SunEdison panels any good?

[ziggyziggy]

This company quoted me for 270W SunEdison panels with Enphase microinverters. I insisted on LG315 panels and Solaredge string inverter with optimizers instead. The combined wattage is about the same. Although the price of the LG system did jack up the price by $1000.

The single Solaredge inverter with optimizers are supposedly cheaper than microinverters per panel but the LG panels are pricier than the Sunedisons.

I hope I made the right choice.

[ButchDeal]

This company quoted me for 270W SunEdison panels with Enphase microinverters. I insisted on LG315 panels and Solaredge string inverter with optimizers instead. The combined wattage is about the same. Although the price of the LG system did jack up the price by $1000.

The single Solaredge inverter with optimizers are supposedly cheaper than microinverters per panel but the LG panels are pricier than the Sunedisons.

I hope I made the right choice.

SunEdison 270 are basic mono modules. Canadian 265 modules have higher efficiency and LG has even better.
you probably could have saved a little by going SunEd with SolarEdge. SunEdison will only offer their PPA with their modules though.

[J.P.M.]

This company quoted me for 270W SunEdison panels with Enphase microinverters. I insisted on LG315 panels and Solaredge string inverter with optimizers instead. The combined wattage is about the same. Although the price of the LG system did jack up the price by $1000.

The single Solaredge inverter with optimizers are supposedly cheaper than microinverters per panel but the LG panels are pricier than the Sunedisons.

I hope I made the right choice.

I don't know about price, but without shade you'll be better off w/out the micros. Depending on how strident you were in your insistence of LG, might be the salesperson used that insistence to extract a premium. $1K on a $10 K job is a lot different than $1K on a $25K job.

[ziggyziggy]

I do have shade but just worried about the micros overheating and requiring constant service/replacement. I hear solaredge is more reliable and the optimizers perform similar to the micros by adjusting for shade and doesnt take out if the whole system is one panel goes?

[Yaryman]

Which is more reliable, an Enphase inverter under the shade of the panel OR the String inverter box on the side of your house sitting in the sun?

[ziggyziggy]

the roof and the side will both have shade.

[thejq]

A reputable string inverter is probably the most reliable and easiest to change if it was to break. Changing either a micro or optimizer can cost a lot of money if the installer's warranty doesn't cover it. If you don't have shading issue and/or don't care about per-panel monitoring and/or the best performance possible, you should be fine with central string inverter. Many people on this forum picked Enphase or SE even though they're not strictly required (myself included), because we are tech nerds, liked the technical aspect of per-panel optimization, and wanted the best performance possible, and share with friends or other forum members. As for Enphase vs SE, it's mostly personally preference. The current gen of Enphase (M250) has some disadvantage pairing with higher wattage panels. The newer S280 might or might not be commercially available yet. In any event, Enphase is a little shaky financially.

[ziggyziggy]

Doesnt solaredge inverter along with optimizers provide the same advantages as the enphase micros? With SE inverters and optimizers, we should be able to monitor individual panel performance and one panel malfunctioning does not take out the entire system, no?

[thejq]

Doesnt solaredge inverter along with optimizers provide the same advantages as the enphase micros? With SE inverters and optimizers, we should be able to monitor individual panel performance and one panel malfunctioning does not take out the entire system, no?

Yes, you're right. SE inverter + optimizer as a system will have per-panel monitoring/optimization. If one goes down, it doesn't take out the whole array (like a string inverter). But if it happens, you still have to replace it which can be expensive if you have to pay out-of-pocket.

[ButchDeal]

Doesnt solaredge inverter along with optimizers provide the same advantages as the enphase micros? With SE inverters and optimizers, we should be able to monitor individual panel performance and one panel malfunctioning does not take out the entire system, no?

yes.
Though a note. The SolarEdge optimizers are not optional with the solaredge inverter. The inverter does not have any MPPT on its own and requires the optimizers to function.

[ButchDeal]

Yes, you're right. SE inverter + optimizer as a system will have per-panel monitoring/optimization. If one goes down, it doesn't take out the whole array (like a string inverter). But if it happens, you still have to replace it which can be expensive if you have to pay out-of-pocket.

Why would you pay out of pocket. SolarEdge optimizers are warrantied for 25 years and include labor.

[thejq]

Why would you pay out of pocket. SolarEdge optimizers are warrantied for 25 years and include labor.

I can't find any current official document that states labor is included in the replacement warranty. In the latest http://www.solaredge.us/files/pdfs/s...ember-2014.pdf, it says:

"Where SolarEdge decides to repair the Product or part(s), warranty coverage includes labor and material costs necessarily incurred to correct the Product defect; and where SolarEdge decides to replace the Product or part(s) to which the Limited Warranty applies, warranty coverage includes the cost of the replacement of the Product or part(s). "

So essentially, they will repair (part + labor) or replace it for free, but your installer has to obsorb the labor to take it down, send it in, and re-install. If it happens outside of your installer's warranty (normally 10 to 15 yrs) or installer bellied up, you're OOL.

[ButchDeal]

I can't find any current official document that states labor is included in the replacement warranty. In the latest http://www.solaredge.us/files/pdfs/s...ember-2014.pdf, it says:

"Where SolarEdge decides to repair the Product or part(s), warranty coverage includes labor and material costs necessarily incurred to correct the Product defect; and where SolarEdge decides to replace the Product or part(s) to which the Limited Warranty applies, warranty coverage includes the cost of the replacement of the Product or part(s). "

So essentially, they will repair (part + labor) or replace it for free, but your installer has to obsorb the labor to take it down, send it in, and re-install. If it happens outside of your installer's warranty (normally 10 to 15 yrs) or installer bellied up, you're OOL.

I can't find the US version but there is a similar version of this:

https://www.solartradesales.co.uk/cache/downloads/SolarEdge-RMA-and-Labor-Compensation-Processes-Sept-2014-7.pdf

they compensate the installer for the labor if it was installed by a certified installer, was monitored and solaredge called for the repair.

[Yaryman]

the roof and the side will both have shade.

Sorry if I was a little obtuse. The point I was making is that enphase inverters are in the shade, while a string inverter box can sit in the sun.

Nothing lasts as long if it sits in the sun.

[thejq]

I can't find the US version but there is a similar version of this:
https://www.solartradesales.co.uk/ca...ept-2014-7.pdf

they compensate the installer for the labor if it was installed by a certified installer, was monitored and solaredge called for the repair.

You could be right (I hope so, since I also have SE), but given the language in your linked document, one has to assume it only applies to a specific region somewhere in Europe, eg. needs to use "Fedex Hungary" and reimbursed in euros or pounds etc.

FYI, my installer also told me verbally that SE covers labor. So there's a good chance they do, but it's not written in anything official. Hence while hoping for the best, one also has to prepare for the worst.