We've been wanting to have Solar Power for a long time. I've spent many weekends researching, several weekdays interviewing different companies and taking bids. After the research, I determined this was way more than a weekend DIY project that I could handle given the complexity and size of the setup I wanted. I initially planned this for the money savings #weekend-engagement challenge. I couldn't quite pull it together before the submission deadline, but here it is for your enjoyment anyway. I know a few others have shown interest in Solar energy in the past.
We finally pulled the trigger on contracting and permits a few weeks ago, and began the prep this weekend to complete the install. The system we installed includes not just the Solar Panels, but also the Battery backup system to provide power during the frequent storm outages here in Florida. (See tech specs below).
We initially planned to install the batteries in the garage. I spent a few hours this weekend cleaning up a place for them out of the weather but that didn't pan out. It seems they take up much more space than we initially planned. I was initially expecting only two of these battery units, not four.
Also found out they are very heavy (~150 lbs each), and the installer stated could not mount them to drywall/wood studs without additional supports etc. This meant we couldn't put them in the garage next to the furnace as planned. So instead, the installer mounted the batteries, ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) and breakers/cutoff to external concrete block walls.
Once finished, they looked better, but still some ugly conduit that will need to be painted to appease the HOA. Sounds like another weekend project! 
The 32 panels all came on a single pallet. 
The Enphase Batteries and ATS switch came on second pallet. These were both dropped off by delivery truck about 15 minutes after the installer crew arrived.
First, they installed the rails and attached them to the roof. Then they started adding panels and attaching the connectors.
Here is a close up of the rails and individual micro-inverters under the panels. Each panel has it's own micro-inverter to send the power, and allows for individual tracking of each panels performance.
A normal solar supplement system probably could have stopped here. But with our heavier usage of pool filter, Electric Car, backup batteries, AC use in the Summer, and multi-day backup capability, we needed to upgrade to the larger number of panels. Even at this size, it can't handle the main 4 ton AC unit, only the smaller unit on the Master bedroom/bath side of the house.
Here is a drone Hyperlapse video of the panel install. It's a bit choppy due to the settings, (I'm a bit out of practice), but you can get the general idea.
Overall, it took them about 6-7 hours start to finish. Most of that time was the battery installation and wiring. The frame and panels only took the crew of three about 3-4 hours.
I wanted a system large enough to not only power the entire house including the Electric Car and bicycle, pool filter, and still have enough overage to sell back to the power company. I also wanted the battery backup to power the AC and other critical appliances during power outages.
We had a propane generator back in Vermont for power outages that was fantastic. Here in Florida, they wanted over $20K for the generator and we would have needed to add a larger propane tank as well. We decided to invest the money in Solar instead. Especially given the current tax benefits.
We are able to reclaim 30% of the Solar cost from Federal tax incentives, and also gain some local power company and state incentives as well.
This will actually not only pay for itself over time, but the monthly payment for the system will now be a consistent payment somewhere between $50 and $300 less per month than our normal electric bills, so this will theoretically be saving us money right off the bat per month in the high usage months, and even more if we produce "extra" electric and/or payoff the loan early for interest reduction. This also provides a static cost vs. the inevitable cost increases that the power company will be charging in several years.
General rule of thumb payback for initial Solar investment payback is about 8 years in Florida, while most systems now are guaranteed to last 25 years. For us, given the additional savings on the vehicle and pool power costs, I'm guessing we'll shave a couple more years or more off of that time.
The power company here pays back full retail credit for any Solar you provide back to them vs daily usage. The amount of energy provided is deducted from the monthly bill or credited toward a future bill in that calendar year. Then at the end of the year, they pay a check for any overage amounts. There are limits though, here in Florida, they limit the size of residential systems to 115% of what your annual utilization is, and have a max of 2,000 kW.
There are of course interconnect agreements, insurance requirements, applications and permits etc. both from the power company and from the Home Owners Association (HOA). It's all quite complex and I'm very happy that the contracted company handled all of the applications, permits, etc. as part of the service.
Florida net-metering Tiering system:
Tier 1 = (up to 10 kW)
Tier 2 = (>10 kW up to 100 kW)
Tier 3 = (>100 kW up to 2,000 kW)
Tech Details:
System Size = 13.44 kW DC
Panels = QTron M-G2+420 (32 Panels, 420 Watts each)
Inverters = IQ8M-72-2 (240V)
AC rated power output = 10.56 kWh AC
Estimated First Year Production
17,914 kWh
Battery Backup = Enphase 20.16 kWh system (2 IQ Battery 10T)
Battery capacity = 20.2 kWh
Operating power = 7.68 kW
Additional Benefits:
Some of the features of this system are that the panels each have their own inverter. This way if an inverter fails, the whole system isn't down like with a combined inverter system, only the single panel until replaced.
One of my favorite features of this Enphase product is the advanced technical configuration in the app. Having a battery backup allows me to not only store energy for outage, but allows me to put the system into "Savings" mode. In this mode it actually pulls energy gathered during the day from the batteries at night to power the house. This can help reduce grid usage during some of those peak usage high cost times in the evening, and then power the house AND recharge the batteries during the day.
To offset the risk of having uncharged batteries during an outage, it also has what is called "storm mode". This mode monitors weather announcements for upcoming storms and puts the batteries into 100% charge mode to prepare, just in case there is outage. Smart, smart.
The battery backup is theoretically enough to run the entire household for 2-3 days/nights, maybe longer if sunny days allow for daytime charging/power.
I've had this draft going for a couple days now. I was hoping to post some pics of the system in action. Apparently there are yet more hoops to jump through. Even though it's all wired up, they couldn't turn it on (and I can't paint) until both the city and the Power Company inspectors come out to approve and then install new bi-directional meter. That could take another 2-4 weeks to complete. Arrgghhh... I hate red tape and politics. This should still get it up and running before the 3 hottest months here which starts in July.
Anyway Looks like I'll be having some additional weekends before I can produce any stats from the app.
Awesome post. Solar is on the list here. But with the recent roof repairs on our garage and house with shingle replacement (same color and style as yours) $20+k also an AC (4 ton) replacement. With two stages of uv light sterilization just shy of $15 k
Looks like the solar will have to wait.
We may go with a small generac system. (Propane) Our neighbors have one and it seems to do well
We had a Generac propane Backup Generator in Vermont. It worked very well, just not as good a long term investment. You may still want to talk to a couple solar companies. We were able to finance ours at 3.9% (no pre-payment penalty) so that we can start reducing the electric bill now, and then pay it down with bulk payoff later instead of paying the large amount up front. Makes it a bit higher cost than paying up front, but was still the better value for us at this location. They wanted $20K for the Generator/Install plus more for the additional propane tank here without the same delayed cost options.. Was one of our secondary reasons for going this route to avoid the large upfront after all the other repairs and upgrades we had to do already.
That's freaking awesome. I've always wanted to get solar installed on my house, but I am not sure how feasible it is in Michigan. I also think it is hard to trust someone to install it. I see lots of commercials on TV, but they feel like snake oil salesmen. I wish there was an easier way to find licensed and Insured installers.
Yes, very important to find a reputable vendor and installer. There are a LOT of scammers and shady companies out there. Even after the online vetting we did, I had three of them come to the house. 1 was no way in hell, the other was possible, but felt a little slimy, and only the third felt solid and trustworthy. Even then there were a couple minor discrepancies, but overall very well project managed with a web portal to track status, and they are handling all the permits and power company interactions (so far at least). It was not really worth the investment for us in Vermont, but here in Florida it was a no-brainer. We'll actually have a lower payment than the electric bill was going to be and in 5-8 years will be basically free with no electric bill (or minimal). At least that is the projection. We'll still have to see how it plays out in the real world, but I'm very optimistic for this one. Our initial estimates were based on low month electric bill and did not include the pool filter or Electric Vehicle which is a huge add-on.
Our bill is actually pretty low per month and we have natural gas, so I would still have to pay for that. I really like the disaster recovery and self sustainability aspect of it though. Those are big pluses for me. It's also cool that they handled all the permits for you. Paperwork is annoying!
It's just an amazing acquisition! It's really a necessary and necessary thing for a big house.
Yes, for us it was a clear savings. The positives of the environmental impact and eventual almost off-grid capability was a bonus.
That is definitely not feasible here in the woods! That is quite an incredible system I now know way more about solar then I ever knew before!
Would definitely take some trimming in your neck of the woods! All that shade would certainly reduce the power input unless trimmed back. I can't wait for it to go live and actually see the numbers.
The good thing about all of the trees around me is that I seldom need air conditioning unless the temperature gets really high in the summer and stays there for days on end!
Big project, like the battery backup.
Most definitely. Had the County Building inspector out today, next is the Fire Dept. and then the final power company to switch out the meter. Really glad I hired the company to do all that coordination. I just have to let them in the door. lol.
👍
Your solar install looks fantastic! The mix of technical details and personal insights makes for a compelling read. Excited to see how it performs once it's fully operational!
don't forget to share stats i would love to see insights
I will definitely be posting stats after a full month, 3 month, and annual. I love analyzing data and am excited to see the numbers and crunch it around. Really interested in playing with how much pulling from the batteries in the evening can add to the savings.
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here the battery are too expensive more than 5 thousand euros
Guessing you mean batteries and not bacteria (a little work slip?). Wow that is very expensive.
Beautiful home even if it doesn't sit on the 40 acres or so that you had before moving.
I never understood why any homeowner in Florida didn't have a solar system installed.
You're hooked up now and not only will you be able to run everything off it, selling extra power back to the utility company makes your investment even sweeter.
Red tape is always a headache as the government, local or otherwise needs to know every detail of everything a person has going on. Plus they need to make a few bucks on all of the permits and the like.
It's amazing how little time the installation took. The fact that the solar company handled all of the permits and like had to make this project a lot less stressful.
Very cool that you were able to capture the installation on your drone, love the footage of the crew installing the panels.
The move was a big one, but before long you'll be feeling like a Floridian.
Wonderful post.
Thanks for the comments. Yes the 3 man crew worked their tails off, and not only knew exactly what they were doing, they seemed to know all the efficiencies and how to work together as a team. They had to go back and revise the plan diagram, as the install crew mounted a few panels vertical instead of horizontal, and the inspector had to exert their power and submit revised plan to match the actual layout. What nitpicking. Regardless, it passed the first round, now just waiting for the power company to replace the meter with bi-directional meter. And yes I would have been beyond irritable dealing with all that paperwork and research/scheduling of the inspectors, subcontractors and such. Very glad to let the pros do it. I am chomping at the bit to get it live and play with the software and analysis tools.
l
Inspectors nitpicking, isn't what they get paid for. 😁
Valid point, but flagged because the picture showed 3 panels vertical instead of horizontal? That's not even as big a deal as flipping your phone sideways. Connectors still the same just looks a little different from the street (and better). Not like there is any added risk or anything, I mean really. Bit of a rant this morning before coffee. Just because it added several days to the project including the weekend delay now that I was hoping to have to play with the software. I'll get over it I suppose, just irritating.
Rant on my friend. I dealt with inspectors for 30 years as I was In the construction business. From building houses from the ground up to siding and decks, inspections were always a game. Some of the building inspectors I got to know pretty well and after they realized that I did things by the book they would basically walk in, look around for a minute, and slap a sticker on the window.
With all of that new stuff, I could imagine that you're chomping at the bit.