Recently I’ve seen a stirring in the solar marketplace. Big solar systems are great but the trend to giant oversized panels must be nipped in the bud. Please read on while I explain why commercial and industrial products don’t belong on domestic roofs.
Commercial and industrial (C&I) size power systems use megawatt hours of battery along with megawatts of panels, and those panels are mega-sized to suit freestanding frames on fantastic-sized farms.
Solar panels stacked on a pallet (Image: Tanjent)
I have written before about how much solar installers like handling these novelty oversized solar panels; the answer is they hate them.
For example, at 740 watts, the REC Alpha Pro XL is getting ridiculous
- 2.6 metres tall
- 1.26m wide.
- 44.1kg
It’s simply not something a human can handle, and even if it’s unpacked and placed using machinery, final fettling and clamping down requires at least two people.
Domestic Solar Installations Rely On Manual Handling
A forklift might load pallets of panels on your trailer, but once the box is open, one person generally picks them up, cleans the packaging cardboard off the corners, stands them against something, and prepares the leads with stainless cable clips.
Read more: SolarQuotes
