> including about $1000 for my electrician to pull some copper, ground everything, and connect to my panel.
Yeah this is the only thing you cannot DIY out of the whole process, knowing where your rafters are is like 50% of the problem especially if it's an older home where warpage is known to happen; the rest is pretty straight forward with snap/rack installs and learning how to bend conduit and making misc brackets.
If anyone is in interested in learning how to do this before giving it a go on their own home, you can join a few installs to get the process down by signing up for Grid Alternatives [0], they allow you to help with an install process up until the tie-in. Hell, you can probably even make friends and get one of the local electricians to come by and do it for a nominal fee if you get on a few good crews.
The paperwork and approval is the real issue these days, especially in CA, because the install process has been pretty much been simplified as much as it can be at this poin.
Well done in the install, it looks pretty clean and especially well done for taking the time to map out your rafters on a roof that looks to have had work done on one side (non shingled). Most installers would probably just eyeball it and hit-miss and then use flashing(s) to hide the messiness which always ends up with some leaks down the line.
11k total install (solo job?) is pretty good especially with how energy prices have soared since your install.
> Yeah this is the only thing you cannot DIY out of the whole process...
That depends on the state.
In Idaho, you absolutely can. I 100% DIY'd my ground mount install (documented in depth here: https://www.sevarg.net/tag/solar2020/), including all the wire runs and hookups.
A neighbor of mine who I've helped out and has done electrical work has done a more in depth project, including replacing a panel in his house with a different one (225A busbar, derated main breaker on it), 100% himself.
The limits out here are that you have to do it on your primary residence - I can do anything I want (with permits and inspections) where I live, but I can't legally do electrical work on a rental. Nor can I do electrical work on anyone else's house (though, of course, I can provide a set of hands to help them out with wire pulls and such).
Yeah this is the only thing you cannot DIY out of the whole process, knowing where your rafters are is like 50% of the problem especially if it's an older home where warpage is known to happen; the rest is pretty straight forward with snap/rack installs and learning how to bend conduit and making misc brackets.
If anyone is in interested in learning how to do this before giving it a go on their own home, you can join a few installs to get the process down by signing up for Grid Alternatives [0], they allow you to help with an install process up until the tie-in. Hell, you can probably even make friends and get one of the local electricians to come by and do it for a nominal fee if you get on a few good crews.
The paperwork and approval is the real issue these days, especially in CA, because the install process has been pretty much been simplified as much as it can be at this poin.
Well done in the install, it looks pretty clean and especially well done for taking the time to map out your rafters on a roof that looks to have had work done on one side (non shingled). Most installers would probably just eyeball it and hit-miss and then use flashing(s) to hide the messiness which always ends up with some leaks down the line.
11k total install (solo job?) is pretty good especially with how energy prices have soared since your install.
0: https://gridalternatives.org/who-we-are/contact-us