So, I'm building my own little solar "generator". But, I was wondering if anyone had a favorite site that they bought stuff for their projects. Where do people like buying their inverters, batteries, wiring, that kind of stuff? Seems like the only place I can find the stuff I need in one good place is Amazon... and I'd rather not. Thank you!

Hello all,

I was wonder if people negotiate on installation price for installation. I'm getting a residential system with about 20Kw of solar and 60Kw of Franklin batteries.

The total is coming in right around $100,000. The batteries are about $40,000, and I'm estimating the panels around about $20,000. So that means about 50% of the cost is labor.

How does the compare to what other people have seen?

Kind regards

I'm in Illinois? We just got a contract via the state run program to do a 25kw install. We're getting paid ~$40k in subsidies but need to get a loan to cover expenses prior to getting our project up and running.

Was wondering if the internet could step up and help point me in the right direction for financing.

I had my panels installed nearly 4 years ago, and they were perfect. Passed inspection and no wires were touching the roof.

I thought I had a stray zip tie up there for the last 2-3 years and finally went up on the roof to get it. Now, I can see that it’s a wire from the panels touching the roof shingle. It’s been this was for 2-3 years.

1. Is this easily fixable by the installer? Or does the wire need to be replaced?
   
2. Is this a fire risk? Or if it outer jacket wore through, would it simply short out?

Any advice on what I need to do here? Thanks

In case folks missed it, Virginia is now part of the Switch Together program. I was just quoted a 22 panel 9.8kW system for $21k (solar only, no battery). If you go with the PPA it has a 0.99% escalator.

Basically the title, what do we think about the Anker C1000 with 200W solar panel for about $660? I don’t get a ton of solar on my apartment balcony as only get the sunset, so I’m wondering if solar is even worth it for me.

Product number: 2044359 on Costco if you want to look it up.

Thanks for all the help!

This system is going to cost me $33k. About $205 in savings per month. Over 30 years of this system we would save ourselves $73,800. But 30 years is a long time! $33k invested in an index fund at 7% for 30 years is $251k. Am I missing something? I suppose energy rates could go up a bunch and this is kind of like pre-paying your energy bill. How would I model that if I wanted to compare the costs and opportunity cost of this money.
Thanks for any help. Sorry if I left out something important. Quite new to solar.

34,900 in California 6.5kw with 2 5kw batteries all hooked up to existing generac. Seems like good products. Thanks for help.

So I have a solar project (ESS) that got flagged for needing a T&D upgrade.

It is in this state in YourProjects

• Design underway: checked off 2026 04-14
• PG&E Construction Complete: In Progress

In the last update they gave me (in response to e-mail), I was told they were waiting for a permit.

Is there a way I can pull, from municipal permit, public PG&E records, or other places, what is going on with this? I dunno, as a strawman maybe I can find the address of the permit and see the status of the work in progress /s

(Yes, I've e-mailed my assigned project person, they only reply to 1/3 of my e-mails requesting status updates... and I'm only asking them once per month so I don't think it's very spammy)

Hello community members. My wife and I are looking into solar and have received quotes from multiple companies (local and not-local). Can you all tell me whether this quote (photo attached to body) is competitive and fair? That's all I'm looking for? I simply want to make sure these specs make sense and that we would not get screwed. Additional information: the loan is with Sungauge. Thanks!

I just had a new system installed - 28 panels and an Enphase controller. In the app on my phone it seems the consumption grows with the production. I know I'm not using 10.8kW in the house right now (production at 9.0kW and importing 1.8kW). The Enphase support folks said they toggled from using microinverter measurements to meter measurements. Nothing seems to have changed, though.

Any ideas on what I should look at next?

Hello,

I'm trying to understand my portable solar panel spec limitations to my power station (2232 Wh) and would appreciate input.

My outdoor space is extremely limited. Both in width and in height. I am not wanting permanent panels. I need easy portability. I'm not powering a home. Just a couple appliances (maybe a Fridge, TV, WiFi, and Fan. Not all at once. ) for 2 days.... maybe 3. I want access to solar for topping off 'just in case'.

My power station has two Anderson ports. The specs for each are: 500w, 45V max and 15Amps.

I found a 180W Foldable Solar Panel (not bifacial). The width/height is ideal. Specs are: 180w, 17.3V, 10.4Amps. 20.1 Voc and 10.91Amp Short-circuit current.

 *If I should decide to run a pair of these in series, and conditions outside are ideal (assume sunny skies and cool weather) is there a reasonable likelihood my voltage would go above 45V? And fry the power station?*

 If so I'll give up on thinking about these panels in series.

1. The data cable. Run the Tigo ethernet through the same conduit as your DC wiring and code requires 600V shielded ethernet. Custom order, expensive!

2. The connectors. Tigo units use Stäubli MC4s. Generic MC4s aren't good enough ... mixing brands is a fire risk and voids UL. If your panels don't have Stäubli connectors, you're buying Stäubli connectors AND their ~$1,000 crimp tool. Use a Klein crimper instead and it's not UL certified ... and the Stäubli tool leaves an imprint on the crimp that a fire investigator can check for.

Easy fix for #2: buy panels that ship with Stäubli MC4s from the factory.

Anyone who's installed Tigo optimizers ... how did you handle these?

I had a company do a bad install. Mounting feet were not set into roof rafters, but instead the decking. Anyone know if there are replacement mounts that can sufficiently be mounted to decking instead of the rafters? Company is trying to say they can do that so the whole system doesn't have to come down and get a full reinstall with lags properly set in rafters this time. They're certainly trying to minimize warranty costs. Looking for advice. Old NE house. 2/6 rafters with board decking I think

The last AMA we did here in r/solar seemed to be really popular and appreciated - I think we got like 200 questions, I was glued to my phone for days haha. Happy to answer more questions.

This is Matthew, I work for a solar installer EPC (Engineering; Procurement; Construction) and electrical contractor in Tampa, Florida.

EPC means we hold our own electrical contracting license and manage the entire solar installation process in house.

I often hear there's a lack of transparency when it comes to solar panels ("solar panels are a scam!"). A lot of uncertainty around pricing, equipment, timelines, the solar panel business etc. Hopefully this can shed some light on those things.

We do both residential and commercial work (storage units, hotels, offices, wharehouses etc) - ask away on anything related to solar panels, not afraid to be transperant or vulnerable.

I bought a house in 2017 and it had a lease via SolarCity which Tesla bought. When I logged into my Tesla account and view my lease/contract with it, it loads a PDF which just shows the Book of Enoch?

What do I even do with this? Lol.

My Battery stucks or capped at 55% SOC whenever i am in Lithium Mode however when i change it to Use Batt V it can go up to 100% .

my system is Hybrid specs below

5.7kW Panel (6x410w and 6x550w) 5kW DEYE inventer 14kW 280AH battery (PACE BMS) here are the details of my system

when in lithium mode after reaching 43% SOC , Charge Current limit turns to 0A , is this the culprit why im capped at 55%?

also i noticed that my battery is a PACE BMS however it is set to PYLON by the installer.

i also attached my settings in inventer in lithium mode and in use batt V.

also why my system keeps on tripping when we turn on 3 of our AC 2 inverter (900w and 1250w) and 1 non-inverter (840w) when having that total load it still runs for about 1-3 hrs and then trip.

any help would be appreciated

Recently had Solar installed. Not worked since last Friday.

Zero watts being generated usually generate around 5 kWh.

Spoke to installers. They have raised a ticket with Fox(inverter).

I would have thought the installer would have payed us a visit

Now my electricity bill is reduced to almost nil.

Hi all, we recently received 2 quotes from a reputable local solar installer and I’d like feedback. The first 2 pics are for a ground mount system and the next 2 are for roof mounted.
Honestly, they feel more than what I was expecting.
For additional information, we live in the northeast and our home is solely heated and cooled with heat pumps.

System info:
Panels:
SEG-440-BTD-BG
SEG SOLAR INC.
Qty: 20
Inverters:
IQ8HC-72-M-US (240V)
Enphase
Qty: 20

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

UPDATE 1: First of all, thank you to everyone who took the time to step up and comment. You all validated what I was feeling: that this was a BS quote. Second, I really appreciate those of you who gave specific examples and prices of your systems, it’s helpful for comparisons sake. Third, we’re going to be getting more quotes ASAP.

​

Silly me signed a 25 year lease with Sunnova in Florida who is now Sunstrong. My sales rep was with LGCY. My home insurance came up for renewal and through talking to my agent, he suggested that I add extra coverage for the panels, but to find out what they're worth first to get an accurate number. From there I started REALLY looking at what the cash price of my system might be and was blown away. I have 21 panels, and an 8.6 kw system. I've seen people saying they paid as little as $24k for them. The total payments at the end of my lease would be about $67k. Naturally now I'm ready to pay whatever termination costs there are to get rid of these panels. I called and the cs rep said after the 7 day cancellation window, there is no option to cancel. Mind you, that's not what my sales rep said when I asked him prior to signing up. I was initially sold on these because my electric bill at that time was ~350/mo. Now I pay about 145 to solar and 25 ish to the electric company depending on how much is produced. I figured ok thats still less than paying the electric company outright. Either way, I'd never heard of a lease that can't be broken. Any comments or advice good or bad please. Is it too late in the game and just sit with my choice and leave it alone? Is there a better setup than the one I currently have?

Context: I posted this last year and didn't realize it got deleted due to low karma 🥹 but I got them installed July 2024

existing shingles are toast. roof needs to be redone. I should've done it when I had the panels installed. Now I'm thinking of getting a ground mount instead of putting panels back onto the roof to avoid the foot traffic needed to re-install all the panels. this would make it easier to maintain the array and expand it later on as well... the roof is quite treacherous and hard to reach. thoughts? costs? and I could get a ground mount that auto tracks the sun for more production...