I am going solar

Even though you line up the maximum output with the maximum input, it is very unlikely you will get such perfect conditions where you will reach the maximum and get clipping. I haven't had a report of any clipping ever, but like I said I honestly don't know the efficiency curve. I did note that on the specs sheet printout from the past is listed as "Recommended Max. DC Power * (STC)" footnoted "* Higher input DC power may be installed; analyze yearly AC performance." Now the specs sheet just notes "Maximum DC Power (STC)"

As I know there is room to grow for our current inverter setup.

Actually, now that I think about it, the SunPower seller was able to competitively price the SunPower panels with that of the non-SunPower panels....

 

sunny boy . . . . has anyone else noticed that between sun power & sunny boy inverters - the two look identical? Our two sun power 4k inverters look the exact same as the sunny boys ... at least back 7 years ago they did. I'm really thinking one makes the other.




just sayin; ... except for the stickers ... and the much longer sunpower warranty, who'd know the difference
.

 

I thought SunPower inverters are rebranded Sunny Boys, agreed.

I don't remember SunPower inverters having a longer warranty, at least when we purchased...

MT2L03 ?

 

Not sure I understand how the efficiency curve is important since the optimizers are set to output one specific voltage?

Actually got to see the solaredge curves. 7k seems to max out and stay level. I am assuming the lower ones would be more similar to this curve than the higher output inverters. I hope you are right because it is too late for me, but seems like you should try to line up max DC output with max DC input.

MT2L03 ?

 

I mean the more you oversize the inverter, you are shifting your actual curve to the left. On a half sunny day mine will hit the peak you refer to, yours would be down the slope towards the left.

MT2L03 ?

 

Conspiracy theory since I almost caught the first PV installer, one I ended up not going with, doing this. If not happy they will make things right, by selling you more panels at cost. I hope the company you are working with isn't doing this to you.....

MT2L03 ?

 

Yeah, considering how many years/laws/etc of experiences with solar it seems like the "professionals" still don't get it. Our jumpstart was horrible.

First, emergency shutoff switches were in front of the house and we weren't even told about them. Then electrician took a vacation so inspector couldn't come and system couldn't be turned on. Then electric company came and said they can't give us a net meter because the meter box was not up to code (and it was up to our solar installers to put it up to code).

There were a few more errors but finally it was up and we've been loving it sense (though their solar estimates has been lower with the exception of January - wth?) I do like *no* electric bill though and credit...

 

My system has three emergency switches: inverter is in garage with DC and AC shut offs, another AC shut off next to the panel outside, a solar circuit breaker in the expansion electrical panel and another solar circuit breaker on the main panel.
Not to mention a plethora of red and white signs that make that area on the side of the house look ridiculous.

It's been cloudy in SoCal the past week or so, and I was shocked to find that daily generation (15-20kWh) was less than partly cloudy days in February. Normal sunny day production is 33-36kWh. June gloom, go away!

 

What system size do u have ? We have 5.3 and on the best days get only 29. Gloom days in the summer tend to guarantee 10. And winter we would get 16 on a good day and 1 on a snowy day if lucky

 

Hmmm. That's an interesting point. They knew my parents' were cash customers so I guess we were at their mercy with regards to that. I just plain believed him and his wife when he mentioned the extra capacity of the inverter. (Luckily they made a mistake, and we backed out. They set up our payment schedule, and then the next day said they needed more money up front. My father was like, what, then they can do whatever they want. I had to drive to their location and ask for the $1000 deposit check back.) The seller I went with was actually an EE graduate, I think even a Masters degree. He said you should maximize the capacity of the inverter. I believed him because I studied EE CS for 3 years.

That is just a shame that a representative didn't show up! That's crazy. But glad to read in a later post that it was approved to continue. Maybe they knew about this and just didn't come. They should have warned you about that though, instead of leaving you the job to show the inspector!

That's a lot of emergency switches!

I like the clouds. Don't ask them to go away! We need them to keep the water from evaporating, and hopefully provide more needed rain!!!!

 

Ours is 6.7kW, so proportionally on sunny days we are pretty much getting the same output. My hope is that the days when the A/C is running are clear and sunny.

 

They let the panels reach the top edge of the roof? They left the top of our roof open for emergency crew/firefighters.

Are you really set on changing the orientation? I'd leave it. (I'm surprised you didn't know how they were going to orient them. I think I remember them showing us beforehand.)

MT2L03 ?

 

Interesting. I just got PV installed a couple of weeks ago and it was inspected and turned on a week ago.
By code (in my area) there has to be 3 feet of space on the roof on all sides of the panels.
This was annotated, clearly, on all the drawings that I have to approve before it was submitted to the city for approval before anything was ordered. This wasn't a problem for me. I got 12 panels which will produced more kwh than I use by a lot.

I'm going to be getting a Leaf in a couple of weeks to use the extra kwh. Keeping the PIP and selling the other Gen 3 Prius.
I've already been driving my PIP on solar!

Mike