The solar panels themselves were orignally manufactured by BP Solar at their factory in Californa. The factory has since closed and I got a good deal on these closout panels. They are 2x5 feet and produce a rated 70 watts each.
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Here the first string of panels are mounted and wired. The 12 modules wiried in series produce over 500 VDC in bright sun.
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Beginnings of rooftop panel installation. Installing the rail and bracket system is tedious due to the number of pieces involved.
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The Xantrex 3.0GT inverter is mounted to the wall under the patio cover. This not only protects the inverter from heat and moisture, but also minimzes the length of the high voltage DC wiring.
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For whatever reason, solar equipment vendors wanted over $100 for a 3-way DC combiner box. I built my own for 1/3 the cost out of a weatherproof box and off the shelf electrical hardware.
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The completed patio cover. Very pleasant.
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The completed installation. 24 panels on the roof slope and 12 more on the patio cover, for a total of 2520 watts of rated output. In practice the panels have exceeded this level on many sunny days.
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The Xantrex inverter has a readout that gives pertinent operating prameters. Here the system is operating in full sunlight - output is neary 3kW!
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