LG Neon2 vs NeonR cost?

[hardwired]

Looking for an all black solution for best appearance and prefer the Neon R for the better warranty and no visible 12-wire cell pattern like on the Neon2.

I thought LG was competitively priced? Quotes are substantially higher more similar to Panasonic and Sunpower. Has LG pricing gone up? Being Korean made I would expect only the Chinese panels would be affected by tarrifs.

What are you seeing for current LG pricing in the US? The following review recently updated indicates 0.85 per watt for the R series.

https://review.solar/lg-neon-r/

"As a gauge, LG NeON R solar panels are available online from:
USD $0.85 per watt | AUD $1.10 per watt | EURO 0.85c
Excludes taxes, shipping and installation."

[Crash]

Wholesale solar has the price of the R at $495. The other says call for price though. Also found https://www.solaris-shop.com/lg-neon...o-solar-panel/ with prices for both to compare.

[JSchnee21]

The R-Series is a beautiful panel, but it has always been priced more than the Panasonics and generally a touch less than SunPower -- I have Panny's myself. That was before major tariff action. Both Panasonic and Hanwha have US plants. LG does not (last I checked). Plus the additional premium for all black (and the reduced production and thermal efficiency). There's also much less demand for all black so distributes don't stock them as much. The Neon2's are a fine, but middling older panel. These will be significantly less per Watt, particularly in the 72-cell size.

I don't know you're application, but is the added price premium really worth it? How many years will it take to break even on your solar investment? Will you still live there?

[emartin00]

Where did you hear that LG was competitively priced? They have been a premium brand for at least a couple years now.

[hardwired]

Where did you hear that LG was competitively priced? They have been a premium brand for at least a couple years now.

From someone who bought them almost a couple of years ago. One contractor complained his cost has gone up since last year and not just in panels.

I don't know how long I'll be here. Could be 3-5 years or 10-15 max. Roofs face east west with mostly 34 degree angle. I'm told my panels won't be operating at max STC because of this.

[J.P.M.]

From someone who bought them almost a couple of years ago. One contractor complained his cost has gone up since last year and not just in panels.

I don't know how long I'll be here. Could be 3-5 years or 10-15 max. Roofs face east west with mostly 34 degree angle. I'm told my panels won't be operating at max STC because of this.

Usually, for a well designed system, panels don't spend much time operating at STC output at most any orientation.

Less than optimum orientation for max. annual production will reduce that time even more.

If you want to check what you were told, one way is to model systems with PVWatts. Use the hourly output option. Do runs for 1 kW arrays for each of your 2 orientations and for a south facing orientation at 34 deg. tilt and compare annual modeled outputs. Then, use the hourly output option and also compare max. hourly modeled outputs, sort them by max - min for each orientation and compare how many hours are at STC output for each orientation. Also see if any of the orientations clip.

[JSchnee21]

What state do you live in? Is there a major concern regarding curb appeal? If you may only live there for 3 to 5 years you are unlikely to even break even. East-West will significantly limit production but could offer advantages for time shifting with or without storage. The 34 degrees may not be as much of an issue depending on your latitude. I assume there is no shade?

How many MWh do you consume per year? What percentage are you looking to offset? Have you started getting quotes yet? What size system are they quoting you and how much doe they estimate it will produce?

From a value perspective, you're much more likely to break even using a mid tier commodity panel from Trina, Jinko, Hanwha, LG Neon2, assuming you have enough roof space. Given modern NEC requirements, you're most likely looking at a SolarEdge or Enphase solution to be rapid shutdown compliant.

Panels facing Solar South with optimal inclination (for Latitude) RARELY operate at STC. A better rule of thumb for these conditions is ~80% at best, and then only for 3 to 5 hours per day (at most) depending on your latitude. For East-West installs, it is even less -- though having a higher inclination will help this a little (as the sun is low in the sky).

What are you hoping to accomplish with solar? Over what time horizon? What do you pay per kWH now from your utility?

[hardwired]

I have high usage around 25MW annual. Rates are relatively low but I see bills $500 per month in the summer.

If say Energy cost is $4000 annual and will probably continue to grow to $5000, a 12kwhr array is only going to cover about half that. Say 5 years I saved $10k. It's not enough IMO. Need a larger system but quotes are already astronomical with no tax incentives considered.

37k for 11.5kw lg Neon2 with Solaredge. Neon R is another 10%.
What other all black panels should I consider before I can the project?

[JSchnee21]

Why do you need all black panels? Is this a premium home and curb appeal is the major/only concern?

25MWh is a lot, I only use approx 13-14MWh per year myself and we run the AC from April through October -- though my home is only modestly sized and it doesn't get too hot or cold (NJ) where I live. I have a 12.2kW array (37 330W Panasonic panels) I usually make ~12MWh but could make ~15 or so if I cut down my trees. My system was ~$39K back in 2017.

Is this a residential home owner situation? Why do you say no tax incentives? You should get all or most of the 30% depending on whether your system is installed this year or next.

Before looking to solar as a band aid, what have you done to decrease your rather astronomical energy usage? HVAC upgrades, home energy audit, re-insulation, getting by with less?

Even with solar, unless you go with a 15-20kW system, your electrical usage won't be zero. Do you have net metering where you live? What is the largest size PV generation plant your electrical provider permits for residential net metering (if that's your situation). Sometimes it's as little as 10-12kW depending on the PoCo.

If you're annual electrical bill before solar is $5000, and it's $1000 after, that's only a savings of $4K/year. If you're $28K net out of pocket on a $39K system, it's still going to take you 7 years to break even. Will you still be living there enough years after the fact to turn a profit?
.

[hardwired]

The black panels is aesthetics thing with the SO since she really doesn't like them and wants an orthogonal array. No one in the neighborhood has it also - can't . Flexible to do whatever I want in the back but it's the least desirable direction.

Yes there's tax credit and shrinks by 4% in 2 months. I think I need 16-18kw but just can't see it's worth any where near $40-50k expenditure. Can it be done 30-35k then my cost will be 10-15k and can reap some benefit while still there. Willing to start with 12kw array. Adding another 4-5Kw with just panels and optimizers strung to an existing Inverter should be a lot cheaper right?

Working on the usage with 2 moved out. Two working from home and with asthma and allergies run the AC a good part of the year.
Will be tabulating usage. Already changed over all the recessed lighting to LED recently. Dryer, electric stove, 2 frig. Changed over TVs from Plasma heaters to an LEd and an Oled also.