# Resi Solar installs.



## Adam12 (May 28, 2008)

Don't see a lot happening in this section..
Here are some random pics of some of our jobs. I get to take in some pretty cool views from atop the roof sometimes. 

We work on some really nice homes out here in So. Cal. Some just steps from the beach or on a private lake.


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## FrunkSlammer (Aug 31, 2013)

Wish solar would take off here, but the (government) poco is not friendly to it whatsoever.


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## Adam12 (May 28, 2008)

We're really busy which is great. The work can be repetitive but it was a welcome change after doing commercial/industrial for the last 13 years.


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## zac (May 11, 2009)

FrunkSlammer said:


> Wish solar would take off here, but the (government) poco is not friendly to it whatsoever.


Nor does the Canadian sunshine!


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## FrunkSlammer (Aug 31, 2013)

At least you're getting fresh air... today I was sucking through a mask in a hot attic.

How does the power get distributed.. like when the sun is shining and no one is home, the power goes back into the grid? And what if someone is home baking a cake, all the solar is consumed and whatever else is needed gets sucked from the grid?


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## Adam12 (May 28, 2008)

If you're producing more than you're demanding you go off of the grid and build credit with the POCO. If you demand more than you're producing you take the difference from the grid. Depends on the size of your system.


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## FrunkSlammer (Aug 31, 2013)

Any idea what the installed retail price is per watt or kw? If the power goes out, does the system shut off? If you have a back up generator will the system come back or stay offline?


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

FrunkSlammer said:


> Any idea what the installed retail price is per watt or kw? If the power goes out, does the system shut off? If you have a back up generator will the system come back or stay offline?


I've looked at the generator to pv thing kind of because a bunch of my customers asked me for it when I put in their pv system. So far as I know which I admit is not so much, the generator sine wave does not trick the inverters , they know the diff between that and the poco power, and the pv backfeeding a generator is not healthy for the generator when the sun power current exceeds the customer's load. But there are companies working on those problems.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Around these parts it is about $ 1k per 240 watt panel installed. Some cheaper, some more expensive. This place was boomin for around ten years, but now the poco has thrown the brakes on grid tie installations.


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

Adam12 said:


> We're really busy which is great. The work can be repetitive but it was a welcome change after doing commercial/industrial for the last 13 years.



Good on you Adam :thumbsup:

But those tile roofs look a tad intimidating :001_huh:

I'd wager one loose one would ruin your whole day....

~CS~


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

somebody give me some numbers on how long it takes the customer to pay off the installation. (nice pics by the way)

I've run the numbers a few times over the last 10 yrs and I don't see where it pays. If the life of the equipment is 15 yrs, it doesn't seem to pay at all.

(mid Atlantic east)


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## backstay (Feb 3, 2011)

wildleg said:


> somebody give me some numbers on how long it takes the customer to pay off the installation. (nice pics by the way) I've run the numbers a few times over the last 10 yrs and I don't see where it pays. If the life of the equipment is 15 yrs, it doesn't seem to pay at all. (mid Atlantic east)


It all depends on how much of the cost someone else pays for.


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## zac (May 11, 2009)

Adam12 said:


> Don't see a lot happening in this section..
> Here are some random pics of some of our jobs. I get to take in some pretty cool views from atop the roof sometimes.
> 
> We work on some really nice homes out here in So. Cal. Some just steps from the beach or on a private lake.
> ...


The third picture from the last looks like saddle back mountain?


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## Adam12 (May 28, 2008)

zac said:


> The third picture from the last looks like saddle back mountain?


You may be right. The pic was taken from a home in Coto De Caza. Where the "Houswives of Orange County" is filmed.


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## zac (May 11, 2009)

Adam12 said:


> You may be right. The pic was taken from a home in Coto De Caza. Where the "Houswives of Orange County" is filmed.


Then it probably is. I think it is the highest peak in the O.C.


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## Chrisibew440 (Sep 13, 2013)

Pic #6. 

Skylights make me wanna step on em.


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## zac (May 11, 2009)

Pic # 9 Mission Viejo?


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## Adam12 (May 28, 2008)

zac said:


> Pic # 9 Mission Viejo?


Yeah, that's Lake Mission Viejo. You must be from OC?


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## FrunkSlammer (Aug 31, 2013)

What's going on in this pic?


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## zac (May 11, 2009)

Adam12 said:


> Yeah, that's Lake Mission Viejo. You must be from OC?


No, but I have worked there. I'm south of you. Enjoy all that smoke?


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## Adam12 (May 28, 2008)

FrunkSlammer said:


> What's going on in this pic?


Three inverters for three different arrays on the roof. The conduit tying in over the top of the inverters is the dc coming in from the modules and the conduit tying in the bottom is the ac back feed to a Pv sub panel which ties into the main panel with a 60a breaker. Each inverter is on its own 20a breaker in the sub.

The enclosure below the sub panel is the monitoring for the system.


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## Adam12 (May 28, 2008)

zac said:


> No, but I have worked there. I'm south of you. Enjoy all that smoke?


We worked in Irvine yesterday and the smoke was really bad. As bad as if the fire was actually in Irvine. Not to mention it was 90*+ yesterday.


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

You know, everything gets repetitive, but with small jobs like these, the fast pace keeps things enjoyable.

Looks good. I know nothing about solar but it looks like you guys are busy with no end insight. :thumbsup:


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

Looks like you've got some kind of control wiring zip-tied to the pipes. What all is involved with the controls?


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## Adam12 (May 28, 2008)

MHElectric said:


> Looks like you've got some kind of control wiring zip-tied to the pipes. What all is involved with the controls?


It's communication cable from inverter to inverter to the monitoring box which is tied into the internet.


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## ElectricJoeNJ (Feb 24, 2011)

Adam12 said:


> Three inverters for three different arrays on the roof. The conduit tying in over the top of the inverters is the dc coming in from the modules and the conduit tying in the bottom is the ac back feed to a Pv sub panel which ties into the main panel with a 60a breaker. Each inverter is on its own 20a breaker in the sub. The enclosure below the sub panel is the monitoring for the system.


60a breaker in the main?? What size service and main breaker?


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## Adam12 (May 28, 2008)

Yeah... 200a main with a 200a bus. Main breaker derated to 175a.


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## ElectricJoeNJ (Feb 24, 2011)

Adam12 said:


> Yeah... 200a main with a 200a bus. Main breaker derated to 175a.


How is the main breaker derated. Did you physically change it out? Rating plug?


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## Adam12 (May 28, 2008)

Replaced the 200 with a 175. It's common.


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## ElectricJoeNJ (Feb 24, 2011)

Adam12 said:


> Replaced the 200 with a 175. It's common.


I was asking because I've only ever seen or done that on commercial installs, never residential. What's the cost of that breaker compared to doing a line side tap?


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## Adam12 (May 28, 2008)

I don't have any idea, I just order it.


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## ProdigalSon (Feb 10, 2011)

A question for the electricians who do solar installs... do you ever use fall-protection (ie: harnesses, yo-yos, lanyards, etc...) on very steep roofs? 

We have a lot of steep roofs here in the northeast and I recently had it out with a former employer over fall-protection (or lack thereof...).


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## ElectricJoeNJ (Feb 24, 2011)

ProdigalSon said:


> A question for the electricians who do solar installs... do you ever use fall-protection (ie: harnesses, yo-yos, lanyards, etc...) on very steep roofs? We have a lot of steep roofs here in the northeast and I recently had it out with a former employer over fall-protection (or lack thereof...).


I very steep roofs I would use fall protection but but also start building the racking from the gutter up so I can use it as scaffolding to get up the roof easier


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## Adam12 (May 28, 2008)

We use fall protection. We nail "D" rings into the rafters, attach a yo yo which is tied to our harnesses.


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## USMC240 (Aug 7, 2012)

We have also been looking into a line side tap but have not done one yet. Can we just switch to a double lug meter base and tap in that way? Has anyone here installed on an exposed fastener metal roof such as an R-panel? I've heard conflicting things.


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## cthermond (Feb 10, 2011)

ElectricJoeNJ said:


> I was asking because I've only ever seen or done that on commercial installs, never residential. What's the cost of that breaker compared to doing a line side tap?


 I've had to change out 200a. to 175a because the city of Encinitas Ca. will only allow up 175a main for overhead single family residential services, over that limit you have to goe underground. The mains ran about $125.00 give or take a few dollars.


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## cthermond (Feb 10, 2011)

Adam12 said:


> We worked in Irvine yesterday and the smoke was really bad. As bad as if the fire was actually in Irvine. Not to mention it was 90*+ yesterday.


 I'm a small union contractor in San Diego county. I will be starting a photovoltaic class at the end of this month. I don't know if I will be doing solar work or not but I want to know the basics just in case.


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

cthermond said:


> I'm a small union contractor in San Diego county. I will be starting a photovoltaic class at the end of this month. I don't know if I will be doing solar work or not but I want to know the basics just in case.


I share your same mind-set. I have a thirst for knowledge, even if I never use it, I still want to be competent with it.

You pay for your knowledge, one way or another. Whether employed, or self-employed, it costs to learn something new. I think I may start looking into seminars for solar or other types of work that i dont know much about, just so I have a better understanding of it, without all the mistakes.

Lately, Ive been interested in doing my CE with someone who is offering a class on pools. Not that i care to jump into that work, just so that ill know more about them when I come upon them. So far I haven't had any luck finding an instructor who offers this.


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

U.S. Residential Solar Just Beat Commercial Installations For The First Time



> In addition to being the largest quarter ever for concentrating solar power, a method of large-scale solar generation that uses a unique ‘salt battery’ to allow the solar plant to keep producing power even when the sun goes down, it was also the first time in the history of SEIA’s reports that residential solar installations surpassed commercial in the same time period. *232 MW of residential PV were installed in the first quarter, compared to 225 MW of commercial solar.
> *


Seems like something to keep an eye on....:thumbsup:

~CS~


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## Swordsman (Jun 14, 2014)

Dual axis tracking, 12 kw of modules, and two 5kw string inverters. Currently produces an average of 3800kwh a month.


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