SanTan Solar Wholesale Solar Panels

[rhino]

SanTan are having another sale so I bit the bullet for 18 250W panels at $45 each. Shipping was another $395 (ouch).
But you still can't beat $1,200 delivered for 4.5Kw of panels.

Yeah.. cost to mount the panels is usually more than the panels now, at least if you want something that will last as long as the panels.

 

[NMNeil]

Yeah.. cost to mount the panels is usually more than the panels now, at least if you want something that will last as long as the panels.

I'm lucky that my roof faces dead south and it's at almost the perfect angle.
Just going to run some more Superstrut, which I already use for my existing 6 panels.

 

[Hedges]

SanTan has a Z-bracket mount, $12 to mount one panel consisting of 16" total of material and some screws. That's 33% of the cost of his cheapest 250W panel.

Solar Panel Z-Bracket (4 PACK) - SanTan Solar Store

Solar Panel Z-Bracket (4 PACK) The SP03 Solar Panel Z-Bracket (4 PACK) is a lightweight aluminum Z-Bracket (Set of 4) for mounting solar panels to flat surfaces. Simply mount the bracket to the solar panel using the bolts supplied and screw the panel to your structure. Ideal for RV, Marine...

store.santansolar.com

You could accomplish the same with angle aluminum and self-tapping screws into side of PV panel frames. Here's 48" for $11, enough for 3 panels so 1/3 the cost of the Z-bracket or 11% the cost of cheap 250W panel. That's four, 4" pieces. Make them 2" and do 6 panels for 5.05% the cost of the panel (plus screws. And your fabrication labor, of course.)

Buy Material Online

Buy material and other metal-working products online at OnlineMetals.com®.

www.onlinemetals.com

But it is easier if you can just mount rails on the roof first and use top clamps to hold panels.

 

[Stewfish]

Where did you guys learn about the MC4 connectors , brands, tools, wiring, etc to get these panels wires. I recieved half a dozen for my RV today. Sending 50 more home I forgot to research wiring. I'm going to go to a midnight solar combiner box then to my controllers. I though why not make my own cables to make wires shorter and less sloppy.

 

[Stewfish]

Should I buy santan MC4 connectors and PV wire?

 

[Hedges]

Where did you guys learn about the MC4 connectors , brands, tools, wiring, etc to get these panels wires. I recieved half a dozen for my RV today. Sending 50 more home I forgot to research wiring. I'm going to go to a midnight solar combiner box then to my controllers. I though why not make my own cables to make wires shorter and less sloppy.

MC connectors are great to work with, touch-safe when dealing with high-voltage strings. Waterproof.

I just buy ready-made cables, cut them in half to make pigtails and feed the bare ends into combiner.
Put a pair of these pigtails on single panel to check polarity and color-code. That way you get polarity correct.

If cables are too long just coil up and cable tie out of the way. No reason to mess with cutting, splicing, or installing new connectors.
If you want, make custom length extension cables. But don't cut the ones that come on panels.

I may buy bulk materials for for the 15 pairs of pigtails and 15 extension cables I'm going to need, due to cost. Simply because the assembled cables I'm seeing today cost more than the last batch I bought.

Should I buy santan MC4 connectors and PV wire?

There or elsewhere. I got some from an eBay vendor.
You'll need a crimper for the connector size. Make sure everything is same wire gauge.

There appear to be a couple styles of locking shells. Some you can sort of open with fingers, or with a tool. Some have the locks shrouded and not all tools work.

 

[NMNeil]

Just a quick thank you to SanTan.
Got my 18 panels delivered this morning. Not only was it on a perfectly sized pallet but there were rubber insulators on the corner of every single panel to keep each panel separated. A total of 9 small edge protectors and 4 full length protectors for each vertical edge, with banding straps and plastic wrapped over the top.
They could not have packed them any better.
The was a downside though.
The delivery company was supposed to call me 24 hours before delivery to confirm that I would be home. No call and a semi was outside my house at 7:30 this morning. Believe me, I'm not at my best when barely awake and without my obligatory chemical kick starter (industrial strength coffee).
No fault of SanTan though.