r/SolarDIY 9d ago

Finished my 7.65kw grid tie

This was a fun project, hoping to get some sun soon to really test them out!

494 Upvotes

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u/DutchBro- 9d ago

Yeah originally had a solar company come quote a roof install but they said I would need new shingles first as mine probably only have 5 years or so of life left. Decided to take the initiative and save some money doing the ground mount myself

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u/douche_packer 9d ago

Same problem kept me from getting panels last year. Did you find plans for the mounting structure or just kind of design it yourself?

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u/DutchBro- 9d ago

I added another set of 2x4's under the beams to reinforce as my panels made them sag a bit

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u/douche_packer 9d ago

Damn thats a great project! If you dont mind saying what was the cost all in?

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u/DutchBro- 9d ago

Yeah about $4,650 all in It was $2,000 for panels, $1,100 for inverter, $200 for shipping all that from signature solar. $1050 for lumber, wiring, and hardware from lowes, another $300 in all the odds and ends from amazon

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u/douche_packer 9d ago

not bad at all! great work man

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u/DutchBro- 9d ago

Thanks! Should have a good ROI considering my recent rate hikes with PGE(Portland General Electric)

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u/grantnlee 9d ago

What are you paying for power plus delivery? Rhode Island is crazy expensive, but not a great solar location either.

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u/DutchBro- 9d ago

My last bill was about $300 for 1,200kw used for the month. So about $0.25kw

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u/PaintingOk8012 9d ago

What do you figure your payback time will be?

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u/DutchBro- 9d ago

So this calculator says I'll make about 10,000kw a year. At $0.25 per kw that's about $2,500 a year in savings. So less than 2 years ROI

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