Hi everyone!

I’m a recent architecture graduate, and I’m interested in transitioning into the renewable energy sector, particularly solar energy and sustainability-related roles.

During my internship, I gained experience in sustainability and building physics, which sparked my interest in the technical and environmental side of design. I’ve realized that I’d like to explore career opportunities beyond traditional architecture, specifically in renewable energy.

I’ve been researching the skills and software commonly required in the renewable energy industry. I noticed that several programs, such as AutoCAD, Grasshopper, and QGIS, are tools I’m already familiar with and have experience using through my architecture background. I’m also currently learning PVsyst and working on developing my knowledge of other industry-specific software and technical skills that I came across in my research.

My main concern is figuring out how to break into the industry with an architecture degree rather than an engineering degree, especially as a fresh graduate.

I’d really appreciate some advice on a few things:

- Is it realistic to transition into renewable energy with an architecture background?

- What entry-level positions should I be looking for?

- What software, technical skills, or certifications would make me a more competitive candidate?

- Would I need to pursue a master’s degree in renewable energy or a related field, or could I make the switch through self-learning and practical experience?

- Has anyone here made a similar transition from architecture or another non-engineering background?

I’m willing to put in the time to learn and build the necessary skills, but I’d love some guidance on where to focus my efforts rather than spending time learning things that might not actually be useful.

Any advice or personal experiences would be really appreciated. Thanks!

I am doing some paperwork seeing how much solar has helped me and ran into a logical problem. I am consistently seeing every month by month more FROM battery, then TO it. That doesn't make sense and actually should expect the reverse by about 85% - 90 % I would imagine, has anyone else seen this? I have double and triple checked that I have not just read wrong, makes me think the APP itself is showing the fields in reverse.

Spoke to a very reputable company today, they recommended a Goodwe 10kW inverter/18kWh battery for an existing solar set up. Installed for just under $10K. I don’t mind paying a little extra to deal with a good company, any thoughts on this quote?

TN is building a new Nuclear site, I wondered how does Solar stack up against that using the same funds or seeing the cost producing the same energy. So I conducted an analysis with one variable, providing 95% power coverage (which would need batteries). Can you take a look and give feedback on anything I am missing. This can go down a rabbit hole with different scenarios so I did 4 of them:

I placed my comparison on vercel: https://solarvsnuclearcostcomparison.vercel.app/

• A. Same Budget (Tennessee Solar): Spending $5.4B yields only 192 MW of steady power ($263/MWh).
• B. Same Power (Tennessee Solar): Matching 300 MW costs $8.4B ($263/MWh), making nuclear the cheaper local option.
• C. Same Power (Desert Solar): Importing solar from New Mexico costs just $3.8B ($128/MWh), beating nuclear on price. However, it requires a new 1,055-mile transmission line, tribal consent, and delays power until 2035.
• D. Same Power (Rooftop Solar): Using local commercial roofs costs $12.25B ($362/MWh). It is the most expensive option and vastly exceeds TVA's local generation limits.

Hey everyone, I’m looking at buying a house in Arizona and I’m a first-time homebuyer. I’ll also be using a VA loan for the purchase, if that makes any difference.
I really like the house, but it has an existing SolarCity/Tesla solar lease that I would have to assume with the purchase.
I got a copy of the actual lease and I’m trying to figure out whether this is a big deal or something I can use to negotiate with the seller.
From what I can tell:
● Original SolarCity lease was signed in 2014
● 20-year lease
● 8.5 kW system
● Original payment started at $79.09/month
● Payment increases 2.9% every year
● Final-year payment is around $136/month
● Tesla currently services the lease
● If I buy the house, I would assume the remaining lease obligations
● The panels are leased, not owned by the homeowner
● I’ll be financing the home with a VA loan
The HOA is cheap, so that isn’t really a concern for me. The solar agreement is the part I’m unsure about.
Would you guys:
1. Ask the seller to prepay the remaining solar lease?
2. Ask for a seller credit toward the remaining payments?
3. Negotiate the purchase price lower and just assume the lease?
4. Not worry about it if the solar production/electric savings make sense?
5. Avoid buying a house with this type of lease altogether?
Also, does using a VA loan change anything when buying a house with leased solar? Has anyone here gone through a VA purchase where they had to assume an existing Tesla/SolarCity lease? Did it cause any issues with underwriting, qualifying, the appraisal, or closing?
I’m planning to get the seller’s most recent Tesla statement so I can see the exact current payment, remaining term, and whether the account is current.
I like the house and don’t necessarily want to walk away over the solar, but I also don’t want to take over a bad contract without realizing it.
What would you do in my situation? Anything else I should ask Tesla, my VA lender, or the seller for before making an offer?

Hi fellow solar enthusiasts, did anyone do a ground installed solar in MD, specifically Montgomery County, Rockville area?

I'm interested in going solar for a while but I wasn't able to pull the trigger before the administration killed the Federal Tax incentives, then the project got delayed.

I now have access to the 10kw of panels and planning to buy inverters EG or Anker Solix. I have access to the licensed electrician and I'm debating whether to do solar on a 10*20 ft pergola installed in my yard or do just regular solar ground mounts instead.

Did anyone have experience in this?

Anyone have an electric car with vehicle to grid technology? What system do you have, how is charing your car, and running your house off the car battery? I currently have solar and I'm thinking of getting an EV with that tech to also be a backup. Thanks!

Edit: This is for a solar system in the States.

I’ve been seeing a lot of discussions about Concert/Propel financing, and I’m curious to hear everyone’s experiences and opinions.

I’ve done quite a bit of research and browsed the subreddit, but the feedback seems mixed. Some people say the program is completely legitimate, while others are skeptical. I understand how the financing structure works, but I’d like to know whether people actually trust it and if anyone has had firsthand experience with it.

My biggest concern is the advertised 30–40% discount. Solar companies promote these significant savings, yet when I start comparing quotes and breaking down the numbers, I’m still getting prices in the low-to-mid $30,000 range for a 15kw system.

At that point, I have to wonder….Am I actually getting a discount, or are companies simply inflating their prices before applying it?

That’s ultimately why I decided to opt out. If the savings aren’t genuine, I don’t see the benefit of taking on a more complicated financing arrangement.

I’d love to hear from anyone who’s used Concert/Propel or compared their pricing against straightforward cash offers.

They actually called it the "Socket Full of Sunshine Act" 😂

This guy has one of the coolest solar setups I've ever seen...

Title: Solar battery EPS issue – essentials losing power under heavy load

I recently had my switchboard upgraded because my essential circuits kept cycling on and off. Everything seemed fine initially, but recently I've started losing power to my essential circuits (lights and power points) when there's a heavy load, such as using the microwave, or when my battery runs out of charge.

An Essential Energy technician inspected my switchboard and told me that my essential circuits are wired to the battery only, meaning they lose power when the battery runs flat. I'm also finding it difficult to restore power once it goes out, even after hard-resetting the inverter. Sometimes the power comes back on by itself.

I have an EPS box installed beside my switchboard, but I'm starting to suspect that the electricians who upgraded the switchboard may not fully understand how the EPS system is supposed to work. I'm also wondering whether the EPS box itself could be faulty and causing these issues.

I have a few questions:

Without an EPS box, is it normal for essential circuits to be connected exclusively to the battery backup, effectively bypassing the grid?

Would it be better to install a manual three-way changeover switch so the essential circuits can switch between grid power, inverter/battery backup, and possibly off, rather than relying on the EPS box?

Has anyone experienced similar problems with an EPS box, particularly power dropping out under heavy loads or when the battery runs flat?

I'd appreciate advice from anyone familiar with solar battery backup systems and EPS wiring. I'm trying to understand whether this is a wiring issue, a faulty EPS box, or an inverter problem before getting another electrician to investigate.

Been shopping solar for a few months and would appreciate a sanity check on my latest quote.

We're in San Diego (SDG&E / SDCP in a community of concern), currently using around 12,000 kWh annually. We're intentionally sizing a bit larger to accommodate a future EV, mini-splits (no A/C currently), and family behavioral (4 adults & 2 kids) changes due to "abundance of power". For context, I'm an IT pro and power consumption is steady due to always-on tech around the house (homelab/network etc)

The proposed system is 25 REC Alpha Pure-RX 460W panels (11.5 kW DC) paired with 25 Enphase IQ8X microinverters and two Enphase IQ Battery 10Cs (20 kWh nominal). It also includes an Enphase IQ Meter Collar for whole-home backup, with estimated annual production of 18,761 kWh.

Total quoted price: $46,375.80

FWIW, our 1970s Zinsco panel is what triggered the initial exploratory work around the electrical service... which snowballed into Solar+Storage. We have underground service, with the gas meter directly below the existing panel so we'd be putting in for an OPSO https://www.sdge.com/ospo-gas-regulator.

The installer is investigating whether SDG&E will allow us to increase service from 100A to 125A or higher using the existing underground conductors. If that requires trenching, the fallback is to retain 100A service and install a solar-ready panel with a 200/225A busbar. The quote is scoped for no trenching, in place MPU with the above.

Enphase Propel prepaid ESA, financed through Concert at approximately $426/month over 25 years. Third-party ownership initially, with ownership transferring after Year 5 through the Early Buyout Option.

Our home is in a confirmed SDCP Community of Concern so I'm banking/sizing the storage for the max SDCP rebate

A few questions:

1. Does $46.4k seem reasonable for this equipment and electrical scope in San Diego?

2. Any concerns with the REC/IQ8X/10C combination or Enphase meter collar?

3. Anything I should watch for with Propel's Year-5 ownership transfer or warranty coverage?

I've gotten several competing quotes (private ESA/HDM variants), but this is one of the configurations I'm seriously considering. Appreciate any feedback!

We are thinking about buying a house that is 7 years into a 25 year lease with sunrun. From what I read here, they're a nightmare. Their website says:

In the unlikely event that the buyer doesn't want the solar service agreement, you can prepay for the remainder of your service and bundle it into the price of your home. After paying for the remainder of your service, the new buyers will receive solar power from the system until the end of the solar service agreement, at which point Sunrun can remove the solar system at no extra cost.

If we get this paid for and we don't need to assume the lease, what are the potential drawbacks? The listing claims the roof is newer. Do I need to be worried about roof damage when they take them off? Is this something that would show during inspection? I've seen their electric bills and they look standard as if there isn't an upside to paying for the lease ourselves. Any and all info would be much appreciated.

When my solar installer was in business, they tried to tell me based on their logs they needed to replace my 35 inverters. No matter how ridiculous I told them this was they insisted and it would cost me 4K to do. I went through emphases directly and received the replacement parts per the warranty based on what the installer told them.
However I waited to save up the cash for it and in that time the installer scuttled the business and is currently under investigation.

Now after the long story…. What do I do with these inverters? Return them? Try to make a quick buck off them?

I’m wondering what y’all’s thoughts are.

I'm in southern CO and have black hills energy.

Just got 12 585w panels delivered. Only $130 each. Will be doing ground mount.

I'm torn between doing net metering with no battery or no net metering with battery.

I plan on selling in 4-5 years and the simplicity of no battery for future buyers is appealing. I think they'd be intimidated by a large inverter and battery.

If I do battery then I won't do net metering because I don't want to pay the $375 connection fee nor want their inspector analyzing my equipment and install.

My electricity bill is only $100 thanks to good insulation. I've also thought about installing only 4 of the panels and doing plugin solar (dedicated 20 amp circuit, no battery, etc). That kills my idea of getting an EV though.

Tell me how my logic is flawed 🙏

Not sure if this is the best forum to ask ...

I'm trying to get a 14-year old system's data logging to work again. I can't find many details on Tigo's legacy MMU and even less on their gateway. My MMU

The gateway I have is ES-GTWY 150-00000-10. I confirmed it's getting 24V on its RS-485 link so I assume the A and B data lines are also intact but would have to confirm. The gateway LED would flash blue every 3 seconds, whereas I recall when it was working I think it was rapid blue and yellow flashes.

It seems difficult to find a replacement with same part number. 150-00000-50's are more common. The docs for those say they are for TS4-R optimizers, whereas my panels use MM-ES50 optimizers. The gateway looks exactly the same but my question is, will they work as a drop-in replacement? Will a -50 communicate with older MM-ES's? Finding documentation is difficult.

The MMU is saying it can't find the gateway so that's really my root problem. I don't know if the MMU is the part that is failing. Is there an easy way to determine this?

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Hello everyone, I'm an electrical engineering student working on my graduation project, with 2 teammates.

For the moment we picked a three-phase AC EV charger powered by solar, in Oman, as our project. We are still discussing the design and the scale. Our target is 11 kW three-phase, and the prototype will be smaller.

We are considering two designs:

AC-coupled: the solar array is connected to a three-phase AC bus through an inverter, and the battery is connected to the bus through a bidirectional inverter for charging and supplying. An EVSE (the AC charging unit) is connected to the bus, to AC charge the car.

So the panels would charge the car and if no car is connected it charges the battery.

Hybrid (DC-coupled): everything is in DC, and the inverter is used at the last step between the DC bus and the EVSE.

I don't think we can afford a DC charging approach, because of the CCS communication and certification between the car and the charger, and the high power it needs, which is hard to provide with solar alone.

A grid-tied connection as a backup is an option we are looking into.

We are considering making the inverters (or a hybrid inverter) ourselves. How realistic is this for our project, even for a smaller-scale prototype, for a three-phase bidirectional inverter?

I would love to get your insights on the project, things I should keep in mind, maybe a different approach, anything from your experience is highly appreciated. In particular:

Which of the two designs would you pick, and why?

What level of experience would be required for this design?

What do people usually forget (protection, earthing, battery voltage, testing)?

What are the things that we should focus on before we start the actual design?

We got solar installed this year and as the PSE&G bills have been rolling in, I haven’t been able to figure out why the kWh in/out are so vastly different every month compared to what our solar system says.

I called PSE&G and they said they don’t know anything about solar/I wouldn’t be able to see how much I’m using (what?). I had the solar company out to make sure the app was reading correctly and they verified everything was correct on the solar side.

It feels like I’m being cheated out of solar credit. Wondering if anyone else has dealt with a similar situation and what they did.

Hi everyone,

I've received a few quotes, and I'm struggling to understand why the prices vary so much when the usable battery capacity and inverter size are relatively similar.

The main options I've been offered so far are:

• Solis: 20kWh battery capacity with a 6kW inverter – £5,800.
• Alpha ESS : Around 18kWh with a 8 kW inverter – approximately £5,240
• Fox ESS EP12: Around 20–21kWh usable capacity, depending on the configuration, with a 6kW inverter – approximately £7,580
• Sigenergy: 2x10, 5kw inverter £8000

These are the approximate figures I have so far, and the systems may not be directly comparable in every respect. Ideally, I'd like to compare them with a 6kW inverter across the board.

What I'm struggling to understand is the actual difference in quality between these brands. From what I've been told, the warranties are fairly similar and they all seem to perform in much the same way. Some use stackable batteries, while others use different configurations, but I'm not sure how much difference that really makes in practice.

What I find difficult to understand is why one system can cost £1,700–£1,800 more than another when the usable capacity, inverter size and warranty seem pretty similar. Is there something important I'm overlooking, or is it mainly a case of paying more for a particular brand?

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to install rooftop solar at my house in Bangalore and wanted to get some advice on whether my terrace is suitable.

- Site size: 30×40 ft

- Roof: Open terrace with some neighbouring houses around it

- Concern: I’m worried that the adjacent houses might cast shadows on the solar panels, especially during certain times of the day.

I'm planning to install 3kw on grid solar

I’ve attached photos of my terrace taken from the west side and from another angle.

Could you please help me understand:

1. Is this rooftop suitable for installing solar panels?

2. Will the neighbouring house on the west side cause significant shading?

3. Which direction and area of the terrace would be best for installing the panels?

If anyone has installed solar on a similar rooftop in Bangalore, I’d appreciate your suggestions and experience.

When I bought my home in 2022, my September electricity bill was $308 and October bill was $164. In 2026 my September bill was $37 and October bill was $28. Not only that, my current balance due is. -$616.49. Wow.

[36] 445w Trina panels
APsystem rapid shutdowns
[3] 14.3kwh Eg4 batteries with Flexboss21 and Gridboss for full home backup

Hi everyone live in Los Angeles. Here’s my quote tell me if it’s a good one. Full cash payment to pay it off right away.

35 x Qcells 430 Watt Panels
(Q.TRON BLK M-G2.C+ 430)

35 x IQ8HC-72-M-DOM-US
[240V] (Enphase Energy Inc.)

240v outlet

$32,000 cash price approved.