Joe Utasi – Cinci Home SolarFacts about PV Solar

Text here like this

I call my business Cinci Home Solar because I live in Cincinnati, but I do solar ANYWHERE!

I’ve helped DIY folks in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Vermont, Virginia and West VA.

If you’re really handy, I can help via phone/email at a very affordable price. Otherwise, I can help in person (boots on the roof) for just a bit more…

Just a little about me…

• panel technologies• efficiencies• SREC pricing• racking• ground mounts• inverters• battery types• costs• financing options• how-to, and more

Here’s what we’ll be discussing

MONO CRYSTALLINE

Different Cell Technologies

POLY Crystalline

Thin Film

• Amorphous (non crystalline!) Silicon (A-Si)

• Cadmium Telluride (Cd Te)• Copper Indium Gallium Selenide

(CIS/CIGS)• Organic (OPV or OPC) – same as

Amorphous• Gallium Arsenide (space only!)• Crystalline Silicon (C-Si)

• ALL use “N” type silicon.

What are cells made of?

Solar City just bought SILEVO.

Solar City is owned by ELON MUSK (Tesla, Space-X, Paypal)

Cells/panels “In the news”

98% of the time, lack of money is the reason folks don’t do solar.

If you have a good credit rating you can get a loan (up to $40K) at a good rate with the money UP FRONT.

•No equity or appraisal needed•5 to 20 year term•No early payment penaltyContact: Joe Doyle at ADMIRALS BANK 401-248-7272

Financing

Panel prices reached their all time low about 3 months ago, and are now on the rise. WHY?1)Overproduction by China has been used up2)Many companies have closed their doors. TARRIFFS and CVD (Counter Vailing Duties) have been imposed by the USA at ports raising prices from .10 to .30/watt on panels with ANY Chinese parts in them.3)Supply and demand leads companies to raise prices, even if they are not using Chinese parts.

What’s up with panel prices?

Panel Pricing - continued

• Price stabilization• Inverter pricing• Technology

improvements• Panel price/watt

SO, what does this mean to ME?

• String – one large unit with panels wired in series and home-run to the main box

• Micro – small unit mounts under each panel and converts 36 volts DC to 240VAC directly.

• String – with add on TIGO optimizers under each panel

• String/micro hybrid – SOLAR EDGE. One central inverter, with smaller optimizers at each panel

Inverter types

• Lowest cost• Requires rigid metal conduit from roof

to inverter• Requires exterior disconnect for fire dept.• High voltage can be hazardous• Optimal string length is limited

– 12 or 13 panels• Harder to troubleshoot• Subject to high losses due to partial shading• 6 to 12 year warrantee – or pay for longer!

Good/bad – String inverter

• Higher cost – 10 to 15%• Requires trunk cable installation• Safer for DIY installation• Easier to troubleshoot• Better production from partially shaded

locations• 25 year warrantee• Monitoring now costs $249 extra for panel

level view (Enphase only – darfon, sma, enecsys and Solar Edge still free)

Good/bad micro-inverter

• TIGO modules install at each panel. Reduces string voltage to safe level till activated

• Improves production on partial shaded roofs• Allows unequal string lengths (25% max diff)• Extra cost for modules and monitor• Panel level monitoring and easy to

troubleshoot• Does NOT void inverter warrantees.

25 year TIGO warranty• Works with ANY string inverter

– can be retrofitted

Good/bad String type with TIGO

• Distributed control/mppt electronics in small panel mount modules reduces stress on single inverter

• Good production from partial shade installation• Safe to handle – 1 volt per panel till activated• Panel level production detail • Free monitoring – Ethernet built-in! no box to buy• No Trunk cabling required• Larger string sizes – less wiring• Unequal string lengths permitted• 25 year warranty On modules, 12 year on inverter

SOLAR EDGE hybrid

• Autonomy • Classic system• AC-Coupled system

Backup systems

• Classic system is limited to short strings (3-5) and relatively low power 1000 to 2000 watts.

• AC system can be up to 2X the size of the backup inverter rating. i.e. if you have an 8K backup inverter, you can connect 16K of solar.

• Sizing: smallest I recommend is 4K – enough to run lights, comms, TV, fans, small AC, or just the air handler in an HVAC system.

• 8KW can handle1Ton HVAC. Can also do laundry (during peak sun, so you have array power + backup power when running off grid)

• You should buy the largest battery capacity you can afford. FLA is best bang for the buck.

• Small – Magnum 4000 /4400. Outback radian 4K

• Medium – Outback radian 8K• Large – Multiple Radian 8K units in parallel

• A good second choice for larger setups is the SMA Sunny Island in pairs – each produces 120vac, so a pair makes 240VAC at 12,000 watts. Only downside is that failure mode is ZERO out.

• Radian product is redundant, so failure mode is ½ power. Total failure is pass through.

Inverter recommendations:

• FLA – flooded lead acid (recombination caps)• AGM – Absorbed Glass Mat• Lithium Ion• Nickel-Iron (Iron Edison makes them in the USA)• Aluminum-Air• NiCad and NiMh• Redox Flow Battery (Iron & Chromium) Axion’s

new PbC FLA – can handle 2500 discharge cycles -100% depth before failure

Battery Types

• GEL – AGM sealed batteries – Outback has a nice ready to assembly rack package with rack, batteries, DC Breakers and protective clear front panel. No need for a vent/fan either. They cost more though.

• If you want MASSIVE autonomy go with FLA (Flooded lead acid) and invest in RECOMBINATION CAPS – they will minimize the amount of “watering” (checking fluid levels) to maybe twice/year for a backup system, or quarterly for an actively used system.

My Battery Recommendations

• You get what you pay for.• FLA batteries are available from ROLLS,

TROJAN, DEKA, UNIVERSAL, to name just a few of the more popular brands.

• YOUR FLA BATTERY BANK MUST HAVE A POWERED VENT HOOD or BOX VENTED TO THE OUTSIDE. THE FAN SHOULD BE ACTIVE WHENEVER THE BATTERY IS CHARGING. THIS IS WHEN DANGEROUS HYDROGEN GAS IS PRODUCED.

Battery Facts

• Failure to WATER is the NUMBER ONE REASON FOR RUINED BATTERY BANKS.

• Battery acid is HIGHLY CORROSIVE AND WILL BURN YOUR SKIN IN EVEN TINY AMOUNTS.

• ALWAYS wear protection when working with your battery bank – eye protection, rubber apron and long rubber gloves.

• NEVER charge a battery bank without a WORKING VENT FAN, vented to the outdoors.

• Dead batteries can FREEZE and CRACK. A charged battery WILL NOT FREEZE.

Battery facts

• Batteries can make more power above freezing. Heat always makes chemical reactions go faster!

• If you treat your batteries properly, they will last 10 years MAX. That means not too many DEEP cycles (80% empty). If you keep depth of discharge above 50% you will be good to go.

• Nickel iron batteries can last for 20 years, with a change of fluid after year 10. But they cost more. If you are full time OFF GRID, these batteries are worth their weight in gold. They THRIVE on 80% discharge with no down side!

Backup/batteries

Recombination caps

Vent HoodVent Hood

Battery bankBattery bank

InverterInverter

Main BoxMain Box

TransferSwitchTransferSwitch

VentFanVentFan

Stock caps

More backup/battery pics

Outback AGM Gel Battery BankOutbackRadianOutbackRadian

ConduitTo array& Inverter

ConduitTo array& Inverter

MainBoxMainBox Sub

PanelSubPanel

Mate

More battery pics

TWO 480AH 48Volt FLA battery banks from a Data Center Recycler.About 2000lbs. Made up of 2 volt cells.

VENT FAN

• Roof mount is lowest cost, since the roof structure (which meets code) holds the panels in place.

• Ground mount requires poles anchored to the ground and rated to withstand 90MPH winds, so this structure adds about $2,000 to the cost of a typical 24 panel (6,000 watt) array. This figures out to about 35 cents/watt.

• Snow covered arrays produce ZERO power, so a ground mount has the advantage of easy cleaning after a snow storm!

Array Mounting options

Array options

Lean-to style using combination ofscrounged parts and commercial mountingRails and hardware. Note use of triple railsunder the larger span to support snow load.

Array options

Typical Roof array – and expansion by 4

Roof mount hardware

These are surface mounted legs – waterproofing by healthy application of 30 year rated pure silicon caulk in holes, and under the pad. This setup is lowest cost, but relies on good practice and quality caulk.

Roof mount hardware

Flashed roof mount feet

Ground Mounts

Ground Mounts

Thank You!

JOE UTASI513-616-6044

Come up and grab a business card!