Two solar systems, one Guatemala City home

As the installation on a 4.85 kW solar system was winding down, the homeowner had one last request: install one more kilowatt of power. Never one to say no, Sersolar jumped at the challenge and with a little creativity, easily expanded the system to meet the customer’s request.

The original installation called for a 4.86 kW ballasted rooftop system with 18 SolarWorld 270-watt modules. The power generated by the modules is sent to a Sunny Boy 5000TL-US mounted in a nearby roof-access stairwell. The homeowner was especially excited about the Secure Power Supply capability of the Sunny Boy TL-US inverter, an extremely cost-effective way to still have power when the grid is down without the expense of a battery-backup system.

The Sersolar team working on the 4.86 kW array during installation.

Given ample roof space, the request for an additional kilowatt proved easier than expected. Sersolar installed an additional four modules, this time using ReneSola 245-watt modules, on a separate ballasted system. Because the addition only called for four modules, their team decided this was an ideal time to try the Sunny Boy 240-US micro inverter system.

Making power from sunlight

Amid the abundant sunshine falling in Guatemala City is the desire to capture those rays and turn them into usable power. As solar installations become increasingly popular in the region, installers continue to find alternative and exciting ways to free customers from their costly energy bills.

Sersolar’s customer is running a business from home, which had has plenty of benefits like the short commute. But when the home is used as an office during the day, lowering energy bills is not typically one of the perks. After trying squeezing every last drop of efficiency from their home, Sersolar’s customer decided to install solar to offset their remaining power demands and reduce their environmental impact.

Sunny Boy 240-US micros are installed and ready to start working.

All Systems go  

“We use SMA inverters because they are the best,” said Lester Recinos, Sersolar president. “This was our first time working with the SMA micro inverters and we’re very happy with their performance and the ease of installation.”

Once registered in Sunny Portal, the owner will be able to monitor his power generation from one simple platform where total system production can be reviewed alongside individual system details, parameter settings and more. Easing system monitoring greatly increases customer satisfaction in knowing how well their investment is working.

After commissioning in mid-June, the system has performed flawlessly. Both the team at Sersolar and the homeowner have been pleasantly surprised at the amount of energy production despite rolling clouds and intermittent summer rain storms.

Customers often make interesting requests during their solar install, however this was one of the more memorable ones. Thankfully, SMA has installers covered for everything from the smallest of the small to the wild unknown.