I am sure this has already been ask at sometime however, I am wanting to put solar panels on my home. I live on the coast in south Texas. What are some good units to look into. Installation is no problem son is a contractor. There are several DIY units. We have a small home around 1100 sq ft. Any suggestions, we have never looked into this sort of thing before. Really looking for answers from people who have a unit.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
First, I would make sure that your site is well suited; you should have a south-facing roof, with little to no shading throughout the year.
If you decide to do it, make sure you are getting reputable equipment, and not just the cheapest thing you can find. If you really can do the work DIY, you’ll probably want to look into a grid-tied system.
Something like this kit from Costco actually would give you a decent idea of the parts involved for a small system with microinverters:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11621856
Mounting equipment, 220W panels, and microinverters. The microinverters make it a little easier to install, because it’s really just a branch circuit on the roof which generates, rather than consumes, electricity.
The other option is to use a big central inverter, like this kit: http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11630152
Whatever you choose, be sure you’re getting reputable parts from a reputable supplier. I’d talk with your utility and electrical inspector first too, to be sure you can go ahead with this as a DIY project.
You can look for rebates and incentives here, but again check to see if DIY installs count:
http://dsireusa.org/solar/incentives/index.cfm?re=1&ee=1&spv=1&st=0&srp=0&state=TX
As for sizing, there is no requirement that it supply exactly as much electricity as you use. You could produce more than you use, or less than you use, with a grid tied system. If you install a large enough system that it would produce more than you use, check with your utility about how (or if) you would be paid for the excess.
You can look here for a rough estimate of how much a system of a particular size might produce in your area:
http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/calculators/PVWATTS/version1/US/Texas/
It’s not rocket science, but there are a lot of fiddly details, too. Do your homework first!
p.s. Thanks, Roderick – of course you have actually DONE this yourself, whereas I have only watched someone do it on my roof. But I read up a lot
I like Eric’s response. Give that guy best answer! I had no idea Costco sold kits.
Do check with your local authorities. Last I heard, not all parts of Texas allowed net metering. If you’re in one of those areas where the electric company sells at one rate and buys at another, solar electricity may not be that good a deal. In some locations, they simply have a ratchet on the electric meter, so if you generate any excess electricity, it’s your donation to the electric grid, no compensation whatsoever except what you offset from your own usage during the day. I -think- Houston is one of the good cities that has solar-friendly policies.
If you want to see what we did for our California system, http://roderick.hostcell.net/solar/photovoltaic.html