Solar Blog

Selling PV Systems! Educating or Misleading Customers?

Selling has many connotations as well as definitions. These fall into two general categories, educating and misleading the potential customer.

How much energy is lost due to inverter clipping when the power form the PV array far exceeds the inverter output rating? And under what conditions do the losses occur?

Today’s interactive inverters allow high PV to inverter size ratios. An example 7.7kW residential inverter allows a PV array STC input rated up to 12.32kW; that is a 160% oversizing. Some utility scale central inverter design allows up to 200% oversizing of the PV array.

There are many elements involved in achieving this perfect design that is just right for the customer. If you know these elements, it makes the goal very attainable. The first one is to provide the customer with  what they want and need; these two may not be the same and the need may sometimes have to stand in for what they want. Everything else falls under this one heading.

The quantity of new products entering the solar storage sector is growing at a fast pace. That can cause confusion with selecting a system; especially since there are many differences in how they are configured and operate. In this article I am going to break them down into categories and key differences to help simplify the process of selecting the best system for your needs. 

Cable management is difficult with rooftop PV installations because the array is coplanar to the roof and it is difficult to see and access the cables once each module is in installed. There are two major issues that occur with these types of installations.

As far as pure energy goes, it doesn’t get better than solar energy. Photovoltaic (PV) energy technologies are improving and growing at an impressive rate. This industry hopes to be a major source of electrical energy on Earth in the not-too-distant future.

Everyone is feeling the effects of the corona virus, and most people are concerned for their family and friends and anyone affected by COVID-19. It has adversely affected the health of many and the economic position of almost everyone. We understand that many find themselves in a position of reduced income, a surplus of time, and a restricted social agenda.

Like any new adventure, starting a solar PV design and installation company seems simple at first and then as you learn more about it, the more complicated it gets. If you are already a construction contractor, it is a lot easier to see where you are going; if not, it can be a difficult undertaking.

The question of optimum PV array size is the first question to be answered when designing the PV system. There are several factors that have to be considered to arrive at the best size. The customer budget, the available area for the array and the purpose of the PV array are always primary considerations. The budget is usually the most flexible since the system can be financed.

In order to have this discussion, it is necessary to look at electrical energy consumption patterns. Our energy sources have to match the timing of our consumption. The graphs below show the typical daily electrical energy consumption patterns for residential and commercial consumers.