Just had my 8.54 kW system switched on yesterday. So excited!
Early Christmas present.
Early Christmas present.
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New Solar Install
- Thread starter Lon12
- Start date
nomis_nehc
Member
nwdiver
Well-Known Member
Some places have them... other places 'have' them... but it's part of the NFPA so may not apply in Canada.
nwdiver
Well-Known Member
Meh... to each his own. The only marginal concern with a roof mount is the additional labor required to replace it... eventually... maybe. Roof anchors are pretty much fool proof these days and cleaning only boosts output for ~2 weeks in most areas before you reach peak dirt again. Not much benefit to cleaning.
Roof Mount, Ground Mount... whatever works best for the homeowner
SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
I noticed the same thing. It makes for a more aesthetic install
OP: What is your roof material ?
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I highly recommend a ground-mounted system if you have space, say 1/2 acre or more. They are easy to access, easier to work on (great for DIYers), provide stronger racking, no need to conform to roof dimensions required by code (at least in most US localities), permitting fees negligible ($600 in fee-hungry California when I installed) compared to the total system cost, no need to remove the panels if you need to replace your roof, and much cooler panel temperatures (heat is a solar panel's worst enemy). My dark, concrete tile roof hits 160ºF in the summer when the ambient temperature is a bit over 100ºF. Ground-mounted systems can be hidden from view with shrubs or hedges clipped right at the panel ridgeline vertically and horizontally to prevent panel shading.
How lucky are you going to be to get a roof that has the ideal elevation and azimuth for year-round collection? Fixed mounting wins here too, where you can customize your tilt elevation and azimuth orientation when you build your racking system. The racking expense was not that much, costing about the same as 100 linear feet of chain link fencing, poles mounted in cement (Yes, code required shorter distances between vertically mounted, galvanized steel poles.) The bigger expense, but not enough to discourage me, was the cost of the heftier copper cables back to the invertor (125').
The cost of removing and reinstalling the panels for roof replacement is a biggie. If the roof on your house is over 30 years old, I would be considering replacing the roof before placing panels on it. Besides, how ugly are panels mounted on the front of a house facing south? The easiest way to make a $750K house look like crap IMO unless you're a desert rat living off the grid in Zzyzx, California.
I agree that cleaning may not be as important as window washing companies and solar panel cleaning companies would have you believe. Same goes for those selling a myriad of solar cleaning products marked up 500% only because you spent a bundle on the system.
Yard is smaller than roof area.
I’m able to reach most of the panels easily to remove the snow.
nomis_nehc
Member
nwdiver
Well-Known Member
Panels lose ~0.5% / C. In the summer panels typically run 70C and their rating is based on 20C. So you're looking at a ~25% decline. Peak power is usually in April or May.
helpful info to know! PVWatts estimates 10,400 KWh which equates to approx 250 similar days of winter sunshine. Seems a bit low but i've only had it a week
gnuarm
Model X 100 with 72 amp chargers
Can I ask how much it cost? I have a SW facing house I would love to add some solar panels to, but far too many trees. I'm not sure I'm willing to chop them down. Otherwise panels would need to go on the drain field, again not a good idea, or in the part of the yard more open but still have to chop down trees. The only other option is to open up more of the woods. Not sure how much that would cost. I have considered putting in a free standing garage. It might be a worthwhile option to consider the combination of garage, solar panels and a larger clear space. But it would be some distance to the house, several hundred feet.
Well I live at 51° North so very different from your Southern location.
We have a generous government incentive. So it was only about $1.90 per watt for the whole install. Forecast to generate 10,000 kWh per year.
We have a generous government incentive. So it was only about $1.90 per watt for the whole install. Forecast to generate 10,000 kWh per year.
gnuarm
Model X 100 with 72 amp chargers
Can I ask how much before the incentive? Does the price go up with a smaller system? I would shoot for 3 to 4 kW I think. I can only get credit on my bill for what I use overall. I may not pay anything if I produce too much, just won't have to pay a bill. My roof is also smaller than yours I think. Good pitch for winter though, it's pretty steep, maybe 45°.
dgpcolorado
high altitude member
In my four seasons climate I can see striking differences from day to day, depending just on temperature, as you say.
Yesterday was cloudless but quite cold and it was my best solar day in months, even though the days are quite short at present. I generally see peak production June or May at my altitude — 7670 feet — although part of that is because July and August are in the "monsoon" thunderstorm season, with afternoon clouds very common. June is the sunniest month here but May is cooler. My best day ever was in May — in part due to the "cloud effect" — over the ten years I've been tracking production. March is also usually a good month here because it is rather cold but fairly sunny.
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dgpcolorado
high altitude member
I also like my ground mount panels because I can adjust the pitch with the seasons (from 15º around the summer solstice to 55º around the winter solstice, in 10º increments) and they make it easy to pull the snow off in the mornings — I use a window squeegee on a 16 foot painter's pole for that. The downside is that the cost of the ground mount hardware was quite high, even though I did my own post hole and trench digging (in rocky glacial moraine) and concrete work. I like not having holes in my precious roof, as well as no need to route wires through an attic with blown fiberglass in it (I hate working in my attic). It also keeps the panels a lot cooler, as you said.
My first array was 700 watts and I added another 1470 watts (2170 W total) four years later when I had empirical data on how much energy my EV used. Haven't had an electrical bill, other than the monthly service charge, since 2012, when the second array went live.
^ Solar panels at the summer solstice pitch of 15º.
^ Panels before pulling off the snow in late February; panels are at a 45º pitch.
^ Model S and fuel source; panels are at the winter solstice pitch of 55º.
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