do you anticipate the cost of batteries will be reduced when there is more competition? Recent research indicates high prices (seemingly even with tax credits), what seems like modest power capability of batteries and, in some cases, limitations on adding batteries over time if one wants to phase the installation to spread the cost over time.
Sol-Ark has EMP hardened Inverters. I was thinking along similar lines as well.
I would strongly encourage you against a single INVERTER. The SOTA now is a micro inverter on every panel. It makes no audible sonic change. Inverters are noisy. Caveat emptor
the 25 year warranty is a must but the efficiencuy of each panel is the key. SunPower panels are 122% efficient.
a1solarstore.com
Have SunPower panels and both single inverter for the panels that were installed a long time ago as well as micro inverters for the new panels. I don't hear any adverse effects on sound quality from solar power generation.
Steve, with all due respect, please read my comments. This isn’t a competition. And, I wrote my initial anecdotal evidence based on a system that (I already have).the 25 year warranty is a must but the efficiencuy of each panel is the key. SunPower panels are 122% efficient.
REC solar panels vs Sunpower
Solar panels have become a popular choice for households and businesses looking to reduce their carbon footprint and energy bills. As a result, many companies have entered the solar panel market, each with its own unique technology and selling points. Two
Agree it’s not a competition. I was trying to suggest what I know over the past 5 years. Batteries for me used to be top of my list. Not any more. In the 12 years we have lived here we have had only one brief power outage which was planned by the utility company because of high winds. It lasted a few hours only. Now with 2 EV’s in our garage I’m only interested in producing what I need and sending whatever surplus I have back to the grid to bank as a future credit. In the 5 years and now with the 2 cars for the past year I am still way in the positive. That for me is most important as our utility is the most expensive in the nation with rates at some times hitting $0.65/KWH. I’ve learned how to game the system as they have a special rate of $0.15/kwh between midnight and 0600 on weekday and until 1400 on weekends and holidays.They charge $16 per month for this. I’ve been doing this whereas my neighbors who also have EV’s charge during the day when the sun is out. They are not covering their monthly use by way of production as a result and are having monthly bills of around $100. My goal is to never have to pay them and in 5 years I haven’t. As a result I used to have batteries at the top of my list. Not any more. My point about efficiency is merely to point out that in todays technology some panels can be as low as 85-90 % efficient and many companies now produce panels that are greater than 100% efficient To me that’s good thing. My biggest concern is that many big inverters are noisy Perhaps that was the case when we bought in and todays technology it isn’t an issue. I can understand that where you live batteries are more of a necessity than where I live. In out community I would estimate that over 60% of the homes have solar with more going in on a regular basis. To my knowledge only one house in our community has batteries in their garageSteve, with all due respect, please read my comments. This isn’t a competition. And, I wrote my initial anecdotal evidence based on a system that (I already have).
So what’s 122%? A marketing sleight of hand? Yes, our solution is different from your system and possibly your belief system, but at this point it sounds very fine to my ears. And I juxtapose this to the sound I previously had before and after the Shunyata Denali V2 additions vs running purely grid mains. We will see. Though this is a discussion on a high-end audio forum, my first priority with solar power did not include audio performance as the research is not conclusive. And five years ago perhaps your decision was also not completely informed.
Often in this hobby I find and have come to the conclusion that you do not know you have noise until you eliminate it. So my posture tends to be reluctant to be too quick in saying that I don’t have some form of noise. It’s complicated. I believe you can appreciate that. Yet, so far, so good.
There are so many aspects to setting up a good working solar system. Because Sunpower did not have a complete solution for us I could not run their PVs. Their advertising may attempt to sell them as the best panel on the market, but in cost versus performance scenario I wouldn’t be so sure they are that much better than say REC’s top of the line. Now, of course it all depends when we bought into the market. I’m a new customer of it. Buying at today’s performance/cost ratio and working through a big learning curve. At this point we are confident that we made the best choice for us. Battery power will be a whole nother thing to sort out. By the way, without inverting again, how do you plan to add batteries?
So many good points and many specific to different regions. This really adds to the complexity of each of our equations.
Agree on all points. I was highly motivated as well by the Investment Tax Credit
That is a good conclusion. I found quite an improvement in SQ with the addition of a Denali. Still, I was suspicious that the main inverter might be adding noise. When the panels needed some maintenance (replacement of some parts that have now been improved and paid entirely by SunPower, fortunately), our solar was down for two days. No change in sound although I will admit that I expected some improvement. Once repaired, no change in sound.
I guess your inverter is a pure sine wave one, right?
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