I live in western Colorado and last year we had a system installed by a local company. They first proposed a 7.7 kWh system, and I am in no way a solar expert, I have degrees and experience in the sciences, so I know how to measure angles and punch numbers into a calculator and stuff lol...
Anyways, my wife and I opted for an 8.8 kWh system based on our usage and future usage etc. So, with the panels they installed it ended up being a 9.1 kWh SunPower system using SPR-A415-G-AC panels on a South-facing roof. Here are some issues and I'd like your opinions/recommendations on them:
1.) WIRING NOT CORRECT - The way they wired the system, the app doesn't account for my garage/barn consumption. I have two refrigerators and the AC unit runs through here. Thus, it is off by 10-15% or so. I checked this by comparing the app to our utility provider. They've acknowledged it but aren't moving too fast to correct it.
2.) DOESN'T SHED SNOW - We lost an entire month of January production because of a much-needed snowstorm. The snow completely covered the panels for a full 5-6 weeks. See why below.
2.) LOWER THAN POTENTIAL PRODUCTION - Since the install in June of 2021, it has produced 7,100 kWh. Currently about 64% of my small family and farms consumption.
The panels are mounted on my pole barn tin roof (wood frame, metal supports) at an angle of 4 degrees! I read SunPower's installation manual, and it says panels should be installed at a minimum of 10 degrees. I understand 30-36 degrees would be optimal. To date, we've paid the power company $746. We're saving zero dollars.
The company's response has mostly been to ignore me. I haven't heard from them for two weeks since emailing them with these concerns. When I did speak with them on the phone he said, "it would even out during the summer". Or their other solution has been to throw more panels at it. Since I have lost 6 weeks of production due to snow and a 4-degree tilt, it's not going to catch up; I can see this from a mile away.
So, the 7,100 kWh may be good or fair or poor (that's why I'm asking) but I believe the system could do so much better with a proper tilt!? To shed snow and optimize the sun angle!?
Am I unreasonable that I expect this expensive system to monitor correctly, shed snow and be installed with an optimized tilt?
Thank you for your solar expertise in trying to solve this problem.