV in the next couple years, maybe an AC, and for this cost, I'd rather do this once and get locked in under NEM 2.0 than take my chances with what comes next. Until SDG&E's GRC phase 2 is approved, I should still be able to get into the tiered DR tariff, and receive the (small) credit back for the overproduction at the end of the year. Definitely not the most cost-effective design I could go with, but my wife had asked why stop at just 5 kW if I'm going to be up there anyway, so I took the easy way out. An installation of just the 16 panels across the bottom (4.5 kW) would probably have been enough for the short term (Thanks to the miracle of the TOU-EV-2 tariff).
The budget has been helped by working with Tandem Solar Systems, who look like a viable competitor to Renvu here in southern CA. Free delivery of a pallet of panels saves over $400, and their pricing is very competitive on the rest of the system (inverters, racking, tile roof attachments) as well. With the BOS electrical coming from big box stores, it looks like the total cost will come in somewhere around $10k ($7k after the tax credit).
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