2023 Project Highlights
Starting the Year Strong! - 28.80kW System near Hibbing, MN
As solar installers our architectural preferences are probably different than most. What we love is a big flat rectangular roof with no obstructions in the way. Simple and elegant. And also coincidentally the best roof to put solar on! That was the case here for this new garage that we were able to completely cover with gorgeous QCell 480W panels using SolarEdge DC optimizers and inverters! Plus we did a little experiment where we ran heating cables throughout the panels so when the snow hits, the owner can turn them on to melt snow off them. Will update to see how well it works!
How Many Will Fit? - 17.885kW Solar PV System in Minneapolis, MN
The owners of this house had two options. They could just put enough solar panels to offset 120% of their electricity usage, or they could put as many solar panels that would fit on their roof. They chose the latter and it ended up being for the best as they will now have the electricity generation they need for the future and all of their excess generation will get credited back to them by Xcel Energy. We used QCell 365W modules with Enphase Microinverters. These modules were the smallest we could get our hands on to be able to fit them into all the nooks of their roof.
First Battery Storage System! - 6.8kW Solar PV + 10kWh Storage in St. Paul, MN
This customer first reached out when planning on buying a house that already had a solar+storage system that was built in the early 2000's and they needed to know if it was still working or not. The old system was still working, just at a lower efficiency, so the new homeowner decided it was time for an upgrade. We installed Enphase microinverters, a system controller, and 3 lithium iron phosphate batteries in place of the old lead acid battery system. Just a week after we turned the system on the power grid went down for a couple hours and the house still produced electricity and made it seem like nothing happened! Energy freedom at its finest!
It Pays to Know Someone - 12.4kW Solar PV System in Mt Iron, MN
Rickey's best friend since the age of 2 just bought a house with a south facing roof. So its obvious we had to get solar on there. The only issue is that right after buying a house makes it tough to pay for 100% of a solar PV system. No worries here though because we were able to get him signed up with the Center for Energy and the Environment to get a extremely good solar loan that made solar affordable and still a great deal that will pay for its self in a decade. The end result was a fantastic array of Jinko 400W panels using Enphase Microinverter.
Invest in Ground Mounts? - 38.40kW Solar PV System in Tower, MN
This homeowner was looking for solid financial investment. We made a deal. He would install the mounts and dig all the trenches for us and we would come in and do all the electrical work and mount the solar panels. In the end he got the best cost per watt deal we have ever given because of his help and also the fact that he built as big as he could. Should get a payback of at least 8 years. Great times and even better results! 80 QCell 480W panels on a Sunmodo mount using SMA Sunnyboy inverters.
2022 Project Highlights
The Beginning of Sisu - 8.4kW System in Virginia, MN
This was first system installed by Sisu Solar. The homeowner was a true Finlander and painted her house as such - blue and white. This house was perfect for Sisu! Plus it's roof pitch was 10/12 facing directly south, an ideal angle for solar panels in Northern MN. She had a white corrugated metal roof that we used S-5! Solarfoot anchors to connect this array to it. After analysis of the roof supports in the attic we had to add in structural sister rafters to hold up the solar panels better. We used Jinko 400W Eagle panels and Enphase IQ8A microinverters to connect it all together. This system now produces over 150% of her electricity usage.
DIY Customer's New Home - 12.2kW Solar PV System in Duluth, MN
We got a call from a guy saying he was planning on installing solar himself but needed help. With solar panels and equipment already bought, Sisu Solar was able to be flexible and come to his support to install 12.2kW of solar using two different types of solar panels that the owner bough in bulk shipments plus Enphase microinverters. This system will be able to pay for itself in less than 8 years!
Small but Mighty - 3.24kW Solar PV System in St. Paul, MN
These homeowners didn't know if solar was viable because of the nearby trees by their house, but after a solar consultation it was shown that their south-facing roof was an ideal candidate for solar power. Now after install nine 360W QCell G10+ panels with Enphase IQ8+ microinverters sneakily around their vents and sun windows, they can offset their main load of electricity everyday while the sun shines. Plus we were able to update their existing electrical service at the same time which also got covered under the 30% Federal Solar Tax Credit.
Homeowner in Need - 6.93kW Ground Mounted Solar PV System in Rochester, MN
This homeowner had a separate company install these solar panels two years before reaching out to Sisu Solar! But after many attempts and failures to follow through to actually connect them to the grid, this system sat for two year not producing any power!! Once we got a word of this, we were able to help out by obtaining the correct permits by working with the City of Rochester and People's Coop to connect this to a newly installed meter, safety disconnect, and Enphase microinverter system.
As Steep as It Gets - 16.08kW Solar PV System in Cook, MN
After a different solar company refused to put in effort to find the max sized PV system that would fit on this house and garage's 20/12 pitch roof, which were specifically designed for solar, these homeowners looked elsewhere and found Sisu. We were determined to get them the most solar possible and were able to contact the local fire marshal to approve solar panels to be located in the setback areas of the south-facing 20/12 pitch roof surfaces. Without restrictions we researched to find the optimal solar panel that would give the most power. In the end we designed a 16.08kW system with QCell G10+ 480W panels using SolarEdge Inverters/ DC Optimizers. The installation of these solar panels was not easy, but anything is possible with Sisu. We used IronRidge racking to secure each 40-pound solar panel to the roof and used all the proper safety protocals to safely finish the project! These folks had Lake Country Power as their electrical utility and was one of the first people to utilize their new policy of parallel solar interconnection, which had them hook up their solar to a new meter so they could still benefit from the many off-peak meters they had for water heating, EV charging, etc.