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I live in the southeast and was quoted 35k for a 7kw Solar and 36k for two power walls. With tax credits,~50k

voisin 4y ago
I’m in BC, Canada and just pulled the trigger on 14.56 kw if ground mount for $42k CAD, tax included. Wondering why Solar is so much more expensive (ignoring the batteries) in your area? I’d think it would be a lot cheaper with more competition. Going with Longi bifacial panels - does the US restrict or add huge duties on Chinese panels?
- ch4s3 4y ago
  Tariffs are a big part, but labor is a significant factor as well.
- fbdab103 4y ago
  GP did not mention the mounting option, so I assume they were going for a roof installation. Which has to be a significant markup vs ground mount. I am only partially handy, but even I could throw some poles in the ground and a frame to hold solar panels. Doing the same for a roof would be significantly beyond my abilities.
  - voisin 4y ago
    From the quotes we received ground mount is usually quite a bit more expensive per installed watt. The frames cost more, there’s longer runs of cabling, etc.
    - fbdab103 4y ago
      Huh, never would have guessed. I assumed cabling was basically free, and the only difference would be the solar mounts were attached to poles vs a roof. There was a recent experiment[0] where a company is going to start putting panels directly on the ground without any mounting hardware. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33926683 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33926683
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
PaulDavisThe1st 4y ago
Just as a comparison, I did my own 6.7kWh ground mount array, so I can tell you that the materials costs (to a homeowner) for that were about US$13k. That was in 2020 - not sure how those costs have moved since then, but a significant part of the cost you're being quoted is labor.
- kragen 4y ago
  i'd be interested in a rough breakdown of the costs if you happen to remember solarserver's photovoltaik preisindex makes it seem like that's about 10 percent pv modules and the rest is either retail markup (or tariffs) or balance of system; is that true?
  - PaulDavisThe1st 4y ago
    Alas, I only remember that I paid what was then wholesale solar (OR) almost exactly $10k for the panels, racking, inverter, and the little optimizers that sit under every panel, then about $1k for the iron tubing for the rack, about $600 in concrete, and another $1500 on sundry electrical supplies (conduit, wiring, junction boxes etc.)
    - kragen 4y ago
      thank you!
themitigating 4y ago
Have you calculated the savings each month in your electric bill and compared that to the cost of a loan for the solar? Maybe this is a bad time because of interest rates but my sister has a two story house in NY with solar and is saving between $100 and $150 a month.

I’m in BC, Canada and just pulled the trigger on 14.56 kw if ground mount for $42k CAD, tax included. Wondering why Solar is so much more expensive (ignoring the batteries) in your area? I’d think it would be a lot cheaper with more competition. Going with Longi bifacial panels - does the US restrict or add huge duties on Chinese panels?

ch4s3 4y ago
Tariffs are a big part, but labor is a significant factor as well.
fbdab103 4y ago
GP did not mention the mounting option, so I assume they were going for a roof installation. Which has to be a significant markup vs ground mount. I am only partially handy, but even I could throw some poles in the ground and a frame to hold solar panels. Doing the same for a roof would be significantly beyond my abilities.
- voisin 4y ago
  From the quotes we received ground mount is usually quite a bit more expensive per installed watt. The frames cost more, there’s longer runs of cabling, etc.
  - fbdab103 4y ago
    Huh, never would have guessed. I assumed cabling was basically free, and the only difference would be the solar mounts were attached to poles vs a roof. There was a recent experiment[0] where a company is going to start putting panels directly on the ground without any mounting hardware. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33926683 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33926683

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

PaulDavisThe1st 4y ago

Just as a comparison, I did my own 6.7kWh ground mount array, so I can tell you that the materials costs (to a homeowner) for that were about US$13k. That was in 2020 - not sure how those costs have moved since then, but a significant part of the cost you're being quoted is labor.

kragen 4y ago
i'd be interested in a rough breakdown of the costs if you happen to remember solarserver's photovoltaik preisindex makes it seem like that's about 10 percent pv modules and the rest is either retail markup (or tariffs) or balance of system; is that true?
- PaulDavisThe1st 4y ago
  Alas, I only remember that I paid what was then wholesale solar (OR) almost exactly $10k for the panels, racking, inverter, and the little optimizers that sit under every panel, then about $1k for the iron tubing for the rack, about $600 in concrete, and another $1500 on sundry electrical supplies (conduit, wiring, junction boxes etc.)
  - kragen 4y ago
    thank you!

themitigating 4y ago

Have you calculated the savings each month in your electric bill and compared that to the cost of a loan for the solar? Maybe this is a bad time because of interest rates but my sister has a two story house in NY with solar and is saving between $100 and $150 a month.