Is Installing a Solar Power System a Do-It-Yourself Project?  It could be, BUT !!!!!!!!!!  I don't recommend it unless you have a LOT of experience with electricity and working on roofs. 

This is one of those times that for most people it's probably best to hire a professional that specializes in Solar Photovoltaic Systems (PV).  I strongly recommend finding someone who focuses exclusively on solar photovoltaic (PV) systems.  I don't recommend hiring a general contractor or general electrician who also happens to do solar installations, unless that is the main part of their business.  At least, if you want it done right.  Find a specialist! 

Safety and reliability are extremely important when installing a Solar electricity generating system.  If it's done wrong you can hurt or kill someone, start a fire, create leaks in your roof, and the list goes on-and-on.  Or you might just get a system that performs poorly. 

If your system is installed correctly you should expect to get many, many years of hassle-free and safe electricity from the Sun!  To get a system that operates properly and efficiently, the following (at a minimum) must be included and understood in your preliminary analysis:  Solar panel ratings and specifications, Inverter ratings and specifications, your home's power distribution panel and busbars' ratings and specifications, Panel orientation, shading, the sun's path and useful daylight throughout the year, wire sizing, temperature derating factors for panels/wires/junction boxes/etc, and the interconnect to the utility power grid. 

Here is a list of a some of the most important things to remember if you're considering Doing-It-Yourself: 

• Do you have the knowledge and experience comparable to a trained and experienced electrician?  And roofer for rooftop installations? 
• Do you understand the details of how to optimize your solar panels outputs based on your current electrical usage and the Sun's path throughout the year
• Do you know how to protect yourself from falls, high voltage, and high current equipment? 
• Do you understand the National Electric Code (NEC) and common practices of local permitting authority (usually city or county)?  This is a difficult read to say the least. 
• You will need to get building permits and have safety inspections before turning on system.  And remember you have to work with both the utility company and the local permitting authority. 
• Do you understand why Ground Fault Protection Devices, Circuit Breakers, and cutoff switches are installed and how they operate?   
• Do you understand wire sizing and how to run wires safely?
• You need to understand a multitude of safety precautions when working with DC and AC electricity.  This includes working on a rooftop and all the way to the circuit breaker box (power distribution panel). 
• Remember solar arrays often product voltages up to 600 volts and currents of 20 to 30 amps for residential systems and can be considerably higher for larger or commercial systems.  These are dangerous voltage and current levels if you are not experienced with electricity! 

Remember safety first!  This is for yourself, for others, and for your home or building. 

Robert Morse
BSEE, MSEE
SunCal Solar, Incorporated
www.SunCalSolar.com