After having conducted a tremendous amount of research into the PV arena, I've come to realize how the small nuances can have a dramatic effect on the performance of a system and its bottom line. The info published by the CEC, SEI and others is extremely helpful, however after thoroughly reviewing this forum, it's apparent and imperative, that a system be thoughtfully engineered.

Being that I'm located in a semi-rural area of California, there isn't too much competition amongst the PV installation companies. Hence when the numbers are broken down, their combined margin for profit and labor is in excess of 40%. Since the idea is to install a 6-7 kWh system, this margin goes a long way in impacting the return on investment.

Lastly I enjoy being a hands-on type of person, and the skills necessary for the most of installation process is well within my scope. Thus what I'm in search of; is obtaining assistance in the engineering and design portion of this project, does anyone have any ideas???

try posting in the naws forum listed below and ask your question there as there are some from california there. there definetely is alot to a system and much more info will be needed from you too. an example would be to ask if you are going with grid tie and are you going to have battery backup? also that size of a system is very large and you must accomodate the area for mounting that many pvs. a decision will have to be made also based on you basic requirements as to the inverter(s) you can use.
http://www.wind-sun.com/smf/index.php

Niel,

Thanks for the input and consideration, I've provided additional info and posted it as you recommended at the Wind and Sun site.

Mark

THis might be too simple for you, but findsolar.com has a pretty good simple questionnaire for sizing, costs, ROI and much more. It should give you a pretty good estimate for DYI, even though the site is geared to matching contractors to your requirements.

At least in talking to some of the folks listed for your region you'll get some more of your questions answered firsthand. But it sounds like you're a DYI, so good luck on your endeavor and learning process.

I can offer how my system in Los Angeles performs. I bought 4.5KW worth of panels, but where they are mounted, I only get 3.5 KW out, because of less than optimum sun angles, I could have bought more expensive brakets, but that's more money. At least I get enough sun so that I'm averageing about 20KWH per day. installed: http://tinyurl.com/fa5qj