You all see what the bad cops do for police and their pr. Best to get this nipped in the bud with the fly by night solar companies before it gives the whole industry a bad rep. The lender that paid my mom’s solar debacle paid the solar installers all the money up front. Before checking the job is complete. If you ask me they are just as complicit in the fraud as the solar companies. They have crazy high interest and could care less the ramifications once that dotted line is signed. America turning into a predatory lending nightmare on top of middle class crippling inflation. Yea no one is here to save you. And this “necessary transition or we won’t meet demand” narrative sure falls on its face when the gouging goes unabated.

Just a quick one really, need the roof felt replaced so the panels will have to be taken down and reinstalled. Is there any obvious reasons why I can't do this myself? it's just an invertor into the house and grid so can i just turn off the invertor and supply to the house then unplug them and bring them down for a couple days or am I missing something?

We have a sort of complicated roof on a new-build in Southern California that has many low-profile O'Hagin vents. Is it possible to install solar panels over them? Do the vents in this diagram seem excessive? Thanks

https://preview.redd.it/yo0arjgoeapc1.jpg?width=1406&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=82a513503aa968ea5de7f229a7a739032d3551c1

I have a 6.6 kW growatt solar system + 7.5 kWh ARK storage (3 modules of 10 max, each 2.5 kWh, LiFePO4). I am thinking to buy 3-4 more. A 2.5 kWh module is about at USD 1,200.

Max of 7 pieces will be $8.4k, but I'm not sure my solar panels are enough to fill it up. But 3-4 kind of making sense. Grid electricity is 22 cents fixed but it's very weak and unstable single phase with prospects of being improved in 3-5 years.

Do you think there is any breakthrough in solar storage (available to public) within next like 5 years?

Does it make sense investing in batteries today, or better wait a year or two?

Thank you (oh. Just noticed i have mistyped the topic)

Just curious - is there any way to automatically report your solar generation on an ongoing basis so you can get paid for your SREC-IIs? I know there are services that will do this for you - but they have a built-in and not-well-disclosed fee of like $5 per SREC-II, or like a 6%+ fee, just for handling the initial setup and reporting your generation monthly. (They'll pay you out $80, when the SREC-II price is $85, and they keep $5 each for the service - I was turned off by the fact that they weren't transparent about the fee they were keeping, and the amount seems high for what I'm sure they're doing in an automated fashion.)

In any case - is there any way to automate the ongoing monthly generation reporting myself now that I've set up my GATS account and my payment account? Or do I just need to go in a manually enter my solar generation amounts per my meter every month for the next 15 years?

Am a newbie to Solar .So couple of days back i had installed a 3 .15 KW capacity on grid solar . I have been getting 14 to 15 units per day . Can you please interpret the graph , i feel there is something wrong at the start of curve. It shows same pattern everday.

I financed through dividend finance about a year or so ago with 1.99 APR. I've been making my payments, with no issues. But everytime I look at my credit report it's not listed as an account or anything?

Am I just over analyzing or did they do something wrong? Also side note, the company that installed my panels (solar is freedom) filed bankruptcy.

Opinions?

Can i DIY my own home solar power to make it off-grid? though i am really afraid of electrocution and little knowledge of housewiring. Any advise?

Some more information about non-export expansions is coming out. Enphase released a new training video showing some possible system configurations.

Of note:

1. Installing a separate meter isn't required
2. Revising existing electrical wiring isn't required
3. Standard solar and battery equipment in zero-export mode can be used

Some previous discussion in this post.

I bought a house in Ontario 10 years ago and had to take over the solar contract. It was with Pure Energies back then. They have since sold this company and it looks like the new company name is Rsssolar. My roof is at its end of life and I need them to take down the panels so that I can redo my roof, and then have to reinstall it. This is included in the contract that I cannot handle the panels myself and need this company to send their approved contractors to do it. They’re also supposed to cover the cost of this on a one time basis.

I’m at a loss of how to contact them. I tried email and phone for the last 2 weeks. Any advice? I can’t just not redo my roof…

Anyone in Texas switched from a solar buyback plan to a night's free plan? If so, how did the cost compare? I might be forced out of my 1 to 1 net metering contract due to being a net exporter. My system is 1 year old, so I had no idea what my annual production and consumption would be. I run my A/C a lot at night, so most of my grid import would be covered in nights free plan hours. I also have a 10kWh battery to cover some of the morning and evening grid imports not on nights free plans. I wanted to get feedback before diving into the math.

For context, location is southern New Hampshire. Have an existing system of 20 REC 445W panels w/ Enphase IQ7A microinverters.

This add-on (effectively a separate system, as far as using a separate Enphase IQ combiner, would be 10 Q-Cell 425W panels w/ Enphase IQ8M microinverters. Looks like $4.61/watt before 30% tax credit, $3.22/watt after the credit. Thoughts on price?

Quote link: https://i.imgur.com/5SQe3eM.png

The estimate of 2700 kWh/yearly is based on our added energy needs since we installed the original system (1 EV, 1 PHEV, now using geothermal for HVAC)

My plan is to also get a quote from ReVision Energy as well given the good reviews I've seen mentioned on this form, but first went with the original installer to see what it would come out to.

Overproducing shouldn't be an issue as long as we're under the transformer limits, yes? If that's the case, I'd prefer as many panels as I can fit on the garage (12 maybe?) to keeping the price/watt down given that per Eversource I can "request a payment once per year, following the March billing cycle, provided that the accumulated credit balance is in excess of $100."

Thoughts welcome :)

We have gone from 8 quotes for a 10kW AC system including both ground mount and roof mount options down to 2 finalists, both for roof mounted systems. Our barn roof is oriented 160 degrees southeast and 39 degree slope. Roof mount comes in at $1/W or more cheaper than ground mount, mainly due to trenching and cabling, plus structure.

The 2 finalists both propose Longi LR5-66HPH panels - one is for 32 X 495W panels for 15.84kW DC, the other for 30 X 500W panels for 15.0 kW DC, and both propose Fronius Primo 10.0 (15.0kWp) inverters and Fronius rapid shut down devices. Racking, critter protection, electrical all included in the proposals. Both proposals forecast production in the 18,000 kWh range.

The 32 panel proposal comes to about $2.42/DC W and the 30 panel comes in at $2.02/DC W. We are pushing both vendors to sharpen their pencils a bit, but I think $2.02 is pretty good. (The best ground mount quote was $2.75/DC W with a number of caveats and potential extras; highest ground mount quote was $5.11, which left me laughing.)

My question is whether we should care deeply about the last 840 W DC installed? How should we think about this wrt to potential clipping or other production issues?

In case you are wondering: we are in Ontario, dollars are Canadian, HydroOne limits us to 10kW AC installed for Net Metering, and have received an offer to connect from our utility without any network upgrades - connection fee of $800. Connection is to a panel in the barn, which is below the central meter which serves 3 buildings including our house. There are no grants available to us, but we can get 0% financing for 10 years.

We are about to put a few bucks into this, and would appreciate some thoughtful advice.

Hello,

I am completing a project, in which I was thrown in the deep end because I know little to nothing about solar.

I’m looking at getting a 160W Solar panel with 15a MTTP regulator to connect to a Century Deep Cycle Battery N70T. This is a 102ah 12V Lead acid battery. This will be seated inside a Dune 4WD Deluxe Powered Battery Box.

I need to power a maximum of 336W for 24Hours. Will I be able to achieve this without hassle? Or am I kidding myself?

Thanks.

Hello, just joined here. I'm looking at adding two speakers under my newly installed patio cover. There are no power outlets close by, so I'm wondering if I can add a couple of solar panels that will be able to power the speakers the whole time. I'm not sure how these solar panels work or how they connect to devices. Thanks

If you recall my other post asking about changing solar contracts, this is a follow up. I spoke with Tesla, and they confirmed that while this contract makes zero economic sense for this property, they will not renegotiate the rate, and they will not let me out of it unless I pay the $8600 to buy out the system.

Here's how it works. The system was installed under an agreement with the original owner. There would be zero upfront cost for installation, and no monthly payment, except that SolarCity (now Tesla) sells all the power generated by my system back to me at a rate of $0.1616/kWh, and gets to keep any tax credits associated with the system until the system is paid off in 13 more years, incidentally the life of the panels.

The rate for utility power is $0.17/kWh. So there's zero savings to be had there, but at least I'm not losing money on a monthly payment.

There is no battery backup on the system, so I pay 16 cents/kWh during the day (when I'm at work anyway, using minimal power) and then at night I have to buy grid power. It's absurd. The representative from Tesla told me the only way to make this make sense is to buy a battery bank which could be $1000s, so I can keep that electricity that is generated when I'm not around. Otherwise they sell it to the grid for $0.08/kWh.

This is the only way I would potentially see any savings, but it's not really a savings, is it, and it's only theoretical. I couldn't get them to tell me if this is calculated on an hourly or net monthly rate.

This is all assuming that the system actually produces equal to or greater the amount of power that the house will use. I'm going to swap to all LEDs, try to insulate as best as possible, and try to run as little appliances as possible. House is about 1600 sq/ft, brick construction, built around 1900. It has summer winter hookup oil radiator heat/water heater, so at least I won't have a water heater running up my electricity bill. We'll see I guess. 3.9 kW system.

I'm not going to lie, I was pretty excited to have solar at first, but this has left me feeling very bitter because I feel I am just paying the same rate for all my electricity usage but with extra steps. When I asked "why would anyone ever agree to this" the first woman told me that "many people get a happy feeling knowing their power is generated sustainably" it wasn't until I reached the third guy that they told me this makes zero economic sense.

The rep from Tesla told me that the old man who previously owned the house probably got taken advantage of by the salesman on this system. It feels extremely skeevy that they're allowed to sign a property into a 20 year contract which is forced onto the next owner, which does not allow any future owners to renegotiate upon rates. I understand they need to get their money, but I mean come on. It's a completely one sided contract. The only way out is to pay more money, or pay more money, money I don't have. Really wish I had known about this when we were in the negotiation phase, but I'm closing on Friday and it's too late for that.

Anyway I'm interested in what you guys think honestly. What do your contracts look like? Maybe someday I'll have the money for a better, cooler system, that is a real asset on my home instead of just a middleman for paying market rate.

Simple one if you have a battery (or multiple) and wish to charge up as quickly as possible.

How long does it take the battery to refill. Say 0-100% or 10-80% etc. with access to a 2hr free power window per day I’m wondering how much juice I can push into the battery in that 2 hr window from the Grid.

I’m looking at 2 battery’s in particular.

Enphase 5P (2 of I think) Tesla Powerwall 2

Hi everyone. I own a 10kw grid tied system and Im looking at adding 3kw more to a patio cover I will be building soon. Since I don't have any more room on my roof where the sun will actually hit the panels. Installing them on the patio is the only option I have. Is this ok to do?

Hello Friends,

Reviewing a residential solar project in Northern California area. This is my first solar project.

I have signed a contract for 20 REC Panels with Enphase string micro inverter and Enphase 10T Battery. The contract is past the 3 day period but I have only paid the minimum deposit so far.

I was provided with the attached electrical diagram and panel placements. I would greatly appreciate any feedback this community may have if I should ask for any change. The system size and annual production is in line with what I signed.

The logic behind going thousands of dollars into debt to MAYBE save a hundred dollars in electricity cost a month has never made sense to me. Maybe I'm missing something but in an overwhelming majority of people, solar doesn't even make financial sense so why do people do it? Again, I may be missing something

Hello, I purchased my home in April 2022, with solar panels already installed. The previous homeowner, elderly lady had just got them installed and between her and the solar company- they never transferred the panels to my name. I’ve been emailing, calling- doing everything I can to get in contact with this company for TWO years. Until today, I got nothing back. Today I received an email claiming I had breached contract and owe them $20,000 to be paid immediately. I’ve never received a refund for them being installed, the solar company has never cleaned the panels, hell I don’t even know if the panels WORK. What can I do? How can I resolve this when I can’t even get a response or an answer when I call?

Anyone has the Enphase System controller have or know if the generator can just be diy connect or does it need your solar installer to connect them also?

As I understand it, the system controller allows for your own generator to connect to it; does it require a professional connection also? I know nothing about it...has anyone use this method as backup instead of actually needing to install a battery?

Hi All,

I'm looking to get some recommendations on solar power companies for a home located in Brooklyn, NYC. So far I have reached out to Brooklyn SolarWorks, but would love to hear of any other companies that people have had great experiences working with.

thanks.

Has anyone ordered Powerwall battery through the Tesla website? Does that price include whole house power back up where they split your panel into a critical sub panel? Or is it strictly for high peak period usage with no house backup which would cost additional money…

A young door-to-door salesperson came by my home today. I opened the door and he explained he was helping my neighbors save money on their electric bills.

"Have your electric bills gone up lately?"

I asked if he had looked at our roof. He glanced up briefly (hard to see it from the front door).

"It's hard to see it because it's so high"

I asked him, "are you selling solar panels?"

"There are no-cost options that I've been talking to your neighbors about."

I suggested he "take a few steps back toward the street and look up at our roof."

"Oh, do you have solar already?"

I politely said I had to get back to work.