Transcript MEN FAIR 2014 Presentation

Joe Utasi – Cinci Home Solar
Facts about PV Solar
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Just a little about me…
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…
Here’s what we’ll be discussing
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panel technologies
efficiencies
SREC pricing
racking
ground mounts
inverters
battery types
costs
financing options
how-to, and more
Different Cell Technologies
MONO CRYSTALLINE
POLY Crystalline
Thin Film
What are cells made of?
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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.
Cells/panels “In the news”
Solar City just bought SILEVO.
Solar City is owned by ELON MUSK
(Tesla, Space-X, Paypal)
Financing
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 penalty
Contact: Joe Doyle at ADMIRALS BANK 401-248-7272
What’s up with panel prices?
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 up
2) 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.
Panel Pricing - continued
SO, what does this mean to ME?
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Price stabilization
Inverter pricing
Technology improvements
Panel price/watt
Inverter types
• 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
Good/bad – String inverter
• 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 micro-inverter
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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 String type with TIGO
• 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
SOLAR EDGE hybrid
• 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
Backup systems
• Autonomy
• Classic system
• AC-Coupled system
• 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.
Inverter recommendations:
• 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.
Battery Types
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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
My Battery Recommendations
• 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.
Battery Facts
• 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.
• 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
Main
Box
Recombination caps
Vent
Fan
Inverter
Transfer
Switch
Vent Hood
Stock caps
Battery bank
More backup/battery pics
Main
Box
Outback AGM Gel Battery Bank
Outback
Radian
Sub
Panel
Mate
Conduit
To array
& Inverter
More battery pics
TWO 480AH 48Volt FLA battery banks
from a Data Center Recycler.
About 2000lbs. Made up of 2 volt cells.
VENT FAN
Array Mounting options
• 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 options
Lean-to style using combination of
scrounged parts and commercial mounting
Rails and hardware. Note use of triple rails
under the larger span to support snow load.
Array options
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 UTASI
513-616-6044
Come up and grab a business card!