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arnesr · 02-26-18, 02:12 PM

My public monitoring website:
https://monitoringpublic.solaredge.c...f-2900174afd6e

This was my first solar install. Most of what I learned I learned online or by doing and thinking things through. I learned a lot just from reading others posts on this website, so now it is my turn to give back to the community and share some of what I have learned.

Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for your actions if you choose to follow my work and something bad happens. Although I try to be as safe as possible, let’s face it working on a roof is dangerous and electricity can be dangerous. If you are not comfortable with DIY projects you may not want to tackle something like this yourself, or you may want to hire out some of the work by a professional. I, in fact, did just that for the final grid hookup. I wasn’t sure of my abilities to install the revenue meter socket and line side tap, so I hired an electrician for just that part. That said, labor is an expensive component and anything you can do yourself will of course reduce your break even period.

These forum threads probably helped me the most with planning my system, there is a lot of useful information and inspiration within:
http://ecorenovator.org/forum/solar-...lar-array.html
http://ecorenovator.org/forum/solar-...orth-cost.html
http://ecorenovator.org/forum/solar-...kw-system.html

Another good source of information was found int the wholesale solar blog: https://blog.wholesalesolar.com/ I did not source any parts or materials from them, but their install of the month series has a lot of good information and pictures. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and sometimes it is true.

I also registered on the IREC website and watched some of their videos and reviewed their material. The website is aimed at code officials, but sign up is free and I found the information helpful as in installer to see what my inspector might be looking for. IREC

I ordered the bulk of my materials from Renvu as they seemed to have the best prices and I saw a lot of recommendations from others in the forum. Their Solar Kit Guide works pretty well, you just have go through the recommended materials and make sure they are a good fit for your needs and see if you can source some things locally/cheaper.

After I settled on the SolarEdge inverter system, I also registered with them online and downloaded their Site Designer software. It allows you to enter your panels, optimizers and strings and verify if your plans are solid. I am completely sold on the SolarEdge system. When I initially looked into solar, I thought I would go with Enphase micro inverters, as they seemed to be the DIY option of choice at the time. I think the pendulum has swung now in SolarEdge’s favor. My electric untility rep that performed my commissioning stated he is seeing a greater number of SolarEdge installs now as the majority. From a safety standpoint, I really like that each optimizer only outputs 1V until the inverter is up and running. It makes it easy to test that each panel is hooked up before it goes live, 11 panels in the string, should read around 11V, check! Wire costs were also cheaper than an enphase system. Of course the downside is the inverters, if they fail, you have some down time until they are replaced. I actually had one of my inverters fail after 3 days online, likely defective, so I was down for about a week before I received a replacement form SolarEdge. The warranty replacement process went without a hitch. Solar Edge just asked for a couple pictures of the unit and shipped me out a replacement. No problems since.

My PV watts estimates:
House Array 20 315W LG Panels:

Garage Array 33 315W LG Panels:

02-26-18, 02:12 PM	#1
arnesr Lurking Renovator Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Greenville WI Posts: 13 Thanks: 1 Thanked 7 Times in 2 Posts	DIY 16.695kw Solar Array My public monitoring website: https://monitoringpublic.solaredge.c...f-2900174afd6e This was my first solar install. Most of what I learned I learned online or by doing and thinking things through. I learned a lot just from reading others posts on this website, so now it is my turn to give back to the community and share some of what I have learned. Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for your actions if you choose to follow my work and something bad happens. Although I try to be as safe as possible, let’s face it working on a roof is dangerous and electricity can be dangerous. If you are not comfortable with DIY projects you may not want to tackle something like this yourself, or you may want to hire out some of the work by a professional. I, in fact, did just that for the final grid hookup. I wasn’t sure of my abilities to install the revenue meter socket and line side tap, so I hired an electrician for just that part. That said, labor is an expensive component and anything you can do yourself will of course reduce your break even period. These forum threads probably helped me the most with planning my system, there is a lot of useful information and inspiration within: http://ecorenovator.org/forum/solar-...lar-array.html http://ecorenovator.org/forum/solar-...orth-cost.html http://ecorenovator.org/forum/solar-...kw-system.html Another good source of information was found int the wholesale solar blog: https://blog.wholesalesolar.com/ I did not source any parts or materials from them, but their install of the month series has a lot of good information and pictures. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and sometimes it is true. I also registered on the IREC website and watched some of their videos and reviewed their material. The website is aimed at code officials, but sign up is free and I found the information helpful as in installer to see what my inspector might be looking for. IREC I ordered the bulk of my materials from Renvu as they seemed to have the best prices and I saw a lot of recommendations from others in the forum. Their Solar Kit Guide works pretty well, you just have go through the recommended materials and make sure they are a good fit for your needs and see if you can source some things locally/cheaper. After I settled on the SolarEdge inverter system, I also registered with them online and downloaded their Site Designer software. It allows you to enter your panels, optimizers and strings and verify if your plans are solid. I am completely sold on the SolarEdge system. When I initially looked into solar, I thought I would go with Enphase micro inverters, as they seemed to be the DIY option of choice at the time. I think the pendulum has swung now in SolarEdge’s favor. My electric untility rep that performed my commissioning stated he is seeing a greater number of SolarEdge installs now as the majority. From a safety standpoint, I really like that each optimizer only outputs 1V until the inverter is up and running. It makes it easy to test that each panel is hooked up before it goes live, 11 panels in the string, should read around 11V, check! Wire costs were also cheaper than an enphase system. Of course the downside is the inverters, if they fail, you have some down time until they are replaced. I actually had one of my inverters fail after 3 days online, likely defective, so I was down for about a week before I received a replacement form SolarEdge. The warranty replacement process went without a hitch. Solar Edge just asked for a couple pictures of the unit and shipped me out a replacement. No problems since. My PV watts estimates: House Array 20 315W LG Panels: Garage Array 33 315W LG Panels: