Solar Panel Installation

donluis99

Bronze
Jul 12, 2004
721
16
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Well I am almost there:

I have my solar panels here.....

I have my Micro Inverters here.....

I have my Mounting situation all laid out, how and where to mount everything.

These are going to be 16 panel array's, 3.68 Kw each measuring 14' x 16' and I am planning to mount these on polar trackers coming up and through my dog kennel roof. Highest point will be 28' -6" at full daily tilt each morning and each evening. The dog kennel roof line is 12' - 6" so it will be 16' above that, pretty high!

They will track the seasonal as well as daily solar path.

My question is, and I have spoken to several engineers that work regularly in Santo Domingo.

I asked if I need any permit from ayuntamiento / city council? I am told that for my photo voltaic solar generation arrays need no special permission.

For just about everything else one supposedly needs a permission or has to pay a tax, but this no?

could it be? does anybody have any reference point or legal writing which says such thing?

What if my neighbors do not like what I put over my property?

I am told as long as it imposes no environmental or physical threat, i can essentially put up anything, but I just want to know that my solar arrays will be OK to put up.

I mean just the base consists of more than 8 metric tons of concrete each and rated for 120 mph winds.

So I do not want to fight anybody, but you know how are people sometimes....please legal and local life experience's chime in.

by the way, I did receive the promised import tax exemptions on all the panels and the micro inverters!!!!hey sometimes things go right your way!
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,087
5,914
113
Good luck with this. it seems you are doing it on a scale what will actually benefit you if the system lasts for many years. My projected requirements to go off grid required about 20 panels so I scrapped that idea, but it will be very interesting to see how your project works out.

I have no idea if the law requires you to have a permit, but I know for certain if you ask the authorities about it where I live, you will "need" one.
 

Criss Colon

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
21,843
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yahoomail.com
I think you are either "NUTS",or putting us "ON"!
You didn't mention "Costs"?
Has to be 20,000 US,likely more.
Great time to think about "Permits".
I will believe you,when "Pichardo" posts the pictures!
But please,limit the pictures to about 100.
CCCCCCCCCCCC
 

donluis99

Bronze
Jul 12, 2004
721
16
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33 each, 230 watt Canadian Solar panel with 33 each Enphase micro Inverters (cost US$13,207.00 all in) theoretical will produce 45.54 KWh per 6 hours minimum sunshine per day.

I designed the entire system including dual axis trackers and am installing all myself.

My electrical plans and Tracker structural are Codia Engineered Stamp to conform to EDE Sur's requirements for the Net Metering connection.

Payback for the solar panels and inverters is 6 years max at present consumption/present prices, 9 years if you include the additional cost of my labor, the trackers and everything else based on if you have to go out and buy ever thing, I am in a good position that I get all the material at an extreme discount. I do not get a discount for the concrete that goes into the base, 56 bags each base of almost 8 cubic meters each.

As far as permits requirements, yes I know where I live for 12 years now, and yes permits are suggested and yes they do exist and yes many times you/we can get away without, but I am going to have these two big expensive arrays up in the air for the whole world to see.........and you know where I live, so best to avoid any issues if permissions are required.

Yes, I have gotton away without a lot of permits for a lot of things like anybody else.

So I want a definite, absolute knowledge if it is required or not.

Oh and again, all imported exempt from all taxes, you beleive that!
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,087
5,914
113
At $400 for each panel and inverter (charge controller?) that is a good price for certain. What battery capacity will you have and other inverters for AC?
 

donluis99

Bronze
Jul 12, 2004
721
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Not charge controllers micro-INVERTERS.

No batteries required, as long as EDESur maintains 24 hour service.

No high voltage D.C cabling either.
 

Tom F.

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
699
91
48
This is probably a US$40,000 system without the tracking devise if you had to buy it retail. I would love to visit your place on my next visit in July. I started working with photovoltaics in the DR in the late 80's as a Peace Corps volunteer and later manged Soluz Dominicana in Sosua in the late 90's. I have always followed what is happening with renewable energy in DR for a while now.
 

Tom F.

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
699
91
48
Permits, I have never known anyone to get a permit to install a PV system. If you are building a new structure in an urban area, maybe you need a permit, but it is new to me. Taking water out of the ground is a different story.
 

donluis99

Bronze
Jul 12, 2004
721
16
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New Structure, the trackers are new structures, no body seems to have a solid answer anywhere.

Has anybody even seen solar trackers here?

There probably is no catagory to fit them in.

and TomF, w/o the tracker, cost is 13k, not 40.

need answer, maybe move this to legal forum where maybe I can get an answer one way or another?
 

gmiller261

New member
Dec 29, 2002
448
18
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I assume you bought from Sun Electronics in Miami. Many of their panels are $1.00-1.50 a watt.

Who did you have ship them and was it door-to-door service?

Thanks
 

Tom F.

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
699
91
48
So you are tying the system into the grid. Will you receive credit for any unused electricity, and how much do they give you? John Kimbell has very low prices at Sun Electronics. I think you will probably still need a small battery back in the DR due to the fact there is not 24 hour electricity and will need to be ready for the after the sun goes down blackouts.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,087
5,914
113
Not charge controllers micro-INVERTERS.

No batteries required, as long as EDESur maintains 24 hour service.

No high voltage D.C cabling either.

Understood.

You really have 24 hour service from EDESur and won't need a battery/inverter system?
And you are selling your surplus back to EDESur?
 

donluis99

Bronze
Jul 12, 2004
721
16
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let the sun shine!

Well yes I did buy the panels themselves from Sun Electronics, they are A grade Panels for US$1.04 per watt or US$239.20 each panel.

I brought them down with caribe-trans.

I actually bought them thru Ron out in Phoenix, somehow I hooked up with Ron and I was very happy, even though he was a very busy person he gave much better service than the folks actually in Miami, their sales service basically sucks, but I did receive an email that they have made improvements, so who know evidently they knew they had a problem and maybe it is fixed.

I bought the Micro Inverters elsewhere, Sun does not carry them.

We theoretically have 24 hour electricity here, pretty much true, although the occesional outages are maybe once per week or less, I have been here for 12 years so, yes I have 5 kw inverters and way back when I used to keep 32 Trojans T-105's on line, then things got better, last time I replaced the 32 with 24 and then the 24 last time with 16 and under the circumstances we will reduce down to 8 Trojan T-105's, but I expect that to be Nov. 2014. I have been getting like 42 months per battery set.

But I can eliminate my Trace SW Inverters and bartteries if I so choose, they are not needed for the solar arrays.

Net Metering, EDE Sur will not pay you, they will recieve my over production during the day and I can take it back as I need it at night or cloudy days.

So you know, these Micro Inverters all tie together and feed directly into the incoming service just after the meter, how cool is that?

the banter is great.....BUT please can somebody confirm my original ?, will my polar mounts need permits of any kind?

g'luck
 

Tom F.

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
699
91
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Don Luis,

I know they do not pay cash but give you credit on your bill. They credit for about US$.07 a kwhr in NJ which is half the cost and covers the generation not the distribution. Just curious how much they credit in the DR. You have a fantastic system and and still curious about the tracking system.
 

Tom F.

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
699
91
48
I live in NJ and pay US$.11 per kwh up to 600 kwh and almost $.12 over that for the "supply" or generation and US$.06 for "delivery" up to 600kwh and and half cent more after that. Together I pay $.17 a kwh up to 600 kwh and $.18 1/2 after that. The net metering aspect credits you in some way and maybe runs your meter backwards, I do not know. You will get the credit based on the generation costs, not the distribution/transmission part of the bill. I think people in the DR pay over over US$.20 a kwh for under 200 kwh a month and another rate up to 600 kwh a month and another jump to the high $.20's per kwh for the larger consumers. Isn't it in the $8-9 peso range per kwh? I do not know what percentage they apply for generation or supply?
 

donluis99

Bronze
Jul 12, 2004
721
16
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Electricity cost billed here as of date is US$0.27 Kwh @ RD$40 - 1.

The subsidized D.R. tier billing is:
1 st. 200 kwh is US$0.11 per KwH
Next 100 Kwh's is US$0.175 per KwH
Next 499 Kwh are US$0.27 per KwH
You hit 700 Kwh the first 300 Kwh price rises to the US$0.27 per KwH.