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Any thoughts on this solar proposal?

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Hello,

I have zero experience with solar so thought I'd reach out to all of you and ask for opinions on this proposal. I've made some conservation changes to my property, brought my usage down to about as low as I think I can get it with conservation alone, and am now looking to add PV.

Questions:

1. Does the proposed cost seem reasonable?

2. Is this a good inverter choice for a grid tie system?

3. Any thoughts on these LG panels?

4. I'm not sure what questions to askView attachment Solar Proposal_Redacted.pdf

Thanks for taking the time.

View attachment Solar Proposal_Redacted.pdf
 
1. Does the proposed cost seem reasonable?

Hmmm... ~3.50/w... that's not a good price but I would probably call it reasonable... although a little on the high side. I just did an install in Texas and the materials cost was ~$1.80/w... but you're going with LG panels. If you're worried about warranty claims then LG is a great company to go with since solar exclusive companies like Suntec are far more likely to fail than a goliath like LG.

2. Is this a good inverter choice for a grid tie system?

I don't know much about Fronius every system I've installed was SMA. $4.9k DOES seem rather pricey for a 10kW inverter. Here's one for ~$3k http://www.civicsolar.com/product/sma-sunny-boy-10000tl-us-240v-inverter curious as to what $2k more buys you...

3. Any thoughts on these LG panels?

$1.4/w is on the high side... Astronergy panels sell for half that and there's really not much difference from panel to panel... but LG is more likely to be around in 15 years if you have a warranty claim.

Hope this helps...

View attachment 49238[/QUOTE]
 
$3.50/W is what you're going to see near me in the most exceptional circumstances. In fact, a recent quote came in at $4.40/W for an expansion for me.

I read somewhere that the "national average" for an installed system was $4.00ish prior to incentives. Of course, that's because pricing and incentive structures eventually become inter-twined -- solar companies charge more because they know you're going to get $X in incentives. Kinda like the roofing companies after hail damage -- "Q: what's your price?" "A: exactly what the insurance company will give you."

My 9 kW system was 30x300W Lifeline Energy panels + 8 kW SMA inverter, installed for $3.89/W last year.
 
Not sure if they were lowballing the system rating, but my 3kW system produced about 6kWh last year. For 3 times the size of my system, I would think you would produce a lot more power than that. Although I am using the Enphase micro inverters. Is there no State tax credit or power utility tax credits anymore?

P.S. I like the email address - effcomp.com.
 
The proposal seems fair especially considering CA. I installed a 7.1KW system last year for $3.65 so cost is ball park right.

I do not know specifics of the parts but LG is a stable company and worth a slight premium in my opinion. There have been many solar companies that have folded in recent years. I have the SunnyBoy SMA inverters that have the nice feature of supplying some power when the grid is down.

For more details on several systems see the thread driving on Sunshine in this same topic area and register your vote.