New to solar - how to get panels without PPA & avoid bottom feeders and poor quality

[4sallypat]

Hello all!
I have searched the forum, learned a lot about PV, contracts, and how wildly varied solar is for each person.

So confused now that I went to a home show locally and there were 6 solar vendors all seeming to push the same deal.
They all wanted to know how much my electricity costs are and how I would benefit from a fixed monthly rate for 15-25 years.
I knew something was wrong when they said I would no longer pay my utility company but pay them instead each month for the same amount...

How do I find a reputable solar company that I can just pay for the panels (12kW) thru my own financing and deal with my utility directly ?

I don't need a battery nor transfer switching, inverters, or any extras. Just the panels tied into the grid.

Southern California - rarely lose power - and all my important power devices in the house are backed up on commercial duty battery back up power supplies.

Currently we charge a PHEV at off peak hours using a L2 EVSE.

Next month my new Ford Lightning is arriving and will need to charge on weekend mornings only due to TOU rates....

[Mike 134]

At the very beginning of my project, I started with my utility provider, found out for myself what credits etc I should expect and how simple but just tedious the process was.

Generating Your Own Power | Your Home | Home - SCE

[4sallypat]

Mike 134 Thanks I just went thru the SCE link and scheduled for a consultation call today from Electrum.

Is that the same company you got info from ?

[Mike 134]

Mike 134 Thanks I just went thru the SCE link and scheduled for a consultation call today from Electrum.

Is that the same company you got info from ?

I'm in the Midwest so a different utility provider but they all have a portion of their websites devoted to educating the customer about solar grid-tied, whether you DIY or use a contractor.

Good luck

[J.P.M.]

My bet is you were confused because you went into the lion's den uninformed and got steamrolled with junk, buzzword, and assaulted with a lot of stuff you were unfamiliar with.

1.) Have you identified your project goals in a semi concrete way yet ?

2.Have you read "Solar Power Your Home for Dummies" yet ?

3.) Have you done an estimate of your likely future electrical load that your project goals will generate ?

4.) Are you familiar with your POCO's available tariffs and their structure ?
There are several tariff schedules available from SCE. Some may be better suited to your situational goals.

5.) I'd respectfully suggest you stop talking to vendors until you get more informed.
Sounds like you're getting confused by overload from sources whose goal is to put PV on your property rather than helping you get a sane approach to dealing with your electric bills.

Traditional methods of buy/own equipment and having an NEM arrangement with the POCO is still the most common method of using residential PV. So, the answer to that question is yes. Most reliable vendors will sell and install equipment you can own. They also often peddle leases and PPA's. All you gotta' do is tell them that because of your situation (that is, you have a brain), you are not interested in a B.S. lease or PPA.

There's just more money and less liability for conmen in leasing/PPA'ing right now.
You walk into a home show and you'll be assaulted.
Mostly those places are little more than lead generators anyway.

I'd address 1 - 4 above and get more informed by the Dummies book and then by doing your own preliminary design with PVWatts. Then, come back here and get answers to your questions your self education creates. Lots of help here. Some/a lot of it's mostly on the mark.

Then, with all your newly acquired knowledge, interview vendors that are local, are licensed electrical contractors that install PV and have around since long before PV became a must have home appliance.
Know what you want and find out who best can fulfill and meet your project goals and remember, you're pretty much on your own so know what you want before you get bamboozled by fast and confusing talk.

Also, trust your (informed) gut and don't intimidate yourself.
PV is not as much rocket science as it informing yourself of the basics.
Doing so will increase the probability of winding up with a safer, better designed, more cost effective and an overall more fit for purpose system.

[slinthicum]

I would be extremely reluctant to enter into any PPA or lease arrangement. Best to pay cash and if you cannot do it, go towards an old-world financial arrangement (home improvement style loan or HELOC) that provides a fixed interest rate in this current world of rising interest rates and can be paid off without penalty. Know that a principal way solar companies make money is not through the installation of solar systems but through the well-hidden profits resulting from these financial vehicles.

For me, a SoCal resident with SDG&E as my current provider, I was able to pay cash, and focused on a reasonable system cost that met my needs, including an EV and a spa along with normal household power needs. Because we live close to the ocean, I decided to minimize the need to run our central A/C by installing a whole house fan, probably one of my more beneficial purchases. Additionally, I've installed smart plugs and switches to minimize the continuous power needs of appliances when they are not being used (typically from the late evening to the early morning). Lots of things you can do from a conservation pathway.

[RichardCullip]

Hello all!
I have searched the forum, learned a lot about PV, contracts, and how wildly varied solar is for each person.

So confused ....

I don't need a battery nor transfer switching, inverters, or any extras. Just the panels tied into the grid.

....

FYI - you can't tie solar panels directly to the grid. You need an inverter to convert the direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC) that your house and the grid use.

[peakbagger]

No doubt with a Lightning someone is going to try to sell you a system to have the truck backfeed the house

[4sallypat]

Thanks all - so far the SCE partner took my info and will be generating a solar plan.

My neighbor used SolarLux to install his LG panels so I will contact them.

So far, when I mention my Lightning truck that can backfeed power, they have no clue.

Even SunRun reps are clueless.

I am looking at using the Emporia V2X solution for $1500 plus installation.

[Ampster]

So far, when I mention my Lightning truck that can backfeed power, they have no clue.

I presume the Lightning will use CCS. On the other hand if it can do 240v split phase, maybe it has its own interface.. Do you have your Lightning yet?
.......

I am looking at using the Emporia V2X solution for $1500 plus installation.

Not much information is available on that either. I love my Emporia Energy monitor.

[4sallypat]

I presume the Lightning will use CCS. On the other hand if it can do 240v split phase, maybe it has its own interface.. Do you have your Lightning yet?
.......

Not much information is available on that either. I love my Emporia Energy monitor.

My Lightning is officially now in production after a year of waiting - it's waiting for a tear tag and shipment this month.

Expecting the Lightning in late July.

Yes, it has the CCS DC pins which is bi-directional.

The Ford 80A charger has the ability to invert DC into AC but it needs a $4,000 Home Integration system installed that has the switching & micro batteries.

I am looking at the Emporia V2X for $1500 plus installation.