Buying solar panels in Dominican Republic

You want to import them?  We had 6 solar panels installed for like 16k pesos...but we had brought an inverter ND had the batteries, charge controller, etc.. JB Solar in Puerto Plata...and my husband says they know their stuff which is a really rare compliment.

Thankyou for the response. Do you know how much the panels sell for in the Dominican Republic? Do you have info on how to contact the install company? Using the solar how much does your power bill run monthly? I  am new to the forum and will make the move hopefully later this year.

Hi Lee,

Personally, I highly recommend solar.  I have a large house that I installed solar last summer after a storm took away half my roof.  Now my electricity bills are 200 pesos a month and I cannot use the amount of energy I generate.  Full payback is about 4 years and if you are a tax payer then the government will give you a credit towards the cost.

For me: 5.7 kw system with invertor, 22 panels, new u\g cabling out to the main meter across the street and a bunch of extra work for under 9K usd. 5 year warranty and a reputable company.

Thanks for the info. I  am definitely going with solar. I have the opportunity to buy excess solar panels from a solar farm project. They are commercial grade 320 watt panels for $189 each. They have 100 to sell. I read a post on DR1 that stated solar panels are duty free. Not sure exactly what I will do but I will go solar. Also is anyone familiar with playa magante which is between Rio San Juan and Gaspar Hernandez? Thankyou for all of your help.

Mike - do you have batteries? We'll be building a home in Las Terrenas in 3 years and plan to be on the grid, but able to provide all our needed power via solar. We've experienced the intermittent power outages in the country and want to be sure we can store our excess solar for use at night (and cloudy days!).

I am not using batteries at the moment but plan to add them for emergency backup when the grid is down.  I understand it's about $500USD to add it to my existing system.

Solar is a great way to go.  A battery bank & a large or medium sized inverter can provide power for up to a day & a half. If you need A/C it will eat up the battery power fast. Inverter can be used to start & then the panels can be added. I've had an inverter w/ 6 batteries for 2 years. ( I don't use A/c.) Others can tell you of their experience with the panels alone. Keep it green!

JB Solar in Puerto Plata does a great job so far as we've seen and they let you do as much or as little as you like.

We did see on Alibaba like 50 solar panels for like $50 dollar US each...we're considering buying in bulk and bringing them in as part of our container...We plan to build two more houses eventually...and that would be the panels we would need.  Anyone have experience importing solar panels?

50Us per each?????????????  are you joke????
may be 0.5US per watt 1 panel around 200-320W   250 x 0.5 US= 125US

Sorry Alex you will need to go put an ad in the classifieds please.

Thanks.

And yeah I've seen Soler panels of various wattage and various prices. I like to live on my boat so with 4:deep cell batteries a couple solar panels and a wind generator with a backup gas generator it's affordable and efficient unless your trying to live some lavish lifestyle.

Makes sense on a boat!

DominicanadaMike

hi can you give more info about the compaany who fix it in MP
rgds

and if somebody else has knowledge of good companies in the east or santo domingo
rgds
bernard

My wife and I just had a house built in Dominican republic in the capital of Santo Domingo. I am looking to buy solar panels for the house. it's a three bedroom, living room, kitchen, dining room, two bathrooms and a laundry room. Mike can you help with this please

I work with a couple of people here in SD on this.  Message me if you want some help.

Hi Homey.  First of all solutions for Punta Cana may not be solutions for Santo Domingo.  The electricity in PC is about 3 times the price it is in SD.  That increases the rate of return 3 times!  What I can help you with is information about on-grid vs off-grid, ROI and contractors I can recommend in PC.  Others will pipe in with suppliers (which change on a very regular basis) and installers.  If you just want panels then I will wait for some of the others to respond.  PM me if you want any other contact info...

Cheers,

So your telling me that it's going to very expensive to install solar panels? If so what will be the best way to go? I know the lights go out a lot where we built our house. I need some back up ASAP please

Expensive is a relative term.  Get some quotes for what you need.  Then determine what is required.

Homey, there are a lot of variables.  You need to provide some info about your situation and what it is you want to achieve.  What is your average consumption per month, how is your house situated (need access to the sun), where are you located (different electric companies have different rules).  Systems vary in price so you will want to find a contractor that meets your budget.  A good system from a reputable contractor will cost you in the range of 10K USD for a 5 kw on-grid system...more or less.  It is best to find a contractor and get them to come to your place and give you an estimate.  You will gain some knowledge from them and then you can see if you have the budget.

If you are just looking for some backup energy there are other ways to go as well.

Hello Lee! Who did you end up using for solar installation? Also how did your source your panels for $0.50/kw? My condo management in Cabarete charges me 15pesos/kwh and it's eating away at any rental profit. I need the best options for solar if anyone has a recommendation.

So in your project in  Cabarete they are charging you above the highest rate for Edenorte. Wow.

Can you post the name and contact of company you used ?

We installed panels at our villa. We are very happy with the contracfor and the results. We are looking at about a 2 1/2 year payback although now we can run all the air conditioners, pool pump, etc. with no more worries about a high electric bill. We did go with a few more panels and batteries than our contractor recommended. Our highest electic bill in the past year was 38 pesos and no more power outages,

How many panels and batteries do you have? Or I guess I should be asking in KW, right?

We installed 18 panels with 16 batteries. We have 5 bedrooms and 7 airconditioners. It is just my wife and I here but we sometimes have many quests and have yet to use Ednorte electricity.

Electrico Aire located between Sosua and Cabarete. 809-849-6016. Sergio is the owner.

Mkunz6580 wrote:

We installed 18 panels with 16 batteries. We have 5 bedrooms and 7 airconditioners. It is just my wife and I here but we sometimes have many quests and have yet to use Ednorte electricity.

Do you know what the KW production is for the panels, and the storage capacity of the batteries?

Yes wattage for SP's important and, I you will share or pm me, the price of your batteries and info as asked about above. Cheers....

May I ask what the total system cost,  installed, was for your system??

Building a villa in Punta Cana please I need information solar panels company.

Welcome to the forums.  read the whole thread as this was mentioned earlier. 

If others have recommendations for PUnta Cana area please post.

Yes, check the previous posts first.  If you need a referral I would be happy to send you a PM...

how much did you pay for these 18 panels?

Hi there,

Name of the company you used? How much did it cost you? I have the same 5bedroom, 7 AC's in my villa and electricity bill is killing me.

$10,000 USD for everything including labor, wiring, panels and batteries. They also did some other wiring for me which was unrelated so the actual price was slightly cheaper

Elecrtrico Air near Sosua. Now we run all the air, all the time was well as pool pump and everything else in the house with no worries. We can still switch back to Edenorte if needed but have never had to. We pay Edenorte 36 pesos per month now