My Solar System Installation

This is a brief overview of the Photo Voltaic (PV) system installed on my home in San Diego during the fall of 2007. The PV system is located on the south facing roof and is not visible from the ground.

My goal was to install a PV system capable of producing 100% of my electrical needs averaged over 1 year. The system is tied to the city power grid to eliminate the need for expensive batteries. During the day, the system produces excess power and sends it onto the city grid. During the night, the system produces no power, so power is pulled from the city grid. I pay only net difference averaged over 1 year. This is called "net metering".

I had several reasons for installing the PV system. First, was my desire to minimize the impact of my power consumption on the environment. A large percentage of the electrical power we consume comes from the burning of fossil fuels which contributes to global warming. A PV system has a life span of a least 20 years and will produce many megawatts of clean electric power over that time.

Second, is for economic reasons. My electrical bill is now essentially zero and will remain so for the next 20 years or more. I am no longer reliant on a monopoly to provide me power a the price of their choosing.

Third, California and the federal government are currently offering rebates and tax incentives to install PV systems. These cover approximately 30% of the cost of the system.

Here are some photos showing the installation process...

Concrete tiles are carefully removed where the PV panels will be secured to the roof.

This is a closeup of a post mounting bracket. They are screwed to the roof joist and sealed with caulk. Later, the concrete tile will be re-installed over the bracket, so only the threaded post is visible.

Next, the rails are installed to the posts. As you can see, all the roof tiles are back in place. Each post hole has been sealed with caulk to help prevent water leaks.

This view is from the peak of the roof. Wiring for the PV panels is secured to the rails. A junction box is placed at the top of the roof with metal conduit supplying the DC power to the inverter that is located in the garage.

Twenty PV panels are hoisted by rope to the roof.

The first 6 panels are now in place. Fourteen more to go.

In the distance, you can see the black solar collectors on the roofs of my neighbors homes. These are for heating water for a swimming pool and are not to be mistaken for a PV system.

All done on the roof! Some gaps have been left between panels for existing sewer and attic vents.

The DC power from the solar panels is sent to this inverter installed in my garage. The inverter converts the DC power to 120V AC for use in the house. The inverter is weather resistant and could be mounted outside the house near the electrical panel, if so desired. The small LCD display on the inverter shows the power being produced.

There is also an Ethernet line running from the inverter to a network hub in my house. Every few minutes, detailed status of my system is sent to a monitoring site called Fat Spaniel. This allows the installation company to monitor my system and detect any faults early on.

Click here to view my real time power production from the FatSpaniel website. Of course, if you are viewing it after dark, the power output will be zero. But, you can click on the week, month, and year tabs to see how much power has been produced in the past.

This is the standard utility box and electric meter for my home. To the right, an A/C disconnect switch has been installed. This provides an easy means of shutting off the power from the solar panels if any electrical work needs to be done in the house. The yellow signs alert the electricians to the use of solar power on this home.

On most days, the electric meter on my home spins backwards during the daylight hours. This indicates that I am selling power back to the electric company! Of course, during the evening I consume power from the grid and my meter spins forward.

With "net metering" my electric bill is calculated over a 1 year period. Some months I may produce more then I consume, and other months I may consume more than I produce, but the net over 1 year should be close to zero.

I hope you enjoyed my photos! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I'm very pleased with the installer of my PV system and would highly recommend them.

Steven Kinkead

stevek_pacific_ridge@spamex.com