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Originally Posted by Roostre

Have you experienced any issues? How often do you need to clean them?

Power Generation Issues: NONE since system went live 8/1/2013.
Cleaning: More than a dozen of my panels have never been cleaned in 3+ years! I cleaned two at year 1, four more at year 2. I used a Mr Clean Magic Eraser mop and hand washing dish soap and cleaned just a few to determine if any appreciable energy was available from cleaning. For me, the answer was NO. When comparing them in my energy production graph, after year one and year two it was nearly impossible to tell the panels I washed from the panels I didn't. At year 3, I'm sure they could all benefit from a wash since I saw some minor mildew growth on the glass when I was on the roof installing an anemometer a few weeks ago (just before the tropical storm called Hurricane Matthew). Cleaning my panels on the second floor stone coated metal tile roof is not for the faint of heart. I did all the work installing the PV system myself, but I still respect the second floor fall potential working on the roof. If I don't need to wash them, I don't! I live in a nearly sub-tropical climate where I get heavy rain, frequently. Dust is never a problem. Oak pollen is a minor issue certain times a year, but a good rain washes that away without human intervention.

As others have mentioned, there are literally enough of us with Enphase systems to explain anything you need to know.


My System: Self-installed, self-designed, self-permitted documentation(other than the structural engineering to survive a 3-second gust of 170mph, and I picked out the specific parts for the engineer to choose from to perform his wind load analysis calculations)
Panels: 4.4kW (20 panels, 220W Evergreen [after bankruptcy] Black frames)
Inverters: Enphase M215 (with MC4 connectors, Qty: 20)
Mounts: Unirac Creotecc Tile Hooks (qty: 102)
Racking: Unirac Solarmount (bronze, three rails per panel to achieve wind load rating)
End Splices: Unirack Solarmount Splice (bronze, one between every end butted rail, Qty:6)
Trunk cable: Enphase landscape, (26 drops)
Enphase Trunk End Caps: 2
Wire Mounting clips: Stainless Tie-wraps 11" (found them on clearance, cheaper than any solar track wire clips I could buy)

Roof Junction Panel: Hubbell-Wiegmann HW-80604CHSC (fiberglass)
Panel Subpanel: Hubbel-Wiegmann HW-MP806FG (fiberglass)
Terminal Blocks: Automation Direct DN-T10-A (qty:8)
Terminal Block Brackets: Automation Direct DN-EB35 (qty:2)
PVC Cable Glands: qty:4 (sized appropriately for Trunk/TC-ER cable.)

Tray Cable: General Cable 279910 (UL TC-ER rating 12awg-4cond, runs between roof junction panel, down a weatherhead, and to the attic junction panel)

Attic Junction Panel: Carlon 8x8x4 PVC junction box (qty:1)
Terminal blocks: Automation Direct DN-T10-A (qty:8)
Terminal Block Brackets: Automation Direct DN-EB35 (qty:2)
Terminal Block Rail: Automation Direct DN-R35SAL1-2 (qty:1)

Attic to PV Combiner Wire: UF 10/3+G
Rack Ground Wire: Bare 6AWG (solid)

PV Combiner Panel: Square-D QO QO816L100RBCP (8 space 100A)
PV Combiner Breakers: Square-D QO 15A (two pole, qty 2)
Wire PV Combiner to Main Breaker Panel: 6AWG (bulk, in three distinct colors, Qty: 6 ft per color)

PV Main Breaker: Square-D Homeline 30A (two pole, qty 1)

Rack Grounding:
WEEB 6.7 Grounding Lug (one for every rail)
WEEB Bonding Jumper (one between every end butted rail)
WEEB DMC Grounding Clips (one under every other panel pair attached with one mount)

System Monitoring: Enphase Envoy
Monitoring Wifi Connection: TP-Link TL-WN721N

Three-Line Wiring Diagrams: I drew those in AutoCAD, submitted as 11x17 paper copies. (at the time I designed my system, I worked for a company that designed A/V systems and integrated A/V gear all over the world. I was always drawing wiring diagrams, so drawing a PV system wiring diagram wasn't much different.)

Permits: My local AHJ required structural and electrical permits and multiple inspections. They also allow homeowners to do their own work on their own house, so long as the work meets applicable codes. I studied up on the applicable codes, asked questions where I didn't quite understand how the AHJ preferred to have things: like labels. I studied the appropriate version of the NEC being used, and designed the entire system to be NEC 2011 compliant. As a result, I can explain how the whole system works, top to bottom, Sunshine to 220Vac in my meter sub-panel.

I wrapped all the stainless tie-wraps with black heat shrink tubing to avoid electrolysis (separate the stainless from the aluminum mounting rails) and to limit potential wire chafing. It also disguises the tie-wraps from standing out like a sore thumb on the black rails. I painted the lowest visible tile hooks so the silver hooks don't stand out against the black track, black panel frames, and arctic blue stone coated metal roof.

When I assembled my components to build my system, I acquired things piecemeal as budgeting allowed and pricing seemed right. (my employment was in a bit of a downturn at that time, so I had to be frugal, but when I had second income from my part-time job I could put toward the project, I did!) My parts came from combinations of Civic Solar, AltE Store, Solarpanelstore, Automation Direct, and others. I had no bad experiences with any of the vendors I used.

If you look closely at the list I made above, you'll see some panel components I borrowed from my work experience behind the scenes in world renowned theme parks. UL Listed, NEMA 4x rated, weatherproof fiberglass panel enclosures by Hubbell-Wiegmann . Even my AHJ inspectors hadn't experienced those before. I simply opened the panel, showed them the UL Listing, the NEMA ratings, and the weather seal. They responded: You know your equipment. The terminal blocks I used in two of the panels: Attic and Roof, are also borrowed from commercial applications. They're UL listed, 30A, 600V rated and any AHJ inspector who has inspected heavy commercial work has probably seen them before. They beat the pants off trying to wire nut a 12AWG stranded to a 10AWG solid wire, sitting on the roof. Sure, a wire nut is cheaper, but I tend to use the best device for the application, not always the cheapest. I can trouble shoot my terminal blocks on the roof without disconnecting the wires to get a meter probe in them.

Occasionally people ask about my Evergreen panels and "why did you buy from a bankrupt manufacturer, aren't you worried about warranty down the road?". My response remains: I have no guarantee any PV panel company will still be in business should I have a claim down the road. At $0.78/W in 2011, I was willing to take a gamble with panels from what appeared to be a quality manufacturer who couldn't compete with cheaper competition. I consider myself self-insured with the money I kept in my pocket the day I ordered those panels.