Please make suggestions on my upcoming solar install

[brian954]

I just started my solar journey with Tesla last week on 6/28. I submitted all of the required photos and spoke with their sales team. They recommended the 8kw system and two powerwalls. I’m still waiting on a final design plan from them.

I just discovered this forum and I see a lot of talk about solar panel types, inverter types, sure starts for AC units, net metering meters etc.

Can anyone make recommendations on the types of items I should be requesting for this install? Sc330 panels seem to be recommended. Is there anything else?

I am in south Florida (Miami area) and my goal with the system is to power 100% of my power needs with the solar. My bigger reason for going solar however is to ensure I have power after hurricanes.

 

[NuShrike]

I just started my solar journey with Tesla last week on 6/28. I submitted all of the required photos and spoke with their sales team. They recommended the 8kw system and two powerwalls. I’m still waiting on a final design plan from them.

I just discovered this forum and I see a lot of talk about solar panel types, inverter types, sure starts for AC units, net metering meters etc.

Can anyone make recommendations on the types of items I should be requesting for this install? Sc330 panels seem to be recommended. Is there anything else?

I am in south Florida (Miami area) and my goal with the system is to power 100% of my power needs with the solar. My bigger reason for going solar however is to ensure I have power after hurricanes.

If you want to power 100% and not less (stay off-grid), target getting at least 200%+ overage on installed power or more, to cover for cloudy/stormy days. Personal experience is only 300% is just enough.

Otherwise, staying on the grid is also good and more manageable.

 

[Dan123]

It's a good thing that they are ramping up Tesla installation in the Miami area.

I don't think you have a lot of choice about the hardware that they use. It will probably be a SolarEdge inverter.

Did you send them a picture of your AC compressor label? They should make sure that it will start with 2PWs, or tell you that it doesn't.

I am getting my 2 PWs installed tomorrow, so I will let you know how it goes.

 

[Silicon Desert]

That sounds like a large system. It will help if you tell us how much energy you typically use in a year, and how much of that cost you want to offset (why 100%) , among other things. There are just a lot of variables like orientation and slope of your roof. Why do you want the powerwalls? They are going to really increase the time it will take to get the return on your investment. I find that in a lot of cases, people don't really need a powerwall. Maybe in your case it is valid if you lose power a lot.

 

[brian954]

I average about 1000 KWH/month. Summer months peak to about 1300 and winter months go as low as 750. I want 100% power offset and powerwalls because I live in a hurricane prone area. When hurricanes hit they hit in August/September when its 93 degrees out with 80% humidity. Power outages last for weeks sometimes.

 

[SoundDaTrumpet]

I recommend higher power density panel as the Tesla website indicates 12kW-16kW of panels for you. Also 2-3 Powerwalls. A really hot day easily wiped out 2 PW at my home. I live 10 miles from the bay with golden hills acting as reflectors behind my property. It depends if the ocean keeps things cool for you. Try downloading your daily usage data from the utility and see what is the maximum power use during the year. You can also go PVWatts and get the annual solar trend to see how many days of continuous dark days. If you like spreadsheets, you can overlay the data and come up with something more scientific.

 

[Dan123]

I average about 1000 KWH/month. Summer months peak to about 1300 and winter months go as low as 750. I want 100% power offset and powerwalls because I live in a hurricane prone area. When hurricanes hit they hit in August/September when its 93 degrees out with 80% humidity. Power outages last for weeks sometimes.

So I have a 12KW system. My summer power consumption is about 1500-1600kwh, and so far the 12kw system have been covering 95% of the May, June, and July, despite rainy weather. I think if we have a cold winter, then in December, January, February, the solar panels will not be sufficient to provide for electric heat. But for summer, they cover the consumption.

I am getting 2 PWs. I think it is possible to run out of power in the even that three things coincide: (1) power is lost in the evening, (2) the next day is very cloudy, and (3) the next day is also very hot and humid. Otherwise, it is hard to imagine a situation when I won't have power. If the day is cloudy, then the demand for AC is usually lower. I can increase the thermostat from the normal 75-76 to 78, and still be okay.