Sam's Comments

Alright, Ok. I think this is only a good thing for the industry. While I prefer to support domestic manufacturing, I like the idea of well-made $1/Watt Trina Modules. There; I said it.

righton GeraldR,

Thanks for the clarification anonymous,
I only mentioned that about First Solar because an earlier comment (asking simple questions about module specifications) prompted me to look for a spec sheet on their website. And, i was surprised to see how much they market their company as an investment, rather than the products they make to the people that buy and use them.
Don't get me wrong, amorphous cell are clearly the future of pv technology. As a residential/small commercial installer, i'm simply less likely to invest in their company by buying their product.

Airlines are not good investments when fuel prices are volatile. (I'm frustrated explaining the concept of a finite resource to people. Either you get it or you don't [and when it runs out, no-one gets it])

First Solar is the only module manufacturer i've seen without readily available, downloadable, module spec sheets on their website. i probably wouldn't invest in them first either.

Then again, I'm not a stock analyst.

@plindsey,
Yes, you are spot-on about the maintenance and replacement advantages of pv, the manufacturing and the service-oriented nature of our economy here in the USA. (candidly, i think it's an economy structured by the ruling class to make debt-slaves out of ever more pv system owners—and contractors alike!)

That is to say, i agree with your assessment. And recognize my above interpretation is my own...

That being said, I've got a few things to say as a contractor:
1. pv is an elegantly simple technology
2. electricity is a bargain at any price.
3. energy (particularly DC electrical energy) can cause severe damage or death to persons and property.
4. skilled tradespeople don't work for free
5. The Andalay system exists, and i know this because i am a trained professional with an established track-record.
6.... i could go on, but i won't.

I'm sorry; i recognize installation cost as a barrier to the $1/W holy grail, but equipment expense is a far more flexible metric.

If i was working on your pv installation, i'd invite you onto the roof and explain how it goes together (if my insurance policy allowed it), and genuinely enjoy sharing my professional understanding with you (despite the fact that time is money, and i've got work to do). I might explain to you the reasons why current technology limitations can make oversizing micro inverters a poor design choice.

Like i said, i apologize for the tone. Punditry gets me going... i might not be a nuclear physicist, but i've got at least as much justified professional pride as an auto mechanic—tradespeople i willingly pay when i'm not qualified to do something safely *and* efficiently.

I'm sure the day will come. i might be old and grey by then, but it'll happen. shoot me an email, it'll be interesting to reconnect about it down the line.

Good stuff. Thanks so much for reporting.

As the design lead for Solarize Pendleton last summer (2010), I can tell you the average pv array size was over 2kW. This is because Oregon Solar incentives make this the 'sweet spot' for system size, paying back the investment in about 5 years.

Given the resource in Pendleton, and a helpful Energy Trust of Oregon algorithm, that translates to an average annual production 2620kWh/yr. (or 218kWh/mo.)

Now i've only been in the industry as a professional for 20 months, but i learned how to use 60kWh/mo. of electricity while i was a student (which would only require a 600W array in Pendleton) So the good news is, all this pv is on people's roofs in Pendleton because of this initiative, and will be there for at least the next 30 years. Array owners in Pendleton aren't 'hair shirt wearing' college students, but i'm sure they can learn to turn the lights off when they leave the room. And that's enough 'reality' for me.

This is excellent!
I feel privileged to have been involved as a designer during this initiative. Kudos to the City of Pendleton, OR for reinvesting public funds to build community resources.

Nice!

Yes,
Reliability is clutch. That's one thing i like about the enphase product—especially now that their enlighten monitoring package comes free. Isolating and trouble-shooting faulty array components is a breeze when there is a performance record for each individual module. We quickly identified a faulty SolarWorld module in one of our first Enphase installations out here in Portland, OR. The irony of the situation: it was on a system we had installed for a SolarWorld executive! ;D We were able to bring a spare module from our shop to the client's house, hop up on the roof (it was a 16/12 A-Frame so we had to, ya know, know what we were doing up there) and have the issue resolved in a couple hours. Like i said, bravo Enphase.

SolarWorld, of course, shipped a replacement module in a matter of days. Enphase doesn't pay me anything, but i know why they're product is worth more in the market place. And now that their warranty exactly equals a standard module warranty, it's a slam-dunk.

Bravo! Enphase makes good stuff. I spec their micro-inverters all the time up here in Oregon. Their product line, and customer service, is quite good. I look forward to milking more power out of high-power 60-cell modules with STC DC output over 230W.

Excellent points!

This is without a doubt the best article, and comment string, I've ever read on this website. Bravo!

Interesting post Fred,

The country of origin might not have a significant impact on the solar market. But it does for me as a solar contractor. I have nothing against China and Chines manufactured goods in and of themselves, besides where they're made...
These Trina modules sound like they're put together well. And I know for a fact that Apple products and K2 skis are made to a high standard. That being said, I will NEVER buy an Evergreen Solar module. And will always source modules as locally as possible for my company's installations. Not only is it a significant part of my personal philosophy, but an important part of my company's marketing platform.

Thanks again, I look forward to reading more of your conclusions.

-Sam

Glad you're/were(?) over there Tor. Sorry it's taken me this long to catch up to this series.

I have all the same questions you do about the Chinese Solar industry (not to mention a few more about who is actually doing the design & Installation work over there what with their new-fangled "metric" system and all ;)

Thank you for your Work Solar Fred!

B99 @ Jay's Garage (SE Morrison & 7th): $3.789/gal ... Diesel @ Shell (NE Broadway & 33rd): $4.079/gal
457 Impressions · 0.44% Feedback
March 17 at 7:01pm · Unlike ·

... the above was a proud Facebook post from about the time the Libyan 'situation' was starting to get a lot of play in the main-stream news cycle.

Sequential B99 has been less expensive than PetroDiesel ever since. And yes, I do feel a touch of schadenfreude these days when i growl past that shell station in my cummins. And I look forward to the day I do it burning WVO. Watch for more selling from Wall Street. This is starting to get real.