Papa Mo Begins
I was looking for a stretch project to broaden my DIY skills and I wondered how difficult it was to install a photovoltaic (PV) system. In the past year I had completed several home improvement and repair projects around the house:
- replaced backyard patio trellis
- installed new irrigation system and grass for backyard
- installed retaining walls and low voltage lighting
- installed wifi OTA TV antenna on roof to get free HD signals
- installed tow hitch on honda pilot
- replaced skylights
irrigation 
tv antenna 
retaining wall 
skylight 
tow hitch 
trellis
I had already been thinking about a PV system for a while. My wife’s energy consumption is much higher than mine and that creates some tension. I have tried, to her annoyance, to adjust her behavior such as wearing a jacket indoors or doing pushups to keep warm. I theorized (correctly) if the energy was being generated by a never-ending low cost source such as the Sun that I would be at peace with the un-optimized household energy consumption.
What I look for in evaluating whether to take on a DIY project is:
Do I need expensive specialized tools?
I wouldn’t take on a project that required me to buy a tool for a thousand dollars that I would likely never use again. For PV install the tools that I needed to buy were a heat gun ($25) to attach the flashings to the roof and a ladder hoist ($100) to raise the solar panels to the roof and a suction handle ($20) to move the solar panels around.
Do i need a license to do the work?
The Walnut Creek permit instructions for PV systems says that if the system size is under 10kw you don’t need to be a licensed electrician. The requirements mentioned that a professional structural engineer should design the roofing attachments, but because the PV system would be install on a flat one-story roof in mild California weather (no snow) the install would be straightforward.
Is it safe to do the install?
For the PV install, the two dangerous aspects are working on the roof and the electrical wiring. We have an eichler, a one story with a flat roof. I would not have done the project if I had to do the install on the second-story sloped roof. And electrical wiring, after reading through the websites mentioned above and familiarizing myself with the jargon (Disconnect Switch, 6 Gauge Ground, 14 Gauge wiring, 30 amp breaker, Junction Box, Conduit) I felt it I can do it safely.
How much money can i save if I do the project myself?
For the solar project I was quoted $12k for a 2.4kW system which includes the system and the installation on a TPO roof. A DIY kit from wholesale solar for a 2.4Kw system is around $5k. Less than half the cost from a professional installer. Also federal tax credit, which is decreasing and will be phased out after 2022. So after the tax credit (26% of the total PV cost), my out of pocket will be $4k. My annual electric bill is around $800, so it would take 5 years to break even. I will likely convert my clothes dryer and packaged HVAC from natural gas to electric within the next 5 years since both are near end of life, so it will take even less time to break even.
Are there others who have tried?
I appreciate those before me that took the time to document their DIY PV installation online. Without those websites I would not have started this project. I promised that I would do the same and document my project when I finished, as my community service to encourage more people to expand their DIY skills. The following are two well written DIY PV install articles online that gave me enough confidence to give it try.