Jul
04
2011
Installing Photovoltaic Solar Power at Home
By Solar Expert
This vid shows the various steps in planning and having a company (Real Goods Carlson: www.realgoodssolar.com install photovoltaic solar electric power in my rear yard in San Diego; definitely more challenging than a roof installation. My rationale for this: reduce my carbon footprint, buy / own my energy (like I do my house), help address CA’s energy shortfall and take advantage of the state and US government incentives for early adopters to save on the installation. I just uploaded it to Repower America: www.repoweramerica.org
how long will it take to get a return on the 25k dollars outlay,thats a lot of money.i take it the company that did the install worked this out for you as well….love the idea of solar energy for homes,why dont they by law make new build houses have panels fitted and new housing estates have one large wind turbine by law.
Well done thorough in entire process!!
They did call dig-alert – Real Goods Solar handled all that (and the permitting). Part of the service.
you did all that digging without calling dig alert?
the sales rep is hot !
you did all that digging without calling dig alert?
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You can own your water, RAIN WATER RECLEMATION
@precigeoguy I did not know about the passive solar vs. water heating solar restrictions, though it seems dumb to me without similar laws for sprinklers…
Sharp and SMA , what a great combo, does not get better than that ! you were also lucky the inspector did not know about or choose to enforce the pool codes, solar hot water panels are not actually allowed to be closer than 10 feet to the pv modules. Great ground rack, roof can’t leak and the workers were safer.
@ReddsMorris You’re welcome. Unfortunately, I have a wood shake roof, so lots of contaminants that would deposit on the glass. Also, you’d need a pump and plumbing to get the water to/from the panels. I also looked into an Aluminum heat sink behind each panel ducted into the ground (cooler), but that’d be cost prohibitive, too.
For a roof mount, there is a new system (separate) that cools the panels and uses the heat saved for water heating & A/C. Goes from 20% up to 50% efficiency.
I agree but with a 1000sqft of roof to the down spouts and a 1 inch rain is 600 gals saved. Then the water that went to the panels could be directed back to the tanks. A cool panel will be 9% better for more energy. Even so I liked your system. Thanks for sharing with us.
@ReddsMorris Rain? What’s that? Seriously, though, I’ve thought about drip feeding ever since I proved I could get an extra 400W during the summer using my hose to cool the panels mid day. Right now, it’s cost prohibitive for me, though it might work for others: in San Diego we have expensive water, rationing and only 10″ rain / yr (on a good year – it’s been a drought for the past 5 years). Thanks for the idea though & your comments on the vid.
If you save your rain water you can make a drip system for the panels to lower the temps. It works great and cost nothing. And it helps keep the panels cleaner. Thank for a great vid.
The AC rating is different from the DC rating. My system is rated at 4 kW DC, 3.7 kW AC (losses and conversion efficiencies). The actual kW depends on time of year; lower panel temperature = higher the efficiency.
Re: doing it myself, aside from the physical work, there are a lot of local regulations. I recommend you get a good company with many years experience. Avoid new companies & “great deals” – a 20 yr warranty only counts if the company’s in business..
how many watts does your grid tie inverter have and have you ever thought about doing it yourself?
@slicknickverbs about 40% of what you put in to buy it!
At the time the total cost was ~$33K, I got about $7500 back in state rebates and another ~$4K in tax credits. Very different now in C:
- The CSI rebate is roughly 1/2 what it was
- The IRS tax credit is higher (I think it’s 30% and not capped at $3K as it was in 2008
- Cost per watt for the panels are lower cost, too.
My cost was higher as I had to do a ground – rather than roof – installation.
I hope this helps.
How much of that $21,000 did you get back in rebates?
please hit reply when you answer so that I get a notification that you responded. Thanks.
The panels have aluminum frames and are protected by tempered glass (like a car windscreen), so they’re pretty tough. Even if the glass breaks (supposed to be fine against hail), the solar panels themselves will still generate electricity. If you’re concerned, check the manufacturers (mine were Sharp, but Kyocera and Sun Power also make panels)
Are the panels fragile? Do you not have to protect them from falling objects?
It’s certainly not in its infancy – these panels have been used for many years (even in space). Some of the new “thin film” solar is in its infancy, but these panels have a 20 year warranty on them. Regarding aesthetics, I guess it’s a matter of opinion, but I am growing short bushes on the sides to mask the support structure. Otherwise the panels look great and remind me that I’m not dumping all that CO2 into the air (13,000 lb saved in 1 year + no electric bill for the year!)
Cant help wishing this technology was not in its infancy. I am sure that in the future it will be done more gracefully without having to destroy anything or looking ugly.
Thanks for the positive feedback!
Nicely done video with great educational value to those of us thinking about this. Many thanks! (Agreed with your comments regarding self sufficiency and not sending money for energy to countries that hate us — thanks for that also!)