Quotes in Orange County, CA and ??? on SMA, SW320, Unirac, Visa and Roofing

[snowblind40]

Got a quote from a completely unknown company run by some local electricians with the following:

System Size - 6.0 kW
Panel - 20, LG300 300W
Inverter - 1, SolarEdge SE5000 w/20 Optimizers
Racking - Unknown
Warranty - ??? installation, 25 yrs on panel output
Cash Price before tax credit - $18,000
Price per watt - $3.00
Estimated Annual Production - 9,400

System Size - 6.0 kW
Panel - 20, LG300 300W
Inverter - 20, Enphase M250 Microinverters
Racking - Unknown
Warranty - ??? installation, 25 yrs on panel output
Cash Price before tax credit - $19,800
Price per watt - $3.30
Estimated Annual Production - 9,400

Got a quote from a very well reviewed company on both yelp and solar reviews with the following:

System size - 5.760 kW
Panel - 18, SolarWorld SW320 XLMO 320W
Inverter - 1, SMA America Sunny Boy SB5000TL-US-22 (240V)
Racking - Unirac
Warranty - 25yrs installation, 25 yrs on panel output
Cash price before tax credit - $21,600
Price per watt - $3.75
Also offering $1500 Visa Card after installation
Effectively Brings Price per watt down to - $3.38
Estimated annual production - 9,019 kWh per year

So here are my questions:

1. Anyone here have any experience/opinions with SMA Sunny Boy Inverters? I couldn't find much when I was doing searches on the forums. Seller mentioned the fact that they have a battery and no moving parts (transformer?) as the biggest selling points. I did ask about online monitoring and he said it was included and you would be able to monitor on an iPhone app.

2. I always see SolarWorld SW280 panels but few people post that they are getting SW320 320 W panels. Is there any reason the SW320s are less popular?

3. The sales person talked a lot about the fact that they use Unirac and that it was the best racking system out on the market. Anyone want to tell me more about this racking system vs. others?

4. I need some work done on the flat roof of my house where I will be installing the panels. I have a skylight that seems to be leaking on rainy days. Should I hire a separate contractor, or should I ask the Solar Company to fix it if they have experience roofing?

5. Anyone else ever offered a $1500 Visa Card instead of a discount? Why would a company do that instead of discounting further? One nice thing seems to be is that I get to take advantage of a higher tax incentive.

Thank you all in advanced for all your help.

[solarix]

1. Anyone here have any experience/opinions with SMA Sunny Boy Inverters? I couldn't find much when I was doing searches on the forums. Seller mentioned the fact that they have a battery and no moving parts (transformer?) as the biggest selling points. I did ask about online monitoring and he said it was included and you would be able to monitor on an iPhone app.

Can't find much on SMA? only the oldest, most respected, most reliable brand. Not sure if they are still the sales leader, but is with me. Online monitoring does cost $200 extra (they may including it for free, and the portal is free), but has dual MPPT inputs and the exclusive Secure Power Outlet. If you really must do the roof mounted electronics thing, they also have microinverters.

2. I always see SolarWorld SW280 panels but few people post that they are getting SW320 320 W panels. Is there any reason the SW320s are less popular?

320W panels are physically larger, making them harder to install and harder to fit.

3. The sales person talked a lot about the fact that they use Unirac and that it was the best racking system out on the market. Anyone want to tell me more about this racking system vs. others?

The downside of any racking system is how hard it is to install - so let your installer make this decision. Only exception to this is some systems have a better look to them, as in - do the rails stick out past the array or is it all nicely hidden underneath? Ask them for sample pictures.

4. I need some work done on the flat roof of my house. I have a skylight that seems to be leaking on rainy days. Should I hire a separate contractor, or should I ask the Solar Company to fix it if they have experience roofing?

The big difference here is whether whoever does the roof is licensed, bond, insured in case there are problems.

5. Anyone else ever offered a $1500 Visa Card instead of a discount? Why would a company do that instead of discounting further? One nice thing seems to be is that I get to take advantage of a higher tax incentive.

As with any government intervention, because there are big tax credits for solar, people game the system and mark up the prices to increase the credits and then give you a bribe (I mean gift card) on the back end to share some of the take. Not a very good sign of an ethical installer if you ask me.

Thanks for asking.....

[snowblind40]

thanks for your answers! All very informative! It is interesting to find out that SMA is suppose to be such a well known and popular brand but there seems to be so much more debate on this forum about Enphase and SolarEdge.

What kind of incentives/rebates are Solar companies getting from the government that we don't know about? I feel like this kind of stuff would be great knowledge to have in the process of negotiating with companies.

[solar pete]

thanks for your answers! All very informative! It is interesting to find out that SMA is suppose to be such a well known and popular brand but there seems to be so much more debate on this forum about Enphase and SolarEdge.

What kind of incentives/rebates are Solar companies getting from the government that we don't know about? I feel like this kind of stuff would be great knowledge to have in the process of negotiating with companies.

Hi snowblind40, SMA make good inverters we have been using them in OZ for many years and they are my favorite inverter manufacture, its interesting that all of the installers on this forum seem to have the same view but I think the marketing from the others is working and so we have been having a lot of debate here about the others.

I dont know of any secret government incentives?

Cheers

[snowblind40]

Thank you so much for your insight. I have been wondering why there is so much talk about SolarEdge and Enphase etc. Seems like the transformerless technology and batter would be huge selling points for the SMA Sunnyboy.

Hi snowblind40, SMA make good inverters we have been using them in OZ for many years and they are my favorite inverter manufacture, its interesting that all of the installers on this forum seem to have the same view but I think the marketing from the others is working and so we have been having a lot of debate here about the others.

I dont know of any secret government incentives?

Cheers

[snowblind40]

Found this quote on the SMA SunnyBoy on another thread by Solarix. Definitely liked the Youtube video. Very interesting and informative!

Here is a Youtube video on the SunnyBoy TL. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fc7ESijXTM

Introduced about 18 months ago, its about all I use anymore.
Dual MPPT inputs handle almost any roof situation (except serious shading), and the exclusive Secure Power Outlet will produce up to 12 amps during a utility outage as long as the there is enough sunshine (without any batteries!). Also with its transformerless design (that's the TL) is more efficient than the old model, has a wider input voltage range, and is a lot lighter too. German designed - made in Denver, so far very reliable. Available with extended warranty - what's not to like?

[Solarfordummy]

thanks for your answers! All very informative! It is interesting to find out that SMA is suppose to be such a well known and popular brand but there seems to be so much more debate on this forum about Enphase and SolarEdge.

What kind of incentives/rebates are Solar companies getting from the government that we don't know about? I feel like this kind of stuff would be great knowledge to have in the process of negotiating with companies.

Hi Snowblind40,
I'm in Orange County too. Would you please share what companies you got the quotes from. I called a few and they gave me much higher quotes. Thanks.