Solar PV Micro Inverter Query

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tdgeek

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#299002 2-Aug-2022 13:40

We cannot get Solar PV. Our home is 283spm two storey and as the Harrison's guy told me, the roof is very intricate. But he quoted $9.5k for 1.7 kW panels surrounding the existing Solar HW tubes. Not worth it by a long way. My mate has had two installs and one upgrade his was about $4k per kW and that was years ago

Since my quote 2-3 years ago, as panels these days have micro inverters, can they not fill up my various and not large North facing roof sections to make up a decent amount of kWh?

Dingbatt

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#2949719 2-Aug-2022 13:54

I have just had an assessment done specifying micro inverters for very much the same reason. A multifaceted roof facing mainly East-West with some north. Managed to work out 9kW but the cost was $22K hence my wish in another thread for some sort of incentive because that is going to take a long time to pay back.

The proposal specified (Enphase) iQ7 micro inverters but I understand there is now an iQ8 version which will work during a power cut. I like the idea of micro inverters because they are scalable and less susceptible to the affects of sun angle and shading. More expensive though (about+20%)

I have asked for a reassessment using iQ8s and going for 5kW initially, with a view to adding more plus a battery as money allows.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

tdgeek

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#2949738 2-Aug-2022 14:40

Dingbatt:

I have just had an assessment done specifying micro inverters for very much the same reason. A multifaceted roof facing mainly East-West with some north. Managed to work out 9kW but the cost was $22K hence my wish in another thread for some sort of incentive because that is going to take a long time to pay back.

The proposal specified (Enphase) iQ7 micro inverters but I understand there is now an iQ8 version which will work during a power cut. I like the idea of micro inverters because they are scalable and less susceptible to the affects of sun angle and shading. More expensive though (about+20%)

I have asked for a reassessment using iQ8s and going for 5kW initially, with a view to adding more plus a battery as money allows.

Great information thanks for that. I was hoping when I got my quote maybe 3 years ago, that $3k per kW would be quite good. Yours is $2.4k. If you got 5kW the cost per kW would be a bit more I expect

I may get another quote or review, I'll mention iQ8

Tks

Dingbatt

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#2949740 2-Aug-2022 14:47

tdgeek:

I may get another quote or review, I'll mention iQ8

Tks

The iQ8 is relatively new in the US, so not sure of availability here.

As an amendment to my previous (now I’m home and can look at the paperwork). It is a 7.6kW system (not 9 as I thought) so cost still under $3K/kW, but not by much.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996