I think to install 5kW solar panels on my roof in Ottawa

[Andre Tabalenka]

Hi everyone,
I am new in this field.
I am going to make some money from my roof as well.
My townhouse roof is facing East and West with 30 degree angle on both parts.
I am going to install my solar system myself. I am an electrician.
So, I like Canadian Solar 250W panels. I have not selected my
Inverters yet. Is anybody can give me advise?
Is that good location for PV panels?
I live in Kanata, Bridlewood

[Rob Beckers]

Hi Andre,

Where is Bridlewood? Or is this a road name and you're in Kanata, Ottawa? If the latter, you're just half an hour down the road from us. We sell panels, inverters, racking and all the advise you need for a DIY solar install (several of our customers have done DIY, all completed successfully).

There are a number of good inverter brands, to the point where they are more or less a commodity: Any of the major brands will perform fine and be very, very reliable. For an east-west roof it may make sense to use a Power-One, since those have two independent MPPT inputs, so each PV section can run at its own optimized power point. Then again, east-west roof installs have also been done with a single input inverter, because by the time the sun is hitting the west panels, the east side has really stopped producing in any meaningful way and running it at the same power point as the west side doesn't make you loose out much (and vice-versa, for when the sun is east). This scenario, east-west, or north-east and north-west at a fairly steep pitch (30 degrees or more) is one of the few cases where a single input inverter will work just as well as multiple.

If you want to discuss it, give me a call (613-686-4618 x301) or send a message to Rob@solacity.com. We're located in Kemptville, Ontario.

-RoB-

[Andy Rhody]

Hi Andre, sounds like you're serious. Rob can guide you through the whole project. He did stuff like this for me twice and I'm down here in the USA. (The windmill project was a nightmare!)

Rob put together a 6.8 Kw solar package for me 11 months ago. He handled all the crap and had everything shipped to my house just like if I had bought a "kit". I installed it myself and beat everybody else in price who has done solar around here by leaps and bounds. It runs flawlessly!

The system has already surpassed expectations in anunal Kwh. I expected to hit 72,000 Kwhs in 1 year and have done it in less that 11 months.

We did go with Canadian Solar, solar panels. Since solar companies have a history of going bankrupt, we went with Canadian solar because the have their warentee with an independant insurance company so if the would go down, you're still covered.

Good Luck!

[Andre Tabalenka]

Hello guys,
I started with microFIT registration and do not understand haw I should fill out highlighted fields. I think to complete all my documents before to buy all the equipment. Can anybody assist me at this matter? :weird:

[Rob Beckers]

Hi Andre,

The 'name' is anything you would like to call your project. It's entirely up to you. Something like "Andre's Green Power Plant" would be fine (for example).

The "nameplate capacity" requires a bit more consideration. This is the size of the inverter and panels you are planning to install. The MicroFIT rules state that "nameplate capacity" is the larger of the inverter or PV size (in kW), with a maximum of 10kW. The number you enter here ties you down later, if you place (say) 6kW in here it means you can't install more than 6kW of PV panels and inverter. You could enter 10kW and later see what will fit on the roof, and some installation companies seem to be doing just that for their customers. I do not know if this will have any consequence down the road from the OPA (when in actuality there may be only 6kW for example). Ideally you want to measure your roof and make a layout of what will fit on there in PV modules. Then figure out what inverter you plan on using and get an actual (real) number of what will be installed.

If you happen to be in the Kemptville area feel free to drop by the business and I'll be happy to help you fill out the application online. We're on 825 Van Buren Street.

-RoB-

[Andre Tabalenka]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR DETAILED RESPOND. IT HELPED ME TO GO FURTHER. BUT I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION TO ASK. I BOUGHT MY BRAND NEW HOUSE 2 YEARS AGO BUT I DO NOT HAVE A PARCEL RECORD OF MY PROPERTY. HOW CAN I GET IT?:confused:

[Rob Beckers]

You can get a printout of the Parcel Register from the land registry office for your area (and that would likely be the one in Ottawa named "Ottawa-Carleton" (http://www.ontario.ca/home-and-community/land-registry-offices)). I've always gone in person, but was told at my last trip that you can do it online as well.

-RoB-

[Andre Tabalenka]

Hi Rob,
Thank you for referring me to the right place. I got my parcel register there.
Now I've got one more question:
I live in the end unit of a raw 3 unit house. My service meter is located on the opposite side wall of my unit (on my neighbors property). How do I get my microFIT project connected to the grid?
Do I need any additional agreement with my neighbors to run my wires from my unit to the service panel through my neighbor's property ?:wondering:
Thanks

[Rob Beckers]

Andre, in short, yes.
It actually gets more complicated: If you have a single meterbase with 3 meters in it, your utility will likely require you to replace that whole thing with a 4-gang unit (the 3 original meters, plus the MicroFIT meter). Those multi-gang units get expensive.

We ran into that situation once before in Ottawa.

-RoB-