For environmental and economic reasons, this home owner wanted to offset as much of their electricity usage as possible with a PV (solar) system.
However, the roof of their home was partially shaded by a large oak tree.
Challenge #1: maximize the energy production from the limited space that had good solar access.
Solution #1: after consultation with Sungineer Dave, the home owner chose higher powered AC modules from SunPower.
Challenge #2: where there are acorns, there are squirrels!
Unfortunately, the space under a roof-mount PV system offers a convenient, cozy, safe squirrel habitat. Squirrels are notorious for chewing on… well, everything, to keep their teeth trim and sharp (rodent teeth grow continuously). They can cause considerable damage to PV systems.
I guess we weren’t the first ones with this question.
Solution #2: squirrel guards! Squirrel guards are basically strips of 1/2 inch hardware cloth fixed to the perimeter of the array to prevent access to the underside of the modules.
The homeowner rated their overall satisfaction with the project a 10 out of 10, noting:
Timelines were clear, changes in spec on the installation were quickly made and shown, explanation of the choices of microinverters were well explained, price seemed competitive, final setup looks nice.
– Homeowner feedback
Glad you are enjoying your system!