Solar Panels on poss. unpermitted structure question

[Grumpycat]

Sounds similar to the quote i just got today minus the generac. We got a quote for a 45 panel 17kw system. 48k for the system before any incentives, rebates and grants. 24k after all those are applied. Not sure we are going to go through with it or not but I do have another company coming out later in the week for a second quote. Will see what they say.

Yes, your solar installer is cashing in on your tax credits. $3/kWh is what everyone is quoting nationwide. Parts cost about half that.

For only 45 panels for 17kW they must be using very expensive 380W panels. The best value is currently somewhere around 300W which requires 60 panels, but costs less in spite of extra mounting hardware if you have the space.

Parts only for $27k: 18 kW Grid‑Tied Solar System with SolarEdge and 6 Heliene 3w Panels - Wholesale Solar

The problem lies in local permitting and what the utility will let you connect. Wholesale Solar keeps a list of local installers willing to do the job.

 

[mikester]

Within a 100 mile radius of my house there are many private homes with solar panels. VERY few are on the roof of a structure. They sit in a frame work on the ground. Some are quite large - 8' high by 50' or 60' wide. I'm sure a couple of the advantages are maintenance & access.

If you are putting it on your roof then be sure to budget replacing your roofing materials NOW before installation of the solar. Fixing leaky roofs with solar panels on them is costly and full of headaches.

Personally Id make the solar system free standing with a tracking system. Easier to keep clean and there is no sense investing $$$ and only getting 80 percent of rated output because of bad orientation 10 months of the year. I also dont want critters making nests between my solar panels and roof.

Around here tax assessors consider solar panels as additional living space on your property assessment. Do they stick it to you where you are as well?

 

[bazman82]

If you are putting it on your roof then be sure to budget replacing your roofing materials NOW before installation of the solar. Fixing leaky roofs with solar panels on them is costly and full of headaches.

Personally Id make the solar system free standing with a tracking system. Easier to keep clean and there is no sense investing $$$ and only getting 80 percent of rated output because of bad orientation 10 months of the year. I also dont want critters making nests between my solar panels and roof.

Around here tax assessors consider solar panels as additional living space on your property assessment. Do they stick it to you where you are as well?

I keep reading about keeping panels clean and what not. When I asked the salesman last night about that, he said to let mother nature do its thing. Cleaning the panels with anything other than hosing it down can void the warranty. Even hosing it down needs to be done when its cool out and if the output drops below what its rated for then the company will come out and take care of it. That was the advice he gave. He said any "acts of god" would go under the homeowners insurance so any nests, or animal damage, weather damage etc etc.

Also, for the ground mounts, those cost more than the roof for the initial set up and if I go solar, it would be best to be on the roof for my situation.

When I asked about batteries and being able to be self sustained for power outages, that increases the price considerably.

 

[LD1]

That was the advice he gave. He said any "acts of god" would go under the homeowners insurance so any nests, or animal damage, weather damage etc etc.

On that note, I'd make sure your homeowners insurance is aware you are installing solar panels and they they will be covered.

They write the policies based on expected repair costs and how frequent it is likely to happen.

Budgeting for a $5000 roof repair in the even of a hail storm is a whole lot different than $30k worth of solar panels

 

[NorTracNY]

I keep reading about keeping panels clean and what not. When I asked the salesman last night about that, he said to let mother nature do its thing. Cleaning the panels with anything other than hosing it down can void the warranty. Even hosing it down needs to be done when its cool out and if the output drops below what its rated for then the company will come out and take care of it. That was the advice he gave. He said any "acts of god" would go under the homeowners insurance so any nests, or animal damage, weather damage etc etc.

Also, for the ground mounts, those cost more than the roof for the initial set up and if I go solar, it would be best to be on the roof for my situation.

When I asked about batteries and being able to be self sustained for power outages, that increases the price considerably.

Our system is about half your size. Purchasing after rebates was 12-13K and 20yr lease was 5K with "buy option" in year 7 of less than 1K. i.e. it was a no brainer whether I wanted to buy or lease, I would start with the lease. For many reasons, I am staying with the lease. How long has the installer been in business? How likely are they to actually come back and fix something? The biggest cost is the inverter. How many years guarantee are they giving you on that?

NY is not allowed to add assessment value to a home because of the panels. The electric company RG&E was very easy to work with. I'm not sure if they go out to you, but whoever you have will install a new two way meter for you. You'll true up once a year with them.

I've never had any issues with animals nesting under our panels. The installer did say that his company quoted one customer 1K to take the panels off and then put them back on after a new roof was put on.

I was also told to let mother nature take care of the panels. If they are covered with snow a few days in the winter (shortest days and sun lowest) who cares. If the sun actually comes out, the snow will slide off the panels fairly quickly.

 

[bazman82]

Our system is about half your size. Purchasing after rebates was 12-13K and 20yr lease was 5K with "buy option" in year 7 of less than 1K. i.e. it was a no brainer whether I wanted to buy or lease, I would start with the lease. For many reasons, I am staying with the lease. How long has the installer been in business? How likely are they to actually come back and fix something? The biggest cost is the inverter. How many years guarantee are they giving you on that?

NY is not allowed to add assessment value to a home because of the panels. The electric company RG&E was very easy to work with. I'm not sure if they go out to you, but whoever you have will install a new two way meter for you. You'll true up once a year with them.

I've never had any issues with animals nesting under our panels. The installer did say that his company quoted one customer 1K to take the panels off and then put them back on after a new roof was put on.

I was also told to let mother nature take care of the panels. If they are covered with snow a few days in the winter (shortest days and sun lowest) who cares. If the sun actually comes out, the snow will slide off the panels fairly quickly.

Solar by CIR was the company that came out. He did tell me that about the metering and that its done in April. The inverter has a 5 yr warranty and he said the first summer and winter are the true tests to if it will last or not. He also mentioned something about this is the last year to get in on the 1 for 1 deal with electric companies. In short, right now, for every 1 watt you produce and give to the electric company you get 1 watt back is how I understood it. After this year apparently the electric companies are changing that to something like every 1 watt you produce and give, you get 0.90watt back. That is not an exact number but that is how he explained it. I haven't heard anything about that and figured it may be the salesman just spouting stuff to get a buyer to sign within the year. He also said that anyone that already has solar before that goes into affect would be grandfathered in for a period of time. More research on my end will need to be done looking into that.

 

[deezler]

I keep reading about keeping panels clean and what not. When I asked the salesman last night about that, he said to let mother nature do its thing. Cleaning the panels with anything other than hosing it down can void the warranty. Even hosing it down needs to be done when its cool out and if the output drops below what its rated for then the company will come out and take care of it. That was the advice he gave. He said any "acts of god" would go under the homeowners insurance so any nests, or animal damage, weather damage etc etc.

I dunno, my panels get a thick coating of pollen on them in the spring time that reduces output significantly (~20%? noticeable, anyway). However I do not have quite as much angle on my panels as I would have liked, only tilted up about 20° above horizontal, so perhaps they might accumulate dirt more easily. But I just go up on my gently sloped roof (3.5/12 pitch) in the evening after the sun is off them, and hit them with some gentle cleaner and a couple microfiber towels. 30 minutes of time to get many more kW-hrs throughout the summer.

 

[Grumpycat]

The federal law only requires utility to purchase PV power at the audited cost of incremental production. For TVA that is 1.5¢/kWh. The remainder of the cost of electricity is paying for the generation plant, wires to deliver the power to your home/business, and the people to keep all that running. “Net Metering” paying the delivered retail price for PV power is theft from the utility, for not paying to maintain the infrastructure.

Some utilities such as Alabama Power levy a connection fee of $5/kWh of capacity/month. Then pay only 1.5¢ for what you produce. As a result there may be only 50 PV installations in Alabama Power’s coverage.

Uh, only $1,000 extra to remove a PV system from the roof then reinstall after new roof? Unbelievable. Re-installing is no easier than the initial install. Plus the equipment has to be removed without damaging and much such as anchors must be replaced.

 

[NorTracNY]

Solar by CIR was the company that came out. He did tell me that about the metering and that its done in April. The inverter has a 5 yr warranty and he said the first summer and winter are the true tests to if it will last or not. He also mentioned something about this is the last year to get in on the 1 for 1 deal with electric companies. In short, right now, for every 1 watt you produce and give to the electric company you get 1 watt back is how I understood it. After this year apparently the electric companies are changing that to something like every 1 watt you produce and give, you get 0.90watt back. That is not an exact number but that is how he explained it. I haven't heard anything about that and figured it may be the salesman just spouting stuff to get a buyer to sign within the year. He also said that anyone that already has solar before that goes into affect would be grandfathered in for a period of time. More research on my end will need to be done looking into that.

April is good. RG&E lets you pick the month. I picked March or April. March will likely be the first month that you will produce more than you use around here. Generally, in October I start using more than I produce. I have not heard anything about changing the wholesale price for power I produce. It's ridiculous for the power company to have to pay wholesale, but this is NY and they want to have people put up panels. I have not heard about inverters failing quickly, but that's generally true for most electronics. I'm told that inverters generally last between 15-25years. I'm actually hoping mine goes before 20 as I don't expect the company to pay someone to remove a 20yo solar system from my house. It'd be nice if it was a relatively new inverter that they leave at my place.

 

[deezler]

It's ridiculous for the power company to have to pay wholesale, but this is NY and they want to have people put up panels.

I used to think that also. But it's really not ridiculous, actually. Distributed power generation reduces strain on the grid, and reduces the amount and cost of future grid maintenance and upgrades. Multiple analyses have shown that increasing the amount of residential solar (to a certain point) lowers electric costs for everyone. Currently we are letting the established, fossil fuel monopolies dictate policy to our state governments using bad logic and junk science.