RFI: Supplemental Home Solar Power

[HeavyDuty]

Waiting on my solar panels to be delivered next week, I’m doing partial solar power to power some of my house using a portable Ecoflow Delta setup, stock photo, but it’s what I have (two Ecoflow Delta Pro solar generators and one extra battery unit per).

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When I did my almost daily drive-by of the new house yesterday I noticed one of the other new houses had solar installed sometime recently. I am very tempted to do something like this.

[BN]

Don't get your solar from Pink Energy, formerly Power Home Solar. Our system seems to be working OK but there are a lot of complaints on the internet. Do your homework before choosing a company.

[LittleLebowski]

Don't get your solar from Pink Energy, formerly Power Home Solar. Our system seems to be working OK but there are a lot of complaints on the internet. Do your homework before choosing a company.

Honestly, solar is getting very user friendly. There's no reason why a moderately technical homeowner can't do an install with a little help from an electrician.

[Oldherkpilot]

Waiting on my solar panels to be delivered next week, I’m doing partial solar power to power some of my house using a portable Ecoflow Delta setup, stock photo, but it’s what I have (two Ecoflow Delta Pro solar generators and one extra battery unit per).

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Could you expand on the solar panels you chose? Just ordered a solar generator and panels will be the next purchase. Thanks.

[LittleLebowski]

Could you expand on the solar panels you chose? Just ordered a solar generator and panels will be the next purchase. Thanks.

Well, that’s difficult. I originally ordered used 325w panels for $125 per, but SanTanSolar sold out of them and hooked me up with these for the same price.

You have to move quick on solar panels and used/blemished are fine, panels last years and years. These are a generic good deal, given that I don’t know your requirements.

https://www.santansolar.com/product/...w-solar-panel/

[Coyotesfan97]

Their west coast office is pretty close to me.

[DrkBlue]

So there is a storm a’coming in solar generation. ⛈

Last year Congress passed a law that sanctioned the Chinese use of slave labor.
The problem is effectively almost every solar panel in the world is built with Chinese components.
Earlier this year, Joe Biden took executive action to allow Chinese solar panels to be transshipped through Vietnam, Cambodia, etc.
Likely there will be trouble if the Republicans win the House in this general election. Also likely there will be eventual legal challenges that executive action will cause another major supply chain cut.

Recent discussion- Paywalled for some people…
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...rced-labor-law

Discussion of the Chinese market involvement…
https://www.csis.org/analysis/dark-s...labor-xinjiang

In my area, we are about 50/50 on good versus bad solar installers. Lots of complaints and bankruptcies. As the cost has been rising for the last two years with inflation, I feel I waited too long. My utility kilowatt cost is $.11, which also made the payoff longer term.

[LittleLebowski]

Their west coast office is pretty close to me.

Saves you a lot on shipping.

[TGS]

Just wanted to reiterate to look into what your supplemental solar provider allow. Unless something has changed, they usually won't allow you to modify the system to run off the grid. If you get a supplemental solar plan where they own the gear, you'd have to ride out the contract and have them uninstall it before you could then install your own off the grid system.

So, if going off the grid is the goal, even if just for emergencies, its probably best you start preparing from the beginning to buy a system outright on your own like @LittleLebowski

We had a system two houses ago that was through Vivent, I think it was. No issues, loved it, worked great.

[LittleLebowski]

Just wanted to reiterate to look into what your supplemental solar provider allow. Unless something has changed, they usually won't allow you to modify the system to run off the grid. If you get a supplemental solar plan where they own the gear, you'd have to ride out the contract and have them uninstall it before you could then install your own off the grid system.

So, if going off the grid is the goal, even if just for emergencies, its probably best you start preparing from the beginning to buy a system outright on your own like @LittleLebowski

We had a system two houses ago that was through Vivent, I think it was. No issues, loved it, worked great.

Yeah, fuck that ("grid tie" is the official term). Offgrid only, thanks. The hardest thing about going solar nowadays is the red tape.