I reached out to a local solar company to find out the answer to the question: How much does it cost? I need a 10kw (grid tie) system and the quote came back at $35,000! They were quick to point out the 55% tax credit and that my payback would be 7.6 years. Also with financing, I could continue to pay the same amount. So good deal right? Maybe not so much.
We are all the DIY sort of people here so I dug into how much I can just buy the pieces for and things got interesting. Short answer: about $10K. And I found more efficient panels and didn’t skimp on the top of the line Solar Edge Inverter and the standard Iron Ridge mounting system.
So what gives? Is it really worth $25K to plan and install a solar system? This is not complicated stuff, the information on how to layout, plan and install is all available. When it gets down to actually lifting things onto a roof: if you don’t want to do it, a local contractor will have the manpower, equipment and certification to get the job done to your layout.
Is anyone interested in this approach? I am considering adding a Solar category to WVOdesigns…
