Solar Panel Installation

Hello Kat,

Generally, there are 2 types of solar systems being used here in the DR.  On grid and off grid.  Meaning that they are completely independent or they are attached to the electric company.  I would say that your choice of which system is better is based largely upon the dependability and availability of the electricity in your area.  Also, the amount of electricity that you will consume will play a large factor whether solar will be financially beneficial or not.  I personally have a small system (22 panels), producing about 450kwh per month while consuming about 250kwh.  The electricity company must love me as they get to keep the additional electricity that I am generating.  I have a large home and no air conditioning so I have lots of room for expansion.  My electricity bill every month is 211 pesos.  I am in an area where the electricity is normally on and fairly reliable so the on-grid system works well for me.   Also the cost of maintenance of an on-grid system is almost nothing and comes with a 5 year warranty.  An off-grid system requires batteries to store the energy and they are quite expensive.  Average batteries will last about 2 years and then you will have to replace them.  If you send me a private message I can recommend a good reliable contractor and I believe the price that I paid for their services was well within expectations.  They also worked well with the roofing company to co-ordinate the installation effectively.

Good luck.

I was under the impression that you could not go "off grid" as an individual homeowner.

Do gel style batteries make a difference or not?

In receive money from government you have to have agreement with them. Off-grid do not transfer generated power to grid in this case you don't receive any money.
If you install transfer-switch and yours powerline is staible you can use solar power generation system without bank of batterys.

good luck.

Yes, you can Planner.  However, off grid systems are more expensive and the justification may not be there depending upon circumstances.  The credit the government gives is only if you are a taxpayer and only if you contribute energy to the power grid.

Cheers,

Mike
key word is transfer-switch
you system don't transfer power to grid.
Day time used solar night time take from line.
I think in this you don't needed  make any agreement with government

Alex, are you sure in that case u dont need agreement with government

The technically ATS working like disconnect
only automatically, when power from solar generation is not enough it will be switch to grid line.
Where is the government?

I hope so,  in my explanation I don't see where is GOV or power generation company

Oh i understood in different way. 😃 yes you are right.

You have to find qualified person which give to you right information about solar system and relation with GOV.
For now you have to design right orientation your roof and square meters,
For 5Kw system around 16 panels x 1.5sq.m each =

Sorry 1 panel is 1.956m x 0.992m = 1.94 sq.m

Alex, I live in the Punta Cana area and the electric company here has control of the power.  Your system must be approved by them before you can install it and there is NO transfer switch.  We have 2 meters, one meters the energy our system delivers to the electric company and the other measures the energy we consume.  We pay the difference if we consume more than we generate but it has always been the other way around for us.  In our case the power inverter is controlling everything.

I think there is a bit of confusion around the difference between the power generator and government.   In this case they walk hand in hand.  Power is completely controlled by the government.

So as I understand it any solar installation cannot go ahead without approval by the power company. You have to have 2 meters. If you lack energy you pull and pay from the grid. If you produce more than you use, you supply the grid.

Now correct me if I am wrong, the grid you supply, pays you in credit but not cold hard cash.

You may or may not have back up batteries on the system to store power.

Hi Mike
I live in Toronto. I was install 2011 rooftop 10Kw system and i have 20years aggriment with GOV.CA . You are right before installation generation company make proof for installation because my system is grid-on.
I 'm not sure if customer on his propery install emergency generator  is needed proof from GOV or distribution company.
By logical don't needed. Solar sys. is the same. May be is needed (ESA = electrical safety autority) inspection and permit for install. But ESA is independet from any commercial company.

Planner: "So as I understand it any solar installation cannot go ahead without approval by the power company. You have to have 2 meters. If you lack energy you pull and pay from the grid. If you produce more than you use, you supply the grid.
Not quite.  You are always pulling energy from the grid.  The grid goes off, so does your power.

Now correct me if I am wrong, the grid you supply, pays you in credit but not cold hard cash."
By law, they must compensate you, but they don't.  So, yes you only credits for the energy you provide and it's at a 1 to 1 ratio.

Hi Alex, I am familiar with the energy system in Canada as I worked as an electrical engineering technician in design of Distribution systems for the local electrical company near you.

The Government law states that in our area (Bavaro\Punta Cana area), CEPM is the only authorized electrical company to provide energy.  Therefore it is with them that you must obtain permission.  If you have a different provider in another area, then you must obtain permission from them.  NAturally the permission includes an application, design, design specifications etc.  After the installation they come and inspect that it was installed as per the approved application.  They will not change the meters until it is approved through inspection.  I am sure there are several off grid systems that did not get permission, but in this country law is one thing, practice another...

Cheers,

Hi Mike
you are right
but if your house have disconnect from main power (grid) ,
for redesign electrical inside your house include roof, 
in Canada needed only ESA and structure engineer,  proof yours project and finally ESA inspection.
In my design I don't touch meter and interior wires only setup ATS with Solar system (rooftop panels, inverter , wiring)
Maybe in DR different rules.

That sounds about right in Canada.  Here they don't have an ESA.  Each electrical company sets it's own standards, if any...

In DR, everything is different.  Hence the wild wild west...lol

Yes nothing here is the same or.logical.

Thanks for helping me understand.

Hi...i am a new user here. Off-grid do not transfer generated power to grid in this case you don't receive any money.If you install transfer-switch and yours powerline is staible you can use solar power generation system without bank of batteries.

How does that work at night or cloudy, rainy days WITHOUT ANY STORAGE?

When no solar honey you draw from the grid. When you produce more than needed you supply the grid!

I misunderstood. A habit that I painstaking developed over many years of always being correct. Sort of like knowing the the deepest part of a creeks curve is the inside of the curve, still water has the biggest fish. Confused now? If so, I completed my task for today.

Hahahahaha

Our home is connected to grid and has solar and back up battery storage too. We are in more rural area...no power company deals that we know of...but, having solar and batteries means our bills are never more than $20 per month...and sometimes less than $3...we just need to budget for battery replacement...but, being independent of grid is awesome!

I can set up a nuclear reactor in my back yard as long as I pay the right people in DR.

Oh...and we have a transfer switch...just upgraded to gel batteries so that the filling of the lead acid batteries isn't an issue anymore, but now there's something called solid state batteries that seem to be the next generation and perfect for DR installations...but, others here probably know about these... Article about solid state batteries

DominicanadaMike wrote:

Alex, I live in the Punta Cana area and the electric company here has control of the power.  Your system must be approved by them before you can install it and there is NO transfer switch.

Hi DominicanadaMike
I have been looking for any information about solar installations in the Punta Cana area. We own a condo and I would love to put some panels on our roofdeck. Any contact information on an installation company or how you got it approved would be greatly appreciated.

You can PM me for a company name.

New members can't yet PM, You should.message him first, then he can respond

Hello

I read that you can recommend an installer for solar panels
I just want to run my airconditioner in my 1 bedroom condo.
I live in the pujta cana village and I am getting ripped off every month
Thank you

Welcome to the forums. 

DominicanadaMike can you post the recommended person or company here for everyone to see please!  Thanks honey.

I used BestInPro.  The person that was in charge of my work is no longer there.  You can contact Bestin Pro group: http://www.bestinprogroup.com  you will find all of their contact information on their website.

The person that was looking after my installation, now has a company of his own: Keylor Osaria; [email protected], or https://www.cimatecrd.com/#contact.

Cheers.
Either one should be good or get quotes from both.

Thanks!

DominicanadaMike wrote:

The person that was looking after my installation, now has a company of his own: Keylor Osaria; [email protected], or https://www.cimatecrd.com/#contact.
Either one should be good or get quotes from both.

Be super patient with Keylor Osaria.  He never responds to messages I have sent him.  When I called and spoke with him he said he would send me a quote.  After 3 months I am still waiting.

Wow, that's not good.

That's not unusual in the DR.  In fact good today, bad tomorrow isn't unusual either.  You have to make a good connection to get service and it doesn't seem to matter who you are dealing with.  Tell Keylor I recommended him and you are going to let me know that he is not responding to you.  On the other hand, find someone else...

You make very valid points!  Do not expect good standards of customer service as the norm!   

There is much to be done to make it better.  Culturally everything here is relationship based.  Develope relationships.  Be firm but friendly.  There is a time for high heels and a short skirt and a time for screaming!  Lol. 

Also never assume because you "left a message" that the person ever got it. Whether it's a voicemail or.message left with a secretary, don't assume it's received.   Follow up and remind people often!

Totally agreed Planner.  Add emails to the list.  I send out many emails, newsletters etc.  About 10% are received for multiple reasons.  Many people do not manage their inbox,  so the inbox is full and doesn't recieve the email.  or it ended up in junk email and hardly anyone checks their junk email.  Next on the list, the email was blocked or one of the mail servers were down and the email never reached it's destination.  So many reasons but people always say, but I sent you an email... whatever happened to picking up the phone and calling someone or going to meet them face to face...