ConsumerTechAdvocate

Tucson, AZ

Reviews by ConsumerTechAdvocate

3 Reviews

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Custom Solar and Leisure

Highly recommend Custom Solar & Leisure. Their system Price & Size of system beat both SunCity(Tesla) & SunPower. After several months of intensive research: 1st bid from SunCity(almost 60% negative reviews) which had terrible contract/agreement=Refused to spell out details(panel make & model#) of system for which I was to pay a ($1k+) premium for High-End Panasonic Panels & several thousand $$ more for a 1.15kW smaller system. 2nd was SunPower(oldest & currently troubled according to industry news article) which wanted over $6k more for their 0.15kW smaller system. Both companies included inverters with just 10year warranties. 3rd CustomSolar&Leisure(highly rated 5Star) gave me the system I wanted, including moving all single-pole(110V) breakers inside the garage into a new sub-panel, leaving double-pole(220V) breakers in original outside panel. Now if I trip a breaker I no longer have to get dressed & go outside in the dark or rain, but just go into the secure garage to reset it. I opted for the LG Neon High-End Panels & Enphase Microinverters, both with 25-Year Warranties. RESEARCH indicated that Solar Panels are MOST efficient at 77degrees & each panel therefore has a thermal coefficient associated with it. As the temp rises above 77degrees, they produce less power, so those panels with the lowest/smallest thermal coefficient(temp penalty) produce the most power at higher temps compared to cheaper panels. Best panels as of Feb-2018 are LG-Neon, SunPower, & Panasonic(model specific) with 0.029-0.030 thermal coefficients. Microinverters are worth the added cost as they have warranties that are 2.5 times longer(25years) than standard inverters(10years) & allow for individual panel power output/generation monitoring. In addition microinverters allow for continued operation of all remaining panels if one panel goes bad, as each panel has it's own microinverter attached to the back of the panel. Along with the new electric sub-panel I had the monitoring panel/equipment installed inside the garage to hopefully extend it's lifespan as it won't be exposed to the elements(rain & high 100-117 degree Tucson summers). CustomSolar&Leisure was very accommodating with my request for garage sub-panel & microinverters, whereas the other two were more take our high-priced system as is or we will charge you substantially more if you want any customization. PLUS Custom Solar & Leisure is a locally owned company with all the benefits accruing to our local economy.

Type: Residential Electric

Reviewed: 06/01/2018

Excellent

LG Solar

High output Solar Panel with very low thermal coefficient for a fair price.

Type: Other

Reviewed: 06/01/2018

Excellent

Enphase Energy

Top of the Enphase line at the time of installation. Pros: Individual to each panel; Allows for panel by panel reporting; If 1 panel goes bad, allows others to operate normally; 25 Year Warranty CON: Maximum output capped at 290Watts, even when used with 350-375 Watt or higher rated panels; Not future proofed, as equipment has not kept up with technology & progress. Enphase microinverters should not be behind the power output of solar panels on the market today or in the near future. Enphase should offer products that can maximize the panels offered today and in the near future. Why should I loose 60 Watts in output PER PANEL that my LG-NeonR 350 panels can produce with an inverter clipping output at 290 Watts. Thats 60 Watts x 20 panels for a loss at peak efficiency of about 1,200 Watts in output. (Yes I am aware that there is some minimal loss in converting DC to AC, but not 60 Watts worth per panel.) I was not aware of the clipping until just before my system was installed. With state law regulatory changes, I was under a deadline to have the system installed.

Type: Other

Reviewed: 06/01/2018

Average

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