time2roll wrote:
jshupe wrote:
My initial setup cost a little under $17,500. I bought all items from the same vendor to get the best pricing via a project discount.
6x REC N-PEAK Series 325 Watt panels @ ~$200/ea
2x Victron SmartSolar MPPT 150/35 solar charge controller @ ~$300/ea
2x Victron Quattro 48/3000/35-50/50 inverters @ ~$1750/ea
2x Victron Autotransformers @ ~$600/ea
2x Victron Orion-Tr 48/12-30A DC-DC converters @ ~$200/ea
1x Victron Venus GX @ ~$300
1x Victron BMV-712 @ ~$200
3x SimpliPhi 3.8kWh batteries @ ~$2600/ea
That's around $15,200 in major components, then the cables, boxes, breakers, etc brought it to a little over $17K..
I like this list far better than the OEM unit posted above.
Yes, a very nice system, and when adding labor is $5-6k more than the Montana package. It is more capable and I think it's more scalable than the Montana system as well. I think this would take a very experienced DIY, or even a very experienced professional. The problem with the pro is most have their favorite solutions -I know when I've done research I haven't found the pro that would install a provided kit like above... meaning they would have their favorite products, along with their markup. So, to be realistic and try to compare apples to apples (meaning a turn key installed system with a warranty for the products and installation), I suspect the difference in price could be much higher than $5-6k; as well it should be for what you are getting.
Where it gets hard is that we end up comparing apples to oranges, which it what this comparison kind of is. I still think there is a place for the Super Solar Flex package, and it's for the person who just wants a turn key solution. For that, I believe it is a reasonable solution at a reasonable price.
Now, if I had jshupe's obvious solar install skills, I think I would see it different...
Brad
