10.8 kW Solar Electric System Installed in Canandaigua, NY
Challenge
This homeowner was interested in producing energy using a solar electric system.
Solution
This 10,800 W (10.8 kW) grid-connected solar electric (PV, photovoltaic) system was installed as a roof-mounted array of forty-eight (48) SunPower 225W solar modules oriented South on the house roof. The modules were mounted flush to the roof surface at a tilt of 31° using a UniRac Sunframe mounting system and low-profile Thompson Technologies Flat Jack standoffs with flashings to increase air circulation and ensure a water tight connection to the roof. The system was configured electrically as six (6) DC circuits (strings) of eight (8) series connected modules providing input to one (1) SMA 5000m, 5.0kW inverter and one (1) SMA 6000m, 6.0kW inverter. System power production (kW), cumulative and daily energy (kWh) production, and house consumption is tracked by a SunPower monitoring system, as well as by a digital display on the inverter and an electromechanical meter. As designed, this system should generate an average of 32.8 kWh/day = 998 kWh/month = 11,982 kWh/year, where daily energy production is both weather and seasonally dependent. This energy production is equivalent to 47% of the customer's present home electrical usage, and corresponds to a CO2 (greenhouse gas) emissions savings of 14.8 kg CO2 per day = 449 kg per month = 5,392 kg per year.
