Got the attament mod back online and restores the old images

Here is the 5.1 kw array I just installed, now about 12 kw on the roof! that should be paid mostly from the Florida 4.00 watt rebate program

The road is private and connects to 3 homes so traffic is low. I would have mounted them higher (and at a steeper angle) but the San Diego county zoning ordinance for solar panels sets a maximum height of 30 inches when the panels are mounted in the "front yard". The location of the panels on my property puts them in the "front yard" because my property line is adjacent to the access road. The system has already been approved so now I can adjust the height as needed.

bzublin

Feel free to upload the pictures here so they will be around even if the "free" host site goes away

Henry,

How do the thermal panels underneath your PV array perform? Do you still get much heat from them?

Brad

I just thought that I would pop in here and mention where I got our racks and what I paid for them. I saw somewhere else on this site that the commercial racks cost more than home made racks and ussually more than the panels themselves. I dont think this is true at all. We have 14 sunpower panels, about 5 feet long by 2.75 feet wide, give or take a little. They weigh 33lbs a piece and it cost me $1400 to buy pole mount racks for them. I bought 1 6 panel rack and 1 8 panel rack of the PowerFab brand manufactured by Direct Power & Water. They are Rotatable, and tiltable on the fly. 1 bolt controls tilt angle, and the bolts that keep it from rotating don't need to be tightened unless its going to be VERY windy, so you can turn it by hand if you can't afford a tracker. The 6 panel rack was $579 and the 8 panel rack was $743, shipping was $149.40 for the 2 combined. I ordered them from Alt Energy Store (http://store.altenergystore.com). It takes about 4 to 6 weeks to recieve them.

For my racking for 30 panels using the 2x2" Aluminum and home-depot gutter clips was about 600 dollars ... nothing store bought comes close in price

And as to the thermal panels, they are taking a good hit having the PV over them, I'd say offhand about a 50% reduction in the thermal panels

Heh, if you mounted panels like that in New England, I would think the first Ice storm you have might rip those panels right off as the snow and Ice slides off the roof.

The only place I know of in Maine with a roof mounted system (There may be others) has the PV and Thermal panels all the same size and integrated as the roof its self. Not sure how they did it, but its pretty sharp looking.

Snow and Ice ... whatever, its engineered for 130mph winds and signed off by a PE

I lived 35 years in Mass, I'm well aware of the weather in NE

Thats actually pretty impressive.

For any of the homemade metal racking equipment, how have you handled grounding? Have there been inspection problems with grounding systems not being UL listed?