The SGIP rebate for energy storage systems has been increased for certain customers and in some cases, it may be high enough to cover the majority of the cost of installing batteries with your solar.

The best PG&E SGIP rebate available is the “Equity Resiliency” incentive which is $1.00 per watt hour of battery capacity which will be close to the cost of battery equipment and installation. To be eligible for this, you must reside in a place affected by the Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS). This means you either live in a Tier 2 or Tier 3 High Fire Threat District based on the map here (https://ia.cpuc.ca.gov/firemap/) or living in a home that has had the electricity shut off twice for PSPS.

You also have to meet one of these criteria; be eligible for or enrolled in a Medical Baseline rate, have a potentially life-threatening illness or condition if the power shuts off, rely on an electric well pump for your water supply, have solar incentives reserved in the SASH or DAC-SASH programs for disadvantaged or low income households, you are a Low Income Homeowner as defined in Section 2852(a)(3)(c), or you are a Low Income Renter living in a multifamily residential building with more than 5 deed restricted units that is either in a Disadvantaged Community or where 80% of the households have incomes that are at least 60% lower than the area median income.

The next level of PG&E SGIP incentive is the “Equity” incentive which is $0.85 per watt hour of battery capacity. This is for people who live outside of the high fire threat areas. To qualify for this one, you must meet one of the need based criteria; have solar incentives reserved in the SASH or DAC-SASH programs for disadvantaged or low income households, you are a Low Income Homeowner as defined in Section 2852(a)(3)(c), or you are a Low Income Renter living in a multifamily residential building with more than 5 deed restricted units that is either in a Disadvantaged Community or here 80% of the households have incomes that are at least 60% lower than the area median income.

There are also SGIP incentives for non-residential PG&E customers. There is an Equity Resiliency program that pays $1.00 per watt hour for police stations, fire stations, emergency operations center, 911 call centers, medical facilities, natural gas facilities, water or wastewater facilities, PSPS assistance centers, jails, prisons, cooling centers, homeless shelters, grocery stores or corner stores with less that $15 million in annual receipts, independent living centers and food banks that are in a Tier 2 or Tier 3 High Fire Threat District or have their electricity shut off twice for PSPS. If you aren’t in the fire areas, there is also the Equity incentive of $0.85 per watt hour of battery capacity for government agencies, educational institutions, non-profit organizations or small businesses that are located in a Disadvantaged Community, California Indian Country or in a census tract with a median household income below 80% of the Statewide Median Income.

For more information on how to take advantage of these amazing incentives, check out this website:
https://www.pge.com/en_US/small-medium-business/energy-alternatives/private-solar/understand-the-solar-process.page?WT.mc_id=Vanity_sgip or call the experts at GoGreenSolar.com who can also help you determine what solar and battery equipment is right for you.

The post Solar Battery Rebates for California PG&E Customers first appeared on GoGreenSolar.

The basic options are microinverters, string inverters, string inverters that require optimizers and battery-based inverters. 

Microinverters are installed at the solar panels. They will mount to the solar panel frame or the racking depending on what racking you are using. There is typically one microinverter for every one or two solar panels. The most popular brand for microinverters is Enphase who pioneered the concept of microinverters many years ago.

String inverters are very different than microinverters. They are installed separately from the solar panels and one string inverter can handle many solar panels. How many solar panels can go on a string inverter depends on the size of a the string inverter and the wattage of the solar panels. The residential string inverters usually max out at about forty solar panels while a larger commercial inverter could handle hundreds of solar panels. Inverters designed for utility scale solar farms can even handle thousands of solar panels but that is probably a little bigger than you are looking for here.

The name “string inverter” comes from the fact that the solar panels are wired together in series strings. Some string inverters require DC optimizers be installed at the solar panels. One or two solar panels connect to each optimizer and then the optimizers are connected together in a string. 

It used to be that only SolarEdge inverters needed to have optimizers in installed, but the new NEC 2017 requirements for rapid shutdown has changed the rules for all string inverters. If the system is installed on a building, there need to be rapid shutdown devices that can de-energize the system at the module level. These may not be as complex as the SolarEdge optimizers which do maximum power point tracking for each solar panel but at the very list they have to be a switch that can turn off the DC power for each solar panel.

Finally, there are the battery-based inverters which get their power input from batteries instead of solar panels. If you are installing a battery-based inverter as part of your solar power system, you would need to install charge controllers to manage the power from the solar panels going into the batteries and then the battery-based inverter would convert the battery power into usable AC power. 

So, now you know what the technologies are and the question still remains, which one is right for you? If you want to simplify your installation, Enphase microinverters are a good choice. These are easily mounted under the solar panels and then you are dealing with AC power instead of high voltage DC power from the solar array to your main service panel. 

If you have some solar panels that will be shaded during the day or solar panels facing a few different directions, it would be best to go with microinverters or a system that includes DC optimizers that have maximum power point tracking for each solar panel.

Very large systems or systems that are not going to be on a building (like a ground mounted system that feeds a pedestal main service panel) will be less expensive if you use regular string inverters.

Battery-based inverters would be the best option if you are off-grid. If you are on the grid but want battery back-up power, you can use the battery-based inverter or any of the other inverter options if you use the right battery equipment. There is the new Enphase Ensemble battery technology that will work with any Enphase IQ microinverters to provide power during a power outage. SolarEdge has a battery solution using their StoreEdge inverter with LG Chem batteries. Other string inverters can be AC coupled to battery-based inverters like the Outback Radian. 

For help choosing which technology will be best for your solar installation, contact the experts at GoGreenSolar.com.    

The post Comparing Inverter Technologies first appeared on GoGreenSolar.

Many modern farms would have a difficult time operating during an extended power outage but that can be fixed with a solar installation that includes energy storage. The solar equipment would save the farm money on a day to day basis during normal times and then it could charge the battery system to keep essential electrical systems running in “off-grid” mode during a power outage.

Many farms already have generators that run on gasoline, diesel, natural gas or propane. But the fuel for it has a shelf life and no matter how much you have stored, there is always the chance that the emergency could last longer than the fuel supply. 

Solar is the best way to truly be prepped for disasters because it is a never-ending supply of electricity that re-fills itself every day. Solar with batteries can run the farm for months or even years if necessary. There really isn’t a better option available. 

If your farm already has solar installed to offset the costs of your electric bills, then this gets even easier because you can add batteries to your existing system. Which battery system is best for you will depend on what equipment you already have installed. Enphase IQ microinverters have been very popular over the few years and can now be retrofitted with the Enphase Encharge battery-up system. If you have a SolarEdge inverter, you can pair that with SolarEdge’s new StorEdge inverter with an LG Chem battery. Outback’s Radian system can be AC coupled with almost any existing inverter, so that is also an option. Either way you go, the retrofit is no problem and can even be a DIY project for someone who is handy.

In order to size the solar and battery system, you need to think about all the electrical equipment that you count on for day to day operations. The list will depend on what type of farm you are, but most farms list things like well pumps, irrigation systems, pumps to water livestock, electric fences, barn ventilation systems, milking machines, poultry warmers, grain elevators or grain dryers. It is also important to consider things that don’t run on electricity but rely on an electric controller or timer. 

These are the loads that you will separate and put your back-up loads panel. You will also need to add up the wattage of all these loads to determine how much inverter power you need to keep them running. While you are making the list be sure to include information on how many hours per day or per week these loads need to be on because that is important when determining how much energy storage will be required.

Other things that should be considered when sizing all the equipment is what things need to be running at the same time versus what things will never run at the same time. For example, you need less inverter power if you can avoid running the welder at the same time as the milking machine during a power outage. Also, the time of day that the loads are needed makes a difference on the amount of battery storage required. Loads during the day can be powered while the solar is on don’t required as much energy storage as loads that have to run at night.

For assistance with designing a money-saving solar power system with emergency battery-backup call the experts at GoGreenSolar.com.

The post Solar with Batteries for Farm Self Reliance first appeared on GoGreenSolar.

The usual workhorse stocks with dependable ROIs in the tech and banking sector have been on a nauseating roller coaster of ups and downs, while the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and NASDAQ have been feeling the whiplash of these tumultuous and unpredictable times. 

One unexpected financial investment with guaranteed cash-on-cash returns is DIY home solar, with many a homeowner enjoying paybacks in the double digits.

Consider this: Last year the average American household paid $118.36 a month in electric bills. In 2020, 38 of 50 U.S. states saw an increase in prices of 1-6%, with Vermont residents seeing their energy bills go up the most by 15.2 percent. 

Converting a home to solar will bring a homeowner’s monthly electric bill near $0 and, in most cases, remove it entirely. There are plenty of state and federal, low-interest payback programs that allow homeowners to pay off the price of a solar system in less than ten years, ensuring they can lock in a monthly payback that doesn’t inflate with every coming year. While it’s hard to predict future rate fluctuations, installing such technology that puts you in charge of your energy production can lock in a fixed rate and offer financial security. 

Because DIY solar projects further reduce installation costs, such grid-tied systems tend to recover the cost of the entire project in 3-6 years. There after, the investment will generate a net-positive monthly income, with utility companies actually paying homeowners through net-metering programs. 

As proof just how reliable a financial return home solar is, one homeowner wrote an investment blog about locking in double-digit returns on his solar installation project when the market was on a record-breaking bull run in 2018. 

Here’s a look at how the actual numbers of his residential solar investment shook out after a year:

The 30% Federal government tax credit the homeowner enjoyed above stepped down to 26% this year and will decrease another 4% the following year until it expires in 2022. 

Regardless of this decline, investing in a home solar system with the help of Go Green Solar while the Federal tax incentive is still generous, is a secure way to ensure monthly electrical bill savings — especially considering both the U.S. and global economy have yet to feel the full repercussions of COVID-19.

Any way you cut it, in today’s bear market, the annual returns gained by switching to solar far exceed those of a savings or investment account. Give the experts at Go Green Solar a call to learn just how much your investment can make!

The post DIY Solar – A Guaranteed ROI During Hard Times first appeared on GoGreenSolar.

First let’s define what we mean by “grid”. The grid is the utility company’s network of conductors and equipment that bring electricity from the power plant where it is made to the end user’s home or commercial building. If a building is getting electricity from the electric company, it is connected to the grid.

So what makes a grid tie system different from an off grid system is that the grid tie system must interact with the grid and there are some requirements and some advantages to this interaction. First, a grid tie inverter must sync up exactly with the grid. Its AC output wave must be exactly in time with the AC wave that the grid is delivering to the building. It also means that you must choose the correct grid tie inverter based on how the power is delivered to your building. A typical home receives 120/240 Volt Single phase (aka split phase) power so the solar power system would have to use a single phase inverter. Commercial buildings are usually three phase power which is typically 120/208 Volt or 277/480 Volt and could be wye or delta configuration. It must be determined exactly what type of power is being delivered to the building so that you can choose the correct grid tie inverter. 

The other big requirement for a grid connected system is that it can not feed power to the grid when the grid goes down. The reason for this is that the utility workers are trying to troubleshoot and correct the problem and if there are a bunch of solar power systems still feeding into the grid, it would be dangerous and it would affect the measurements the workers are making as they try to determine what is wrong and fix it.

One of the advantages to a grid tied solar system is that they can rely on the grid to provide power when the solar isn’t producing enough. This means the solar does not need batteries and the building never goes without power. In an off grid system, there is no grid to provide power so if you want power at night, you have to have stored enough power during the day. This means that off grid systems have to be much larger because the grid isn’t there to fill in the gaps. Many off grid solar power systems are installed with a generator so there is something that can take over when it’s been cloudy for too many days in a row, but a generator is going to be a much more expensive power source than the grid so even if you have one, you will try to use it as little as possible.

Now this doesn’t mean that grid tie systems don’t ever have batteries, it’s just not as common. Batteries can be added to a grid tie system so it will act like an off grid system when the grid goes down. When the power outage starts, the system can isolate itself from the grid and still feed power to the building. When the power outage is over, it will reconnect itself to the grid. 

Another advantage to a grid tie system is that it can be smaller. Because any extra power that may be needed can come from the grid, it is not critical that the system be built large enough to meet the needs of the building every single day through bad weather and low sun availability in the winter. 

Finally, the smaller size and the lack of batteries make grid tie systems much less expensive than off grid systems. 

Whether you want an off grid system or a grid tie system, call the experts at GoGreenSolar.com who can customize a solar package that will meet all your needs.

The post What Is the Difference Between Grid Tie and Off Grid Solar? first appeared on GoGreenSolar.

While Coronavirus is not likely to cause power outages, it does remind us that bad things happen and a little prepping can go a long way. Other recent reminders include the 5.7 magnitude earthquake on March 18^th which left 73,000 people without power and the tornado in Mississippi on March 24^th which took out the electricity for 16,000 people.   

Ready.gov is a great resource for learning what is best to keep on hand based on what threats you might be preparing for. In many of the scenarios they suggest having several days of food on hand. With the current Covid-19 quarantine guidelines, you should have two weeks of food on hand which is causing many Americans to purchase additional freezers to store the extra food. But what happens to that frozen food stash if the next emergency includes a power outage?

This is where the combination of solar and batteries can really shine. A generator is also an option but they require fuel (typically gasoline, diesel, natural gas or propane) and depending on the emergency that is happening, you might be out of luck once you run out of the fuel you have on hand. The benefit of solar with batteries is that the batteries get recharged every day and the system can run for years without requiring anything to keep it going. 

Doomsday preppers have long understood the requirement to have power to weather the worst that could happen. This doesn’t mean you have to forsake your normal life and move out to an off-grid homestead. 

There are already millions of standard grid-tied systems installed on homes and businesses across the United States. In general, if they don’t have batteries, they don’t currently provide back up power. The only exception to that is the newer SMA inverters which can provide up to 1,800 watts of power (enough to run a refrigerator) but only when the sun is out.   

The good news is that if you already own one of these systems, all you have to do is add batteries. There are a variety of ways to do it, depending on what equipment you have in place already. Any system can be retrofitted by AC Coupling a battery based inverter like an Outback Radian which will operate with any 48 volt battery bank. If you have SolarEdge equipment, you can add the SolarEdge StorEdge inverter with an LG Chem battery. If you have Enphase IQ microinverters, you can add the new Enphase Ensemble battery back up system to be released this May that is capable of running the entire house instead of just a limited amount of back up loads. 

If you don’t have solar already installed, you can get the batteries and solar installed together. Not only will you be prepped for the next disaster, you can save money on your electric bill in the meantime. It might be good idea to help offset the cost of running that new freezer for your stored food.     

To get help deciding what solar and battery system is best for you, just call the experts at GoGreenSolar.com.

The post Preparedness with Solar and Batteries first appeared on GoGreenSolar.

First, a system this large is most likely being installed on a commercial facility and not a residence. If it is a residence, it is likely to be a very big residence with a high power draw so it would be using the same electrical equipment you would typically find in a commercial building. It does still make a difference if it is classified as a one or two family dwelling versus a commercial building and we will get into those differences as we go through this.

One of the things that may be different is the service voltage that is fed to the building by the electric company. Typically, a house or commercial building with a very large power draw will get three phase power from the electric company instead of single (split) phase power that is typical on residences. When it comes to solar, three phase power means using three phase inverters. 

When choosing a three phase inverter, it is important to identify what type of three phase power is coming into the building. Most three phase power is 120/208 or 277/480 Volts but other voltages are possible like 240 volt three phase with a high leg. Once you have identified the voltage you have to determine if it is 3-wire or 4-wire (hint: 4-wire has a neutral conductor and 3-wire does not). You also need to know if it is wye or delta configuration. If there is a neutral, it is usually wye, but not always so you may have to do some voltage testing to determine the configuration. If there is no neutral, it usually delta but there is no way to know for sure even with voltage tests so you will have to ask the utility company to be sure about the configuration.

Sometimes when planning the large commercial system, you run into the issue of not having enough roof space for the solar panels. If you have room for a ground mount, this may solve your problem and you can check out our article “Tips for DIY Ground Mount Solar” for some good installation advice. Another option may be to use solar canopies. These are great because they can provide a shaded parking area or shade for animals if the installation is for a farm.  

One of the big differences between the three phase inverters and the single phase residential inverters is that the three phase inverters can take a higher DC voltage. This means that you can put more solar panels in a string but this is where the building classification matters. Per NEC Code, a one or two family dwelling is limited to a maximum of 600 volts. It is possible that you would be installing three phase inverters on a large house so you would have to make sure they will operate with a DC input of less than 600 volts. Most of them can work with the lower voltage with just a small efficiency loss but you can check the minimum DC voltage requirements on the datasheet to be sure. If it is a commercial building, you are free to go up to 1,000 or even 1,500 volts based on the maximum voltage the inverter and solar panels can handle. 

Another thing that is often an issue on the larger solar installations is the rating of the main service panel. A 30 kw system on a 208 or 240 Volt main service panel rated for 200 amps is going to be very awkward because of the 120% rule which states that the inverter output x 1.25 plus the main service breaker rating must be equal to or less than 120% of the busbar rating. You can see our previous article “Evaluating You Main Service Panel for Solar” for more details and some math examples on the 120% rule. 

Larger systems also mean larger conduit. There are likely to be more string or branch circuit conductors from the array and larger conductors for the inverter output. While a typical residential system can be installed with ¾” or 1” conduit. The larger systems often get into 1 ½” and larger conduit. If you are using EMT, this larger conduit will be more difficult to bend by hand so you may consider using pre-bent conduit pieces and LBs or you could buy or rent a commercial conduit bender. 

Finally, you should also consider that there might be more hassles in permitting and net metering paperwork because cities, counties and utility companies treat commercial systems differently than residential. They often require more documentation to approve the permit or net metering agreement. This is one of the reasons why you should make sure you purchase your do it yourself commercial solar kit from a full service company like GoGreenSolar.com who will assist you with all the paperwork necessary to get your project approved.

The post Nuances of Installing 30kw or Larger PV Systems first appeared on GoGreenSolar.

Okay, the last might seem like a no-brainer. 

“The laws of physics,” after all, are those immutable truths about reality which, unlike the tooth fairy or a wizarding world living in tandem with our own, exist whether or not you believe in them. 

The laws of physics are why, in more 14 years of business, the DIY department of Go Green Solar has never had a customer encounter an issue when heeding the recommendations of our dedicated engineering team. 

Recently, however, one of our lead plan-set designers, Carl, shared a cautionary tale regarding a DIY dilettante and a home solar installation project that both metaphorically (and literally) went off the rails:

“Everything started off fine,” recalls Carl. “We designed the system plans as per the racking manufacturer’s specifications, but then, when the customer started digging to install the ground mounts, he hit rock and couldn’t go any further. Unexpected challenges like this can sometimes happen, so we took the data over to one of our certified engineers to advise us how to proceed.”

Factoring in historical weather conditions, the updated plan included the addition of diagonal braces for structural support and excavating grade beams along the entire span of the installation to connect all the footings. Carl submitted the revisions back to the home installer. 

“He didn’t like it,” Carl said. “He felt it was overkill and said that 99% of the time, the wind blew from the East and would be hitting the face of the panels. For the additional cost of construction, he didn’t think it would be worth it.” 

Carl and the Go Green Solar team didn’t hear back from the homeowner for a while. Then, several months later, we got an email with an image of a crumpled ground mount solar system. Turns out, that gamble the person took on the wind never howling in the wrong direction didn’t pay off. 

In an attempt to save around $800 in reinforcement upgrades, the person sacrificed a system that cost nearly $20,000 as it hadn’t yet begun to pay itself off. 

“As long a person is handy and can go up and down a roof ladder with 50 lbs, they should be proficient enough to install a home solar system,” mused Carl. “But the problems tend to arise when someone fights the advice our engineers give them, trying to save on the amount of concrete or wire sizing.” 

After all, the savings produced by a home solar system, together with reduced electrical bills, Federal Tax Income Credits, and various state incentives, can more than recoup the cost of a project within 5 years. 

The moral of the tale: a penny saved is not always a dollar earned, always err on the side of caution and, of course, follow the laws of physics. Because even if you don’t agree with them, there’s a high probability they’re going to prove you wrong in the end, and that’s something on which you can count.

Oh, and trust your experts at GoGreenSolar. We know what we’re doing.

The post DIY Mishap – When Home Installers Throw Caution To The Wind first appeared on GoGreenSolar.

Most existing solar back-up systems are small and can only provide enough power for some lights and your refrigerator. A solar back-up system large enough to run large appliances like an air conditioner or hot water heater is possible with current technology but it means filling your garage with batteries and inverter equipment. This will be very expensive and the installation is complicated. If you are attempting the Holy Grail of solar back-up, the whole house back-up system, you have to source a transfer switch from the generator industry that is not programmable and may not be suited for all the sources you want to incorporate.

But Enphase has the solution with their new Ensemble back-up system.

One key component of the Enphase Ensemble back-up system is the Enphase Encharge Storage System. This is an AC Coupled, Lithium Iron Phosphate energy storage unit with integrated Enphase IQ8 Multimode microinverters. The Encharge 3 has 3.4 kwh of usable storage and the Encharge 10 has 10.1 kwh of usage storage. For more storage, multiple Encharge systems can be connected to create a system large enough to provide the whole house back-up system. The incorporated IQ8 microinverters have new processors that can react in 20 nanoseconds to loads coming online and offline so that they maintain an independently stable AC grid throughout the duration of a power outage. Having the battery storage and inverter incorporated into a single unit simplifies installation making it very possible for a do-it-yourself solar installer. Also, these sleek units can be hung on a wall and are even rated NEMA 3R for outdoor installations.

Another important part of the Ensemble system is the Empower Smart Switch which has multiple configuration options and even includes a place to add an additional back-up source like a diesel generator which will make the perfect system for the serious doomsday prepper. The Empower Smart Switch manages all the power from the Encharge Storage System, IQ microinverters, grid and generator. If the grid goes down, it seamlessly transfers your house loads to the storage system and IQ microinverters. When grid power is restored, the system transitions back to normal grid-tied operation. 

Not only will this system provide back-up power during outages, it can save you extra money when the grid is on by managing power to optimize time-of-use electric rates. It will store excess solar power during off-peak times when the electric rates are low and provide power to cover your loads during peak times when the electric rates are high. 

Finally, the whole system can be controlled and monitored from the user-friendly Enphase Enlighten app on any smart phone or mobile device. It doesn’t get any easier than that.      

The new Ensemble technology is compatible with any Enphase IQ6 or IQ7 microinverters so customers who already have solar installed with these microinverters can retrofit their systems with the Ensemble back-up components. Customers installing the solar and back-up system together would install the Enphase IQ7 microinverters just as they would for solar without back-up and then add the Ensemble components. 

For more information on what this amazing system can do for you call the experts at GoGreenSolar.com.

The post Enphase Ensemble Solar Back-up first appeared on GoGreenSolar.

First, when planning your project, make sure you know the location of your property lines and the required setbacks. Most cities and counties require permanent structures like the solar ground mount rack to be at least 5’ from the property lines but sometimes they can require as much as 30’ setback if there is a road there or you are in a rural area prone to wildfires. You might also want to inquire about a flood zone like a water wash area that runs through your property where you may not be allowed to build. Even if the local authority doesn’t enforce it, you should think twice about installing the solar ground mount in an area that you know might flood during heavy rains or spring thaws.  

Doing a ground mount means that you don’t have to haul all the solar panels up to the roof but it still may not be the best idea to get solar panels that are very large in size. Some solar panels are almost 7’ long and can weigh up to 75 pounds each. Even though you don’t have to lug the panels up a ladder, you will still have to move them around and lift them up pretty high to install them on the back end of the ground mount rack. At the end of the day, that last solar panel you have to lift is going to feel much heavier than the first one you picked up in the morning. 

Another note on choosing equipment is to use pre-designed solar racking. Some of them include all the pieces and others have hardware designed to work with galvanized steel water pipes. Either one of these options will be easier to get permitted and install than if you attempt to design your own racking system. You might be able to do it a little cheaper with parts you have on hand, but you will pay for it in headaches at the building department and potential unforeseen structural issues.  

Also be careful about what tilt angle you commit to if the ground is flat. The ideal tilt angle in the southern U.S. is 30 degrees and it is 40 degrees in the northern states but if you have a larger solar project, those angles could make for a very tall back end on the rack which makes for an awkward installation. Changing that to a 15 degree angle makes for a much easier install and will only make about a 5% to 10% difference in the power production. You can also break the system up into multiple smaller ground racks or install it on a south-facing hill if you are lucky enough to have one on your property.

When you pull your permit with the city or county, make sure you ask about what inspections will be required. Building departments often require a “Footings Inspection” when you are planning to install concrete footings. What this means is that you will need to dig the holes for the concrete footings and have those holes inspected before you pour the concrete. This is done to ensure that the holes are the proper depth and width before they get permanently filled. If this extra inspection will be required check the weather before you schedule it. A good rain will put a lot of extra dirt in the holes you dug which cause you to fail this inspection and set your project back a day or two.

If you are installing your system on a hillside there are a few tricks the pros use to make life easier. One thing you can do is cut stairs down the hill on one or both sides of your array to make it a little easier to get tools, equipment and solar panels where you need them. If you have some extra railroad ties, they work great as stair steps. If you find your feet sliding too much in the loose dirt, try wearing baseball or golf cleats to give you a little extra traction. If the hill is really steep and has something dangerous like a cliff or a road at the bottom of it, get a harness and rope to tie yourself off just in case. You can also use the rope to help get back up the hill when your legs get tired.

Ground mounts tend to have long conduit runs, but if you plan it out carefully, pulling the wire can be a breeze. When installing the PVC conduit in the trench make sure all the bells for the junctions open towards the overall uphill direction. Once the conduit is all in place, tie a light string to a grocery bag and stick it in the uphill end of the conduit. Use a shop vac at the downhill end of the conduit to pull the bag and string through. Then tie a stronger rope to the string and use the string to pull that uphill. Then tape your wire to that rope and pull it downhill. Pulling downhill is much easier and your wire won’t get snagged on the ends of the conduit stuck in the bells because you faced the bells the right direction. It is also a good idea to put in conduit that is one size larger than what is required by code just to make the pull wire that much easier.

 The final tip, and this is a big one, make sure you buy your equipment from a company like GoGreenSolar.com that offers technical support as part of their package. Having that lifeline that can make all the difference in your DIY solar installation experience. 

The post Tips for DIY Ground Mount Solar first appeared on GoGreenSolar.