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  • My Solar Installation - Should have researched more

    I have encountered many issues from my Solar Panel installation. I am a theoretical physicist and sometimes I think I know more than I do. I teach classes that involve the photoelectric effect, but there is always a difference between theory and application. I expressed my concerns to the company I bought my solar panels from and I got back three different phone calls in the first hour and from the owner himself. I think there are some issues on their end and he wanted to drive to my house right than and there to talk to me in person. I live an hour away. He will be coming on Monday and he said he will make it right and I WILL be satisfied with their installation. Here is a brief summary and I would like to know what is fair for me to demand.

    1. The last thing that upset me was during my sales consultation I was shown a SE7600 with a EV charger. Being an EV owner I was very excited about eventually using this product when I bought my second electric car. Turns out that they installed a
    SE7600H-US000NNU2 which doesn't have the EV charging capability. I installed the inverter in my garage because of this, so now I have a heavy clipping inverter in my garage taking up wall space that will never be able to be used as an EV charger.

    2. My system is 11.25 kW on a SE7600 with three different arrays. 15 panels E, 11 panels S, and 4 N. It has clipped 4 hours a day. The price I received was cheaper from this company because they didn't have to modify my panel. This was a poorly designed system and they should have run simulations to see that. I think that at a minimum that this company will put in a SE10000 inverter and will modify my panel at no cost.

    3. I noticed after the installation that my panels have aluminum sides. I really didn't know the difference between 60 and 72 cell technology before my purchase. I now know way too much. They don't look horrible, but they are considered a commercial panel. I was never told they were a commercial panel, but I think that this should have been told to me during the consultation. the pamphlet I was given about the LG375 Neon 2 72 cell panels doesn't say commercial panels at all on them. The numbers on them are very similar to other high quality 60 cell panels and are decent with 19.1% efficiency. Researching this has upset me as well since the ratings are lower for things like hail damage and fire performance. Plus one extremely windy night during the first week of the install I heard wind chatter from the panels. I think these very light panels that have a large surface area could cause problems like this even if installed correctly.

    So in conclusion I have an inverter that I was promised that I could have EV charging eventually, but I won't unless I get a new inverter. I have an inverter that clips 4 to 5 hours virtually every day. I have commercial panels, but was never told that they would be commercial panels. What would people here demand for a resolution? The said I WILL be happy, but I think that this is impossible at this point. I also feel it is my obligation to leave a truthful review on yelp/google/etc.. to warn people of my installation. Even if the somehow make me happy with their installation.

  • #2
    72 cell panels are more difficult for one person to handle, but certainly are not restricted to commercial
    use. The cell technology is the same, just different number of panel jumper wires. I use both 60 cell
    and 72 cell panels on the same inverter here. Bruce Roe

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by bcroe View Post
      72 cell panels are more difficult for one person to handle, but certainly are not restricted to commercial
      use. The cell technology is the same, just different number of panel jumper wires. I use both 60 cell
      and 72 cell panels on the same inverter here. Bruce Roe
      I agree, but there are differences. Aesthetically they are not as nice. They make the frames cheaper and plus the panels have lower ratings. Do you think it is ok for a company to install solar panels that are primarily used for commercial without telling the client? Knowing this would have made my decision different.

      Comment


      • #4
        Yeah, that doesn't sound that ethical to me. I don't think they should have even broached the subject of 72 cell panels on a residential install unless the customer asked for it. Or if they did, explain that they're intended for commercial usage, and while they'll operate just the same, they may not be as aesthetically pleasing.

        On the Inverter, did they say it would have clipping? Did they say they recommend that because you would require an electrical panel upgrade? Did the promise the one with the charger built in?

        Just showing it, and not explaining that the one you'd be getting wouldn't have the charger built in is a bit of a bait in switch IMO.

        That said, I'd not be too heart broken about it, especially if they come back and install an SE10000H at no charge.

        To be honest, the Only benefit it has over a 240V 32A Charger w/ WiFi and App support that can be had for $500-$600 range, is that when the Sun full up, it can provide 40A instead of 30A charge rate. And if you're on an EV TOU plan, you likely wouldn't be charging it during daylight hours anyway but overnight at low rates. Also, this inverter is about $800 more expensive than the SE7600H w/o the built in charger. If you've got a 240V NEMA 6-50 plug in the garage you're already good to go with another charger. If you don't have a 240V NEMA 6-50 plug in the garage, and they are swapping out the SE7600H for the SE10000H, see if they won't install a 240V outlet for you since you're effectively loosing the charger from what you expected, but that you'll go buy your own charger.

        Comment


        • #5
          I am sure that the company will make this right. They were very concerned about my comments and this is a quote from the email. "
          I apologize for the issues that you're having, but we WILL be taking care of you and make sure that you are satisfied when we are through." The company has truly been great to work with, but I think that I have the right to be concerned about everything about the installation. I am also having them check the power optimizers used for the install. It wouldn't surprise me at this point to see P350 on 375 watt panels. Part of the reason for this post is to gather information to treat the company with the same respect that they are showing me.

          Comment


          • #6
            Well they don't make a P350, but they could have used a P370, which probably would be Ok, but a P400 would be preferred. That said, my searching shows a negligible price difference, and the p400 is often cheaper as it's more commonly used. That's what was installed with my 335W panels and is the only thing my installer uses as there's no sense in stock both when he gets them at the same price.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by TAZ427 View Post
              Well they don't make a P350, but they could have used a P370, which probably would be Ok, but a P400 would be preferred. That said, my searching shows a negligible price difference, and the p400 is often cheaper as it's more commonly used. That's what was installed with my 335W panels and is the only thing my installer uses as there's no sense in stock both when he gets them at the same price.
              They absolutely make a P350, or used to. The final pamphlet I received with my installation has the brochure for the P300, P350, P400, and P405 Power Optimizers. The P350 is listed as for the 72-cell module and the P400 is listed for the 96-cell module. By receiving this pamphlet and what happened with the rest of the installation, there could be a possibility they used older surplus optimizers that they purchased for 72 cell modules.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by TAZ427 View Post
                but a P400 would be preferred.
                This is not necessarily true. It depends on the specs on the PV module.


                The P370 has higher amp rating on input. Both are within spec for the LG375 but the P400 is very close on the short circuit ratting, the P370 is a better fit (though both would perform nearly identically)
                They could also use the P405 or P505 (pretty new) though.
                OutBack FP1 w/ CS6P-250P http://bit.ly/1Sg5VNH

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by discodanman45 View Post

                  They absolutely make a P350, or used to. The final pamphlet I received with my installation has the brochure for the P300, P350, P400, and P405 Power Optimizers. The P350 is listed as for the 72-cell module and the P400 is listed for the 96-cell module. By receiving this pamphlet and what happened with the rest of the installation, there could be a possibility they used older surplus optimizers that they purchased for 72 cell modules.
                  That is really old stuff the P400 is good for 72 and 96 cell but is replaced by the P405 and P505
                  The P350 was for 72 cell and is pretty old.

                  https://www.solaredge.com/sites/defa...tasheet-na.pdf
                  OutBack FP1 w/ CS6P-250P http://bit.ly/1Sg5VNH

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Attached is the exact sheet I received with my install. The link is my solar panel.

                    https://www.lg.com/us/business/solar...lg-LG375N2W-G4
                    Attached Files

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by discodanman45 View Post
                      Attached is the exact sheet I received with my install.
                      This document is from May of 2014 and the P350 was in use in the US for less than a year.
                      OutBack FP1 w/ CS6P-250P http://bit.ly/1Sg5VNH

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by discodanman45 View Post

                        I agree, but there are differences. Aesthetically they are not as nice. They make the frames cheaper and plus the panels have lower ratings. Do you think it is ok for a company to install solar panels that are primarily used for commercial without telling the client? Knowing this would have made my decision different.
                        As far as I am concerned, the primary considerations are how well the shape fits into a situation, and
                        cost per watt. 60 cell might be slightly cheaper per watt, and a failure might be easier to replace. My
                        panels are end to end (5 X 72 or 6 X 60 = 360 cells) so it makes no difference. My 72s are actually a
                        stronger construct at 60lb vs 35lb for a 60, but this isn't universally true. Bruce Roe
                        Last edited by bcroe; 07-01-2018, 05:17 PM.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by bcroe View Post

                          As far as I am concerned, the primary considerations are how well the shape fits into a situation, and
                          cost per watt. 60 cell might be slightly cheaper per watt, and a failure might be easier to replace. My
                          panels are end to end (5 X 72 or 6 X 60 = 360 cells) so it makes no difference. My 72s are actually a
                          stronger construct at 60lb vs 35 for a 60, but this isn't universally true. Bruce Roe
                          72 cell are cheaper, do not have the most efficient (but close) cells, and do not come in black frame.
                          Other than that there is not much wrong with 72 cell but because of those issues, I generally avoid them on residential.

                          as Bruce points out there are stronger modules in both 72 and 60 cell though.
                          OutBack FP1 w/ CS6P-250P http://bit.ly/1Sg5VNH

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Did you snap a pic of the sticker on the back of the panel ? does it say commercial or residential?

                            All panels have aluminum sides, some are painted, some are anodized. Bare aluminum would be a bad because of corrosion issues,

                            I doubt they will upgrade your electrical service panel for free, that is usually a MAJOR expense. They should change the inverter to an EV model and re-program it's output to limit to what your service panel can legally handle.
                            Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
                            || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
                            || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

                            solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
                            gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Mike90250 View Post

                              I doubt they will upgrade your electrical service panel for free, that is usually a MAJOR expense. They should change the inverter to an EV model and re-program it's output to limit to what your service panel can legally handle.
                              I would suggest ADDING an inverter. Specifically the SE3800H with EV capabilities and leaving the SE7600H in place. This would solve both problems. They could also do a line side tap to solve the feed in issues of the larger inverting capacity.
                              OutBack FP1 w/ CS6P-250P http://bit.ly/1Sg5VNH

                              Comment

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