SunDave
Solar Enthusiast
Hi forum friends. I have set a goal for myself to install a robust solar system. I have phase one (see link) of that system complete.
Looking forward to phase 2, pick apart this plan and see what I could improve please! Ideally keep in mind what you would do different, or what your ideal setup is now if you were to start over.
I have decided on ground mount due to weird roof, and plenty of space to do so.
Ground mount: Quoted Sinclair and MT solar. I want approximately 4 feet off the ground so I don't have to do snow removal. MT solar looks great, but is expensive. Can go full vertical, which would be ideal for the winter months. Sinclair is a trusted brand, and should be less expensive, but will not tilt to anywhere near vertical. This should be less than 250 ft from the inverter.
Panels: This ties in with the ground mount. I plan to use non-bifacials. Something like this. I have a very similar panel now on my small 2kW array, REC Pure 400AA and they are stellar performers. December and January, and I can still get very near full rated output at solar noon. My reason for this type of panel? The known entity, and the fact that I can max out the Sol-Ark 15k. They have the right VOC and such to do a full 19+kW setup. They are also shorter vertically than the larger 500+ watt panels so they SHOULD help with ground clearance if I go with Sinclair.
I have been trying to get a local installer to get back to me, but they seem elusive, and want to use bifacials, which I can only use about 12-13 kW of due to their VOC, etc. Not a great fit for my 500 volt limited inverter in a cold climate.
So, what am I missing? Am I being dumb to avoid bi-facials or larger panels? I like that bigger panels are less wiring, but it's not like I would be using 100 watt panels here.
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Looking forward to phase 2. You guys and gals have been awesome. Hopefully I have helped others some too!
Looking forward to phase 2, pick apart this plan and see what I could improve please! Ideally keep in mind what you would do different, or what your ideal setup is now if you were to start over.
I have decided on ground mount due to weird roof, and plenty of space to do so.
Ground mount: Quoted Sinclair and MT solar. I want approximately 4 feet off the ground so I don't have to do snow removal. MT solar looks great, but is expensive. Can go full vertical, which would be ideal for the winter months. Sinclair is a trusted brand, and should be less expensive, but will not tilt to anywhere near vertical. This should be less than 250 ft from the inverter.
Panels: This ties in with the ground mount. I plan to use non-bifacials. Something like this. I have a very similar panel now on my small 2kW array, REC Pure 400AA and they are stellar performers. December and January, and I can still get very near full rated output at solar noon. My reason for this type of panel? The known entity, and the fact that I can max out the Sol-Ark 15k. They have the right VOC and such to do a full 19+kW setup. They are also shorter vertically than the larger 500+ watt panels so they SHOULD help with ground clearance if I go with Sinclair.
I have been trying to get a local installer to get back to me, but they seem elusive, and want to use bifacials, which I can only use about 12-13 kW of due to their VOC, etc. Not a great fit for my 500 volt limited inverter in a cold climate.
So, what am I missing? Am I being dumb to avoid bi-facials or larger panels? I like that bigger panels are less wiring, but it's not like I would be using 100 watt panels here.
---------------------
Looking forward to phase 2. You guys and gals have been awesome. Hopefully I have helped others some too!
