Phase II of the upgrade project is now mostly complete. I spent Sunday and Monday rewiring the outdoor PV array from its previous configuration of two subarrays of 48V each to 12 subarrays of 24V each. I also rewired the buried cable to the house from DC to AC. So far all nine of the PV panels from the roof are now installed in the field array and are producing. Finally, I have adjusted the tilt of the array to its summertime position, which is 15 degrees, IIRC.
Here is a picture showing production this morning:
Notice that the inverters in the field are producing more power than the inverters on the roof. This is because the array in the field is adjustable and it is currently more optimized for summertime production than the roof array. I expect the field array to produce more (per inverter) in the wintertime and summertime and the roof array to produce more in the spring and fall. This despite the fact that the array in the field is more than 10 years older than the roof array.
Also note that the top right inverter in the field array is producing just half of what the other inverters are producing. That is because one of the PV panels which should be driving is is damaged and needs to be repaired. Does anyone know where I can find a replacement terminal strip for a Solarex MSX-series PV module? Perhaps I just need to purchase a used module or two?
Here are some pictures of the installation. Click the photographs to see a larger version:
As soon as I have an opportunity (with some help) to replace three more inverters on the roof with the M215s I purchased, I can then add those three M190s to the outside array. I also still have some AC wiring cleanup to do inside the house for the field array.
My wife had an excellent idea! She suggested that we put some outlets out on the field array now that AC is available out there. I told her we would do that, but that will be done as a separate step since I did not have a service panel on hand on Sunday when I was wiring the AC on the field array.