new to solar and have a few questions!

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solarguygk
solarguygk Registered Users Posts: 2
in Solar Beginners Corner #1
so im preparing to set up my house with solar and have a few questions on what panels are best i was looking at an auction site that is selling sharp, solar power inc and solindra panels can u tell me how many i will need and which ones are best.
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #2
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    Re: new to solar and have a few questions!

    Welcome to the forum.

    Among commercially made name brand panels they are all about the same in terms of quality. There may be some differences among companies in regard to customer service, but basically you're buying a UL listed panel with a warranty. Sharp has been around a while and their panels are good (I have Sharp) also Kyocera has a long history of quality and service. But that's not to discount other brands.

    Check out the per Watt pricing on new panels before you buy any used ones. Too often people who bought panels years ago for $$$/Watt try to sell them at prices above today's values. This includes at auctions where people tend to get carried away.

    There are three basic panel types: amorphous, polycrystaline, and monocrystaline. It's pretty much a matter of the area needed to produce a given Wattage, with the monos being the most efficient (and therefor expensive) and the amorphous being least. Amorphous panels have a few other quirks and tend to be avoided by most people as a result.

    It is also important to know the panels' specifications, as Vmp and Imp are not the same on all. This causes difficulties in mixing panels and in supplying proper Voltages whether used for battery charging or power grid-tie inverters.

    Do your research and know what you're looking for before you spend the money. There have been a lot of posts on the forum from people who got "good deals" on panels and then spend twice as much trying to get them to work in their system design.
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
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    Re: new to solar and have a few questions!

    A starting point for you: our host's >100 Watt panel listings;
    http://www.solar-electric.com/hiposopa.html

    Note the whole prices and the per Watt price breakdown. And especially check the specs on some of the panels so you can see what I mean about differing Voltages.
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
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    Re: new to solar and have a few questions!

    ok, but before we can give some opinions, i think you should tell us more about what it is you have in mind. is this off grid? if so what are your peak loads in watts and what are your kwh over the course of a day? a meter like a killawatt can help determine realtime power draws and their accumulated kwh demand.

    if it's a grid tied setup then how much power you plan on feeding back to the grid is dependent on both the gt inverter size, the size of the solar arrays, and even how much feed-through capacity your main breaker panel can handle.

    do be aware there won't be a warranty on any pvs that come from a defunct company so to buy them should be an extra special low price.
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  • Photowhit
    Photowhit Solar Expert Posts: 6,003 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Re: new to solar and have a few questions!
    solarguygk wrote: »
    so im preparing to set up my house with solar and have a few questions on what panels are best i was looking at an auction site that is selling sharp, solar power inc and solindra panels can u tell me how many i will need and which ones are best.

    Please DON'T buy anything until you know your needs.

    Your question is like asking what kind of vehicle I need. Since you don't know what the use is you have no clue. You say buy an Impala, you might not know I'm 12 and can't drive a car, say a bicycle and I then tell you I need to be able to transport furniture.

    So we need to know, your goals and aspirations, Are you...

    ...Off grid and need to support a cabin in the desert that uses 2 Kwh a day and you want no other sources of power... we'll still ask questions, but we'll have a clue.

    ...You are in Chicago, have excellent southern exposure, and currently using 12 kwh's a day according to your electric bill and want to do a grid tied system to off set 80% of your usage. we'll still ask questions but we'll have a clue.

    I lived fine off of 200 watts of solar and a couple golf cart batteries for 5 yrs, so if you are in that situation, you need 1 @200 watt panel, until we know more, that's my answer. Think that's silly, I lived off a 10 watt panel for 9 months while on a bicycle trip, so maybe you need a 10 watt panel. Of course I'm setting up a 6.5kw array to support an off grid home now...
    Home system 4000 watt (Evergreen) array standing, with 2 Midnite Classic Lites,  Midnite E-panel, Magnum MS4024, Prosine 1800(now backup) and Exeltech 1100(former backup...lol), 660 ah 24v Forklift battery(now 10 years old). Off grid for 20 years (if I include 8 months on a bicycle).
    - Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,447 admin
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    Re: new to solar and have a few questions!

    Photowit is getting the core of the questions/problem. Energy usage is a highly personal set of choices. And we are, above all else, cheap hear. We want you to get the best bang for the buck--And that all starts with loads--and even before that--Conservation.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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