My brother went solar. He doesn’t have a battery backup, but he’s very happy. He has $20 electric bills. My electric bill has almost hit $600 this month, so maybe it’s time to consider installing solar. A few issues:

* I live in New Jersey and not Texas like my brother.
* My roof is fairly steep and it faces east and west. My brother has a north/south facing roof. Even worse, I have a dormer on the east side that shades half of that side of the roof from the sun.

* What should I know about solar installations. Is there a good website that can fill me in as a start?
* How do I find a dependable person to do my solar installation?
* Is my house even a good candidate for solar installation? Is there a dependable tool that will help me see?
* Is leasing a good idea if I can afford to buy outright?
* What about battery backup? My brother doesn’t have it. When his power went out for almost two weeks, he was out of luck. However, he installed his solar panels almost twenty years ago when battery technology was still primitive and very expensive. I take it battery technology is much better now.

Hey guys, I'm looking for some quotes/advice todo a new subpanel + an anker e10 setup with battery and smart inlet into a 100a panel. Curious on limitations and requirements.

Looking for some input!

DM me if you are a seller and want more info.

2.3 lakh = 230000

I work for a solar company and we're currently helping homeowners get solar installed with no upfront cost.
I'm curious to see if anyone here is considering solar but has been put off by the usual upfront cost.
If you're interested, comment below or send me a DM and I can explain how the scheme works and see if your home may be suitable.
No obligation 👍

I am looking into getting a solar system installed, and I'm totally new to this. I wasn't even looking at solar, but we had a door knocked stop and I thought it might be a good idea to look into it. We are a good candidate, we have no shade or trees, not worried about looks because you can't see the roof, and our roof was just replaced back in May. Our electric is about $600 a month, so would love to see savings.

Are any companies better than others, and what should I be asking for? I know the door knocker was pimping a PPA, but we would be just paying cash.

Edit: I just got my first quote of $60k for a 28.980 kw DC system. I have 5 more companies looking just to see the pricing I get. They mentioned Propel, and now I have to research what it's all about.

9Kw of panel + 10KW of batteries:

Sungrow SH6.0RS
2 Sungrow SBS050
21 Trina Solar Vertex S

Since around May most of days i get this choppy performance from the Inverter.

The inverter is Indoors in my garage, i tought it was an overheating issue, so i put a big fan on it, and for a cupple of week the choppiness dropped almost completelly.
Now is like a week that is back at max choppiness, like in the photo.
I'm loosing a lot of KW, so i would like to know how can i fix this.

first thing is the price of the hardware. i did some quick google search and if i just buy these exact parts myself at regular consumer retail price, it comes out to around $12,500 CAD. but the quote has almost $9,000 CAD extra wrapped into the equipment bundle! so they are putting a 70% markup just on the parts alone, and then they still want to charge another $13,000 for the labor and the permits on top of that.

Hey all — sharing some on‑site shots from a 20MW ground‑mount PV plant built on the Gobi Desert in Golmud, Qinghai.

From the racking/mounting perspective, these are three critical factors that shaped the design:

1. Wind load. Open Gobi terrain, zero shelter, long fetch. The design was engineered well above baseline site wind load with added safety margin. No structural callbacks were reported after completion.

1. Thermal cycling. The diurnal temperature swing here is enormous —‑30°C nights to 60°C+ module surface temperatures. This puts constant stress on bolt pre‑tension, slot tolerances and all connection points. Designs that look acceptable on paper can fail within the first year under these conditions.

2. Labor economics at altitude. Pre‑assembly and part‑count‑reduction choices that seem trivial at sea level deliver real cost savings for installers working at 2,800m. Fewer parts, fewer tools, fewer on‑site mistakes at elevation.

Also, honestly: Gobi dust and strong UV mean galvanization and fastener specifications are non‑negotiable. Low‑quality coated steel will not hold up in this environment.

Funny moment during racking install week: one of our engineers put a chocolate bar on a rail to "demonstrate the steel's heat conductivity" for the client. One hour later it was a puddle. Client's verdict: "good steel, bad plate." The row got nicknamed "the largest griddle in the Gobi." 🍫🔥

Disclosure: I work in the solar racking industry and was involved with this project. Happy to dive deeper into structural specifics, coating specs, or desert‑site economics if anyone is curious.

Building an off-grid solar system isn’t just about adding more solar panels. The key is designing the system around your actual energy needs and making sure you have enough battery storage for periods of low sunlight.

A good starting point is to list everything you want to run, such as:

• LED lights
• Security cameras
• Wi-Fi or networking equipment
• Refrigerators or freezers
• Fans
• Small tools
• Pumps
• Computers and other electronics

Then estimate how many watts each device uses and how many hours per day it operates. This gives you an idea of your daily energy consumption.

The main components

A reliable system generally includes:

1. Solar panels – Generate electricity during daylight hours.

2. Charge controller – Regulates power going from the panels to the batteries.

3. Battery storage – Stores energy for nighttime and cloudy days.

4. Inverter – Converts DC power from the batteries into AC power when needed.

5. Protection and wiring – Proper fuses, disconnects, cables, grounding, and other safety equipment are important for a dependable installation.

Don't forget about cloudy weather

One of the biggest mistakes is sizing a system based only on a sunny day. If the system needs to operate continuously, you should consider your local solar conditions and how many days of battery backup you need.

It can also help to prioritize essential loads. For example, keeping security cameras, communications equipment, and basic lighting running may be more important than powering high-energy appliances.

For larger or remote installations, a professionally designed off-grid solar power kit can simplify the process because the major components are selected to work together.

I'm curious what others here have done: what equipment are you powering with your off-grid solar system, and how did you decide on your panel and battery capacity?

I have a 30kw GoodWe battery and 10kw inverter. Around midday my battery is full from the sun. There does not seem to be excess power going to the grid. My total grid export currently is 1kw despite having this for two weeks.

Do I need to change the settings to export solar to

Grid once my battery is full. Thanks heaps :)

Hi everyone,

I'm an architecture student currently working on a drafting plate for a two-story residential project in the Philippines, and I'm integrating a roof-mounted solar PV system into our electrical and roof plan sheets.

If anyone is willing to share, I would be extremely grateful to see sample layout plans, single-line diagrams (SLD), equipment callouts, or Schedule of Loads from actual residential projects (with sensitive client/project details blurred or removed, of course!).

Specifically, I'm trying to make sure my plate is accurate regarding:

Standard layout & placement of the Inverter, DC Disconnect, and Net-Metering meter relative to the Main Distribution Panel (MDP).

How a grid-tied solar system (e.g., 5kW to 8kW) is properly computed and reflected on the Schedule of Loads under PEC rules.

Typical conduit routing setups from the second-story roof/attic down to the ground-floor utility panel.

standard CAD legends or roof clearance conventions used in local practice.

Any reference sheets, tips, or sample details would be a massive help for my plate. Thank you so much in advance!

More than 1,400 council homes in Brighton and Hove switch to solar power

A three-year programme has fitted solar panels to more than 1,400 council homes across the city, with residents saving up to £300 a year on bills. A Moulsecoomb community hall has also benefited.

Is the rule of thumb to never do a PPA relative to buying solar panels ? In other words, if someone had no interest in ever buying (cash or finance) solar panels, would a PPA provide at least minimal savings compared to straight up grid energy supply.

I am aware of the complications with listing a home and companies going out of business.

So controlling for these factors: individual will never purchase solar panels, individual never moves during PPA duration and solar company stays in business for PPA duration. Would the individual pay less for their energy than someone who just took energy from the grid for 15/25 years ?

Hey solar community!

I am looking to add solar to my single family home in denver. There are tons and tons of companies out there with all different types of rates/promotions. What are your recommendations? I need help please

I have a lovely house and I want to get solar/battery backup. Right now, our energy provider has a deal on battery backup, but not so much on the solar panels.

Does anyone have experience with getting say - a 5Kw system with backup batteries, then upgrading by adding more panels to a 10kw in a few years when I have more money?

Hi everyone, I’m hoping to learn more about home battery solutions in the near future. Obviously a rapidly changing field with new chemistries on the horizon and presumably the promise of lower costs.

I don’t follow the battery scene very closely so I was hoping that someone who could may be able to fill me in on what’s worth waiting for (or not) for an off peak and off grid capability to augment my solar system.

Naturally, I was hoping to wait a bit since I have 1:1 net metering and wanted to recover the coffers from my 14 panel system, but climate change fueled storms knock power out a lot here and now we have ambiguous threats of the power grid being disabled.

So what’s the future of batteries like? Anything near term?

Curious what people are actually using when the power goes out, especially for remote properties.

A generator seems like the obvious choice, but I’ve also been looking at solar plus battery setups for keeping the essentials running, like lights, cameras, Wi-Fi, and a small fan.

For those who’ve dealt with longer outages, what setup has worked well for you? And is there anything you wish you had planned for beforehand?

My sister-in-law and her husband told me they are installing a solar panel system on their home and the details of it seem sooooo sketchy to me.

We are all located in Texas and they are going to be leasing a system through Sun Run. The system includes solar panels, two Tesla batteries, and a new breaker panel that supposedly allows them to see energy usage down to the individual breaker I guess. Their house is approximately 3700 square feet and the system is going to have an initial cost of $80k. Supposedly, they will be paying approximately $300 per month the first year, with a 3-4% increase every year through the end of the lease. She said that by year 25 they will be paying approximately $600 per month.

Currently, my SIL watches her electricity like a hawk. She keeps all the lights off all day and relies on natural sunlight or even candles, she runs her large appliances at night when they have “free” electricity, keeps the a/c set to higher temps during the day and only cools the home down at night, stays on her kids about turning off the lights, and so on. Her electric bills are always very low…like under $200 even in the hottest months. I truly applaud her efforts.

But for some reason they are sold on the idea of this leased solar panel system. They are worried about increasing electricity costs and want “electrical security” so they never go without power. Interestingly, in the 5 years or so that they’ve been in the home, they have never experienced a single power outage. They do not wsnt to buy a Generac system because they said they can’t afford it and my brother-in-law said he doesn’t want his wife to have to deal with maintenance during an extended outage (natural disaster) if he is stuck at work (he’s a cop).

On top of all that, they are opting to use an energy plan that provides them free nights instead of going with a plan that allows them to sell excess energy back to the grid.

Addictional details: they do not make a ton of money and have three children, two of which have autism. I bring up the autism because a power outage would be very difficult to deal with because their kids cannot handle changes in their environment very well. And they rely heavily on electronic devices (iPhones and iPads). In terms of income, I don’t know specifics, but I can say that they struggle to afford certain things. They have to budget for everything and have not been able to purchase living room furniture for their home. They didn’t even qualify to purchase the home when they bought it. It was my brother-in-law’s parents’ home, who were getting a divorce. Since they didn’t qualify, my SIL and BIL used family to lend money to them to purchase it.

So, what am I missing here? Am I too dumb to follow this or are they making a huge mistake?

Editing to add an extra detail. Because the system is leased, if they decide to sell the home, they will be required to either pay the remaining balance in full OR convince the new owners to take over the lease, which require forms to be filled out and a credit check on the buyer.

Quick summary. 21 solar panels on roof. Recent works for guttering and the workman said 1 panel was damaged. Call the solar company that did the initial install to be told they can’t replace just 1 panel. They’d have to replace all of them as those panels were no longer available. Is this really a thing?