What is the best solar panel system for Ontario's microfit program?

What is the best microfit solar panel system to use in 2014?

The post that I see on the net is way out of date (2011).  It is an orphan as you no longer can contact the poster.  

Let us first set some design criteria to look at the various system:  Solar harvesting involves installing a system that best meets our needs.  It is not just choosing solar panels but rather looking at the bigger picture that will occur over the projects 30 year life span.

1.0 Safety - you want the system to shut off when you turn it off. Fire fighters want this.

2.0 Maximum return on your investment.  You want this.

3.0 Maintainability - you want to be able to maintain the components as easily as possible.  If maintenance is or will be required, locate it in an easy to access location.  It does effect your ROI big time.

4.0 Long life components

5.0 Ability to monitor each panel's performance.  You want to know if something is wrong so that it can be fixed.

6.0  Individual component failure should not effect the entire system.  Aside from inverters, each panel should operate independently of the other panels.

7.0 Ability to handle shading issues.  Almost every one has some shading issues.

8.0 Design flexibility

9.0 Long life solar panels.  Solar panels with a tedlar or equivalent backing material. Try to use a high efficiency panel with good high temperature operation.  Polycrystalline panels tends to be lower cost but give a better ROI.  Mono panels seem to be over priced.  Make sure that the panel has a strong, stiff frame to support the glass.

Sun power makes one of the best solar panels out there.  If one cell is fouled, then you get the power from all of the other 59 cells.  To fully utilize this great feature, you need to also have optimizers installed.  Sun Power has linked up with Fronius which to my understanding do not yet have optimizers.  That is what I would call a not too bright act.  You will lose the benefit of the solar panel design.

Discussion:

There is currently only one system that meets all of these criteria.  That is a SolarEdge string inverter system with their optimizers.

1.0 Safety- Unlike other systems that maintain their 600 V bus voltage when shut off, Solar Edge maintains 1 Volt at each panel when shutdown/off.

2.0  Optimizers give you the maximum output for each panel and do not degrade the entire string's output when one or more panel is shaded giving maximum ROI.  This is a huge advantage.

3.0 All inverters will require maintenance or replacement after 10-12 years.  Locate inverters at side of house makes this a low cost situation verse under every panel.

4.0 SolarEdge Optimizers use ceramic capacitors verse electrolytic (shorter life -expect 10-12yrs for EC).

5.0 Built in panel monitoring system with optimizers

6.0 Optimizers isolate each panel

7.0 Optimizers handle shaded panels

8.0 You no longer have to have all panels on a string face in only one direction.  You can mix up directions, south and east on the same string.  This is a huge advantage for our installation.

Summary:

I am not going to review every string inverter out there.  You can read my earlier posts that warn you against using micro inverters because they can limit the panel's output and will fail with horrible maintainability under the panels.  At this time, I know of no other manufacturer who does this.  One major string inverter manufacturer opted to go micro inverters and later on add optimizers to their line up.  I believe that they chose the wrong path to go to.

Now use FlexibleSolar Solutions from Windsor Ontario to install your system and you are away.  Steve and Glen will help you to chose which solar panels you may want to install in your system, so give them a call.

Steve -519 962 9218