Why Is Solar So Expensive in the U.S.? Permitting

• solar-report

  1 17 10.0 Python

  Shows solar panel production, household consumption, and net household consumption.

I got a couple of quotes for an installation in late 2019, balked, and to try to install and permit the panels myself. I'd never tried a "physical side project" or home-improvement project, but I found it surprisingly straight-forward.

I got a copy of my friend's permit application from a professional installation, learned a bit about the equipment and tools needed, started a spreadsheet of parts, and modified my "permit template" with details about my installation and house. My permit application was stamped on my first try (Manhattan Beach in LA County), so I placed my order.

It was a little tricky to get all my supplies on the roof of my two-story house. I settled on carrying things up the stairs, putting them on a balcony, and pulling them up a ramp I built out of some cheap wood. See pics here [1].

I probably went overboard on quality of parts to compensate for inexperience and not knowing which corners it's OK to cut, but my final cost ended up at $1.64/watt, including about $1000 for my electrician to pull some copper, ground everything, and connect to my panel.

[1] https://github.com/hamikm/solar-report#pictures-from-my-firs...

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