Looking at getting a 6.6kW system on my house. There is a tall, thick power pole that will cause a shading issue in the winter months. Looks like it will be shading my house from around midday for a few hours. Summer will have no issues. House faces north.
Nearly all quotes and site inspections have all suggested going for a solaredge optimised system. One we are considering is $9500. Comes with 20x 330W REC N Peak panels with solaredge optimisers and a 5kW solaredge inverter.
The last person who came out suggested we put the panels on the southern roof on tilts to angle the panels towards north. The would mean no shade issues all year.
This quote was $10100 included 22x 300W Canadian solar KuPower panels and a sungrow SG5K-D inverter. This price has a $1400 discount applied and included $450 meter work by there level 2 as we apparently have asbestos backing switch board. They said supplier would charge $1000. No one else mentioned this so not sure if being lied to.
The solar edge option includes $3920 in stc rebates, sungrow option was only $3150 for some reason.
I like the idea of putting the panels where there would be no shade issues, but worry about issues with the strong winds we get. I dont want my property to get damaged by putting sails on my roof.
I also worry about the price they want. $10100 for what i have reasearched to be the cheaper products. I really dont know which way to go.
Can anyone offer advice? The 1st company doesnt reccomend going on tilts unless there is no other option and believes the solaredge is the way to go.
https://imgur.com/a/dsCUoWi pic of shade on house from approx midday when the shade will start in winter months.
That’s an interesting one. It’s good that it’s only a winter shading issue, but it does look significant, and I believe the wires will be an issue as well as the pole. The SolarEdge solution will help maximise output, but the shade will still be an issue. I would probably also lean toward putting them on that southern roof.
How big is the pitch on that roof? It looks about 10°, if that’s the case you’ll want to tilt it about 30° back the other way, so you get an angle of 20° I would have thought. Regarding the high winds, the installer is required to ensure that they fasten the panels using suitable racking to meet quite strict standards around that. So that shouldn’t be an issue. Hopefully some installers on the forum can give their opinion about this.
If you prefer the other quote and company, there’s no reason why they couldn’t install for you on the southern roof. Just ask for a revised quote for the same. On the other hand, given no shading issues, the SolarEdge won’t be as necessary. You could look at a simple string inverter system. Fronius is always a good string inverter choice, and any of these panels:
Thanks Marty. I do believe that the southern roof on tilts is the best option for efficiency as it will have no problems with shade.
That company says they only use canadian solar panels and sungrow inverters. I see on this site that these products are viewed as good but on the cheaper side. Its more the price that worries me.
The other company we like does not recommend installing on tilts and therefore has not offered a quote on that option.
Both are decent sized and have been around for some time.
Tilts are not a problem as the tilt racking systems are engineered for wind loading. I’m assuming the rear most roof section will be used which looks much flatter (about 10 deg?). This area would be perfect for 15-30 deg tilts, unless you have issues with the asthetics (tilts stick up off the roof a little)
The high price of the cheaper system is a little expensive for the lower end inverter and panels. Where are you located? I would seriously recommend getting another quote.
We did have concerns about using tilts but they are a lot less now that i have been reveiving feed back.
We are concerned about the price for the products. I will be making calls tomorrow to some other companies i have found and hopefully can get some quotes. We would like to get a deal sorted before the rebate decreases Jan 1.
Here are some views from the back yard at the angle of our southern facing rear roof. One shows a little of front to compare. We are in the Newcastle/ Lake macquarie area. https://imgur.com/a/BQq7drp
