Help with quote/ panel brand

Hello community!
My first post here and I would love if I could input on the below quote:

Location: RI
Panel: REC 460AA Pure-RX
Inverter: IQ8X-80-M-US
Price: $43,500
$/watt: $2.87

Been doing research and the consensus is that REC 460 are "top of the line" panels with great performance especially on hot summer days.

Thanks in advance.

justwantsolar said:

would love if I could input on the below quote:

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How many panels?
Is that including installation? …permits? …mounting?

$43.5k seems like a whole lot of money for a system that doesn’t mention batteries.
REC is decent stuff

(recently installed 20kWh of battery bank and 12kW split phase for someone local. 6600W of panels. Offgrid. Well under $20k total)

12VoltInstalls said:

How many panels?
Is that including installation? …permits? …mounting?

$43.5k seems like a whole lot of money for a system that doesn’t mention batteries.
REC is decent stuff

(recently installed 20kWh of battery bank and 12kW split phase for someone local. 6600W of panels. Offgrid. Well under $20k total)

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33 panels. includes installation, permit, mounting. No batteries

justwantsolar said:

33 panels. includes installation, permit, mounting. No batteries

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A friend just got a 7.2kW system for $25k, which is $3.47/W and no batteries either. In California though. I think your price is "ok".

CaliSunHarvester said:

In California though. I think your price is "ok"

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I’d move

I agree that would be a good price in California. The for REC is in some turnkey biased forums, sure. Here the preference is for cheapest $/w, maybe some people also look for bankable but not really.

Presumably the reason is the REC markup is hidden more in a large turnkey price while it is proportionally bigger in a DIY price, esp if not using microinverters (which also aren’t popular in this DIY forum for various reasons).

zanydroid said:

I agree that would be a good price in California.

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Hmm... depends on some specifics... complexity of roof/installation, whether this includes a Hybrid Inverter (for ease of adding future batteries) or not, etc.
For original poster: A significant portion of cost is the design, labor for permitting, and basic wiring for PV system. Whether 20 or 33 panels, extra price for additional panels is marginal (cost per panel, and a bit of labor/other)... for the most part. ie, $/kW should go down as system size increases (to a point). Here is SoCal, when I looked 18 months ago, that quote would have been definitely on the high side (to point of being ignored) for a simple 33-panel system (no hybrid inverter, single flat roof surface for all panels, etc) from a vendor with a very comprehensive warranty. But many factors can drive up price (like main load center service upgrade)... so it depends

Considering system life, I'd advise making sure installer is fully certified with panel manufacturer, such that you get a full system output guarantee from panel mfg. If in 20 years, the idea of you going up onto roof to take pictures (ex. Panasonic warranty I came across) isn't a pleasant thought, make sure warranty includes vendor doing the troubleshooting onsite. And then, there will be other components, like inverter (micro, string, or ??)... the thing to look for is system output to avoid finger-pointing at some future point about why system not producing power, or really low, etc. Such warranties do exist... whether worth it to you or not?? for me price premium for installer with much better warranty was small enough to make decision easy

Lawrence_SoCal said:

Here is SoCal, when I looked 18 months ago, that quote would have been definitely on the high side (to point of being ignored) for a simple 33-panel system (no hybrid inverter, single flat roof surface for all panels, etc) from a vendor with a very comprehensive warranty.

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Was that for microinverters or string? I paid $2.40 for a Hoymiles install near SF and that was the lowest I could find. The installer was also horrible so I can’t believe anyone during NEM2 era with average customer service would charge less than $3 with microinverters. No clue what prices are for grid tie only under NEM3…

Labor prices sure are lower in SoCal for construction… my brother joked that I should hire a SoCal crew next time I turnaround a rental property and let them stay there during the project.

zanydroid said:

Was that for microinverters or string?

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micro-inverters, 19x425W panel system contracts calls it a 8.08kW (solar energy) system (PoCo Permission-to-Operate specifically indicates a 7.392 kW electricity generation system)