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It's as easy as 1-2-3
The installation of a solar system, even from a complete kit is considered above the average homeowner's skill set and should not be taken upon lightly. Each task is rather simple, but you will be working at heights, on a angle, probably in the heat of the bright sun, working with power tools, hoisting large expensive pieces of glass up ladders and across a roof peppered with racking and wiring. Have I scared you enough? You'll also be working with DC voltages above 300VDC and household 240V AC. You should be good with simple math and be mechanically inclined. If you're willing to give it a try, it can be a rewarding experience both in saving you a lot of money and of giving you a great sense of accomplishment.
I did it!
He did it!
She did it!
My 10 year old son helped.
If you're on the fence, I'd suggest you go through the instruction guide below and see if the process is either a "piece of cake" or "oh heck no!"
If self-installation is not for you, find a local solar contractor here. You can read more about hiring a local solar contractor here.
| How to Measure and Layout Your Roof | |
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Before you purchase
a kit you should be confident the system you are ordering will
fit on your roof. Measure well and then draw your roof
plan on some graph
paper. The first thing you will need to do is measure your
roof to see how many modules you will be able to fit.
Our section on How To Measure Your Roof will guide you through this process. After reading the instructions you can watch our How-to Video. |
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STEP 1 Perform Roof Layout |
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Ok, so you've got your permit, your materials are in the garage, and the wife took the kids away for the weekend. Find the lumber crayon that came with the kit and grab your tools and safety gear. It's time to get started and the first step is fun and easy. Click here to see how to perform the layout of the racking system on the roof. |
| Step 2 Install Racking System & Wire your Home Runs. |
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Once your layout is
made on the roof. You will install your racking
system and run some wires called 'home runs' A solar racking system is made up of 3 parts. 1. There are 'feet' or posts that attach to the rafters of your roof. 2. Long cross rails will be mounted and leveled. 3. Clamps which hold the modules to the rails are slid into approximate locations Click here to learn how to install solar racking. With the racking in place you will move on to wiring. The 'home runs' and ground wire will be strung along the rails and fitted with a special connectors to attach to the factory module connections. These will be used to connect groups of modules back to the inverter. Routing a bare ground wire for safety and code compliance is also done at this stage. Click here to learn how to install your home runs and ground your array |
| Step 3 Install the Inverter and all the wiring. |
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There isn't any reason to install the racking before the inverter or vice versa. However, you will need both installed/mounted in order to run the conduit in between. Installing an inverter may seem intimidating, but its actually very straight forward. All the ports are labeled. It's just a matter of pulling wire through the conduit then cutting to length, stripping the ends, and landing them.
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