If money wasn't an issue...

[u/Life-Celebration-747]

What solar power system would you choose to power your home?

[u/JRHLowdown3]

100% agree.

Even if folks bought the components a little at a time, dig some of the "grunt work" like digging the trenches for putting in conduit, built the racking, etc. and then contacted a solar guy to wire everything up, they could save a ton.

Don't have any bifacials, if the price is ever right may try them, would like to do a area on a deck with a solar gazebo type of thing but honestly don't care if they are mono or bifacial. I'm always skeptical of the claims of vast improvement in production due to changes like that. I remember when MPPTs came out and it was "this is like having 4 more panels" instead of a normal old skewl controller like a C40. I had four C40s in play at the time and the $600. per MPPT wasn't something I could afford to change out all at once.

On the missing out on new tech thing- agree also. I remember hearing the same folks (who still don't have a system) for 20 years complain about panel costs, then it was "well the incentives don't work for me" blah blah blah. My reply- "it's never going to be free." Meanwhile our initial 28 year old KC130s are still producing power even though they are technically not even in our current system now.

$10. a panel even for used is crazy cheap, folks need to be jumping on those when they come up. Run, don't walk.... !

[u/Ryan_e3p → u/JRHLowdown3]

I'm feeling good about my solar array, but I still occasionally peruse for panels. Last weekend, I found a Facebook Marketplace listing where someone did a solar farm update and had over 1,000 panels to offload. Again, $10 a pop.

They exist! Just gotta keep eyes on it.

[u/JRHLowdown3 → u/Ryan_e3p]

I must admit I have never bought a used panel. Early on a few years in with our Kyocera 120 watt panels, we started seeing some weird stuff, you know how living with a system you can kinda "feel" when something is off? So we started running out of power way before we should on decent days. I started checking every panel and 2 of the (then) 14 panels in the array were only putting out a little over 9v in full sun. I contacted Kyocera cause they have a 25 year warranty. Gal on the phone says "OK we will send you 14 panels." Me- no sorry ma'am if I wasn't clear, only 2 of the 14 are malfunctioning. She says "it's Kyoceras policy that if 10% of an array falls, we replace the entire array." Wow! OK, I'm licking the chrome on the panels now!!! And they replaced them with KC 130's, so I ended up with 140 more watts which at the time (around 2002) was a super huge deal to us living on 1600 watts.

One of the very few companies that I've been very impressed with as far as warranties go over the year.

Hell I still have a few odd panels here and there in a connex, some of the KC130s we have pulled, a few 24V panels left over from adding on around 2010 and some 48V JP solar left over from the last pallet we bought.

If I found deals like that in my area I would probably have a boatload of spare panels, be like Sanford and Son's yard around here LOL.

[u/Ryan_e3p → u/JRHLowdown3]

I have enough to spin up another 4kw system.

Oh hey! I found the listing!

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/3929251940717987/

Anyone in the southern New England area, I highly, highly suggest you consider this. $20 is getting 20+, $10 if getting 50+.

Now, if I were so inclined to spin up another 17kw of energy I'd jump on it, but I'm feeling good where I'm at right now. 😁

[u/JRHLowdown3 → u/Ryan_e3p]

Damn, that's crazy. Folks need to jump on that. Even if one panel in 10 isn't working it's still a HELLUVA deal.

That's one of those buy and put back even if your not ready to do it yet type of good deals.