7 years later my solar panels still achieve maximum efficiency...

Yes, I plan to replace the electrolytic capacitors on my inverter, when needed.

 

Kind of puts another facet on the ol' DIY philosophy~

 

you must have the sma 2500 u, the 2500 hf looks a lot different . What brand modules?

 

Can I ask you guys what a relatively good price is for a rooftop solar pv system (including installation)?

For example, what is a good price for a 5 kW system?

 

Around $5/watt is a ball park price for grid tied PV,a before tax credits and utility rebates etc, a 5 kw system might cost ~25k

Icarus

 

Very locale dependent. In my neck of the woods $7-8/watt.

 

Raw panel prices are ~$2 per watt, somewhat less if you buy by the pallet, inverters are ~ $.75-$1 per watt. Permitting might be maybe ~$.50 per watt. Labor, racking and mounting is a fairly large variable depending on site details, roof structure etc.

Icarus

 

They have a 5 kW system at Costco on sale for $18,000 (before credits & rebates)

Installation is separate.

Is that a good deal?

 

Sounds like you're definitely leaving some power/money on the table. Not sure what panels you have but my Evergreen 205's are rated for 3690W but this time of year with cool air and clear skies they'll hit at high as 4050W. So could be giving up even more than the 3.3kW rated....

 

It is impossible to tell without knowing the specifics of what is and what is not included. (it sounds expensive to, depending on what is included).

Personally, I would find a competent, experienced local installer, and get a bid. I am not a big fan of "kits" especially when they come with an $18k price tag.

Before you invest in PV, it pays big dividends to do your home work before hand. Just because you want PV on your roof, and you "think" you home is well suited, only by doing studies on your location, taking into account many local variables can one determine if it makes sense.

IMHO, it is often more cost effective, as well as more efficient to invest in a solar co-op in an ideal location rather than doing individual installs, even though it is not as "sexy"..

I am not advocating for this specific company nor their idea, but this is the kind of thing I am talking about:

Together we can all go solar. | Solar Mosaic

Icarus

 

It's a Grape Solar 5060 Watt Grid-tied Solar Kit, $17,999 (before tax, shipping included)

22 x 230 watt Grape Solar CS-230-DJ Panels
Certified TUL, UL , CEC, FSEC
Tolerance 0 to +3%
Total Square Feet 396
Dim Ea 64.9" x 39.0" x 1.57"
Hail rated to 2.8 cm @ 86 km/h

1 PVP-4800 inverter from PV Powered rated to 5060 watts, includes ac/dc disconnects

1 roof mounting racking system, rated to 80 mph wind

Does not contain cables, or fuses/brakers, and no installation, no permits, etc.

Warranty is 25 years on the panels, 10 years on the inverter, 10 years on the rack

One of the comments says that this kit does not use a microinverter, and this is a negative. Why is a microinverter better and what benefits does it provide?

 

In Sept. of 2010 I paid $28K gross for a 5.4 kWh system. This consisted of qty. 24 225W Schott panels and an SMA inverter. Also the web box that allows continual tracking of PV system production over the Internet. (I have it set up to accumulate data at 15 min. intervals.)

However my net price was $7.2K after the Tucson Electric utility company contribution of $16.2K, and 30% federal income tax credit / $1K AZ state income tax credit.

Since then, the utility company credit has declined to about 70% of what it had been earlier in 2010.

The reason to use microinverters is if you can't mount all PV panels facing the same direction or if you have a problem with some panels being shaded during the peak daylight hours. If that is not a problem then one big inverter should do well for you.

Right now in April, on good days the system is producing ~37 kWh daily. Total production to date has been > 6,000 kWh from October 2010 to now, which at $0.10 / kWh has a value of ~$600. At this rate I expect to reach financial payback in 7 years or less.

 

You really seem to have gotten a good deal with all the rebates & credits. I'm guessing it's really beneficial in AZ. You average over 3000 watts during the day hours.

I see the benefits of the microinverter(s). I have a big enough roof that this should not be an issue, though I don't think it is ideally oriented.

Thanks for being so informative and helpful.

 

This weekend my Solar System was putting out the full rated 7.5kW. COOL

When the SMOG comes back, it will drop to 6.8 kW ish!

 

sipnful, definitely look for ways to trim your usage (if you haven't already done so) the less you use, the less you need to generate yourself. Investing in efficiency is the best use of your money. Once you've pared down your usage as much as you can, then you can figure out what sort of system you need.

 

Micro inverters are a niche piece if hardware that are well suited for certain installations, not as well suited for others. Drees is the resident expert on micro inverters.

Once again,I would urge you to contact a reputable local installer. I would also do some homework on the subject before you buy some kit. As I said, solar is not for every roof.

You might look here to get some education.

Solar Electric Power Discussion Forum by Northern Arizona Wind & Sun - Powered by vBulletin

There are some very smart folks who know way more about solar than most.
Icarus

I would also note that I have never heard of any of the hardware that Costco is offering.

 

Thanks for the tips.

We're very efficient with our electrical usage. We could be more so with the electrical vampires, but we use CFL's, and limit AC usage. With Patrick's results, there would be a significant surplus. I don't know if Southern California Edison will be paying me to generate power.

I heard Colorado is providing huge subsidies for plug-in conversions. Your Gen II is a good candidate for a Hymotion kit.

 

Costco - Grape Solar 5060 Watt Grid-tied Solar Kit

Here's the link to the Costco kit. I'm not trying to withhold it from anyone .

It's in this month's coupon book also.

 

My results are not necessarily representative of what your proposed system in southern CA will produce. Different parts of the country, even at the same latitude, have differing amounts of available solar radiation which depends upon cloud cover, etc.

Also, solar panel productivity depends upon ambient temperatures. The panels are less productive as ambient temps increase. This is why my springtime production is expected to be better than in the summer when ambient temps will reach 110+ degrees F.

Typically, electric utilities will pay you at the "wholesale" rate for excess kWh produced, after keeping track of your household kWh consumption and productivity on an annual basis. Hence it probably doesn't make financial sense to purchase a system which produces more power than your household uses annually. In my case I believe that the PV system will produce > 95% of our annual kWh consumption so we will have an electric bill above the nominal $7.66/month (which pays for us to be connected to the grid) in one month out of the year.