Helping Everyone Transition to Solar Energy

Costs vary widely, but DIY systems are typically 30–50% cheaper than full-service installs. A small system might be a few thousand dollars, while whole-home systems can be much more. Batteries are usually the biggest cost driver. The upside is you control the budget and can scale over time. 

If you’re comfortable with basic electrical work and following technical instructions, DIY solar is very achievable. Most DIYers successfully complete their own installations with the right guidance and preparation. Having some experience with tools and home improvement projects is helpful but not required.

The key is knowing where your skills end and where a professional’s should begin. Many homeowners handle the physical work themselves — mounting racking, running conduit, and placing panels — while hiring a licensed electrician for the final panel connection and utility interconnection.

This hybrid approach saves on labor while keeping the work safe and up to code. Do what you’re confident in, and bring in a pro for the parts — especially electrical — where the stakes are higher. 

Yes—many people do. The key is taking it step by step and not rushing. There are plenty of resources, diagrams, and support options available. If something feels outside your comfort zone, you can always hire help for that portion. We will

Not always, but it’s often recommended for final connections or grid tie-ins. Electrical code compliance is important for safety and inspections. Many DIYers do most of the work and bring in an electrician at the end. This keeps costs down while staying safe. 

Start with SanTan Solar—give us a call and we’ll help walk you through the process step by step. From there, review your electric bill to understand your usage and learn the basics of how solar systems work. Once you have a rough idea of your needs, you can begin designing a system. Don’t worry about knowing everything upfront—we’ll help you fill in the gaps along the way. 

In most areas, yes—especially for grid-tied systems. Permits ensure your system meets safety and electrical codes. Off-grid setups may have fewer requirements, but it depends on your local jurisdiction. Always check with your county or city before starting. 

 The average U.S. home uses around 900–1,100 kWh per month,
but that varies a lot by climate, home size, and lifestyle. In Arizona, summer
cooling loads can push that number significantly higher — it’s not unusual to
see 1,500–2,000 kWh months in the Phoenix area. The best thing you can do is
pull your last 12 months of utility bills and find your personal average rather
than relying on national figures.  

Yes, and many people start small and grow over time. Just make sure your inverter and system design allow for expansion. Planning ahead saves money and headaches later. Think of it like building a foundation for future upgrades. 

Undersizing their system, skipping proper planning, and misunderstanding energy usage are the big ones. Another common issue is poor wiring practices. Taking time upfront to design correctly avoids costly fixes later. Slow and methodical beats fast and sloppy. 

A charge controller sits between your panels and your battery bank and regulates the charging process to protect the batteries from overcharging or over-discharging. Without one, your panels would push unregulated current into the batteries and shorten their lifespan significantly. In many modern systems, the charge controller is built directly into the inverter — this is common in hybrid and all-in-one units. If your system uses a standalone charge controller separate from your inverter, always go with an MPPT model over an older PWM type — MPPT extracts significantly more energy from your panels and is well worth the small price difference. 

System voltage (typically 12V, 24V, or 48V for
off-grid; 200–600V+ for grid-tied) affects everything from wire sizing to
equipment compatibility. Higher voltage systems are more efficient over long
wire runs because lower current means less resistive loss. Most modern off-grid
systems run at 48V for this reason. For grid-tied systems, your inverter
determines the acceptable voltage range for your panel strings, so you size
your strings to match 

 DC (direct current) flows in one direction — it’s what solar
panels and batteries produce. AC (alternating current) switches direction
rapidly and is what powers everything in your home and the utility grid. Your
inverter’s job is to convert DC from your panels into AC your home can use.
Batteries store DC, so in a battery system, power gets converted multiple
times: panels to DC battery to inverter to AC home.  

 A kilowatt (kW) is a measure of power — how much electricity
something is using right now. A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a measure of energy —
the total electricity consumed over time. Think of it like a car: kW is your
speed, kWh is the total miles driven. A 3 kW solar array running at full output
for 5 hours produces 15 kWh of energy — that’s how the two relate.  

 Watts (W) are a measure of power at a given moment — how
fast energy is being used or produced. Watt-hours (Wh) are energy over time — a
100W panel running for 5 hours produces 500Wh. Amps measure electrical current
(flow rate), and amp-hours (Ah) measure how much current is delivered over time
— commonly used to rate battery capacity. The key relationship is: Watts =
Volts x Amps. Once you understand that, everything else starts to click.  

 Wiring panels in series adds their voltages together while
keeping current the same — so two 40V/10A panels in series gives you 80V/10A.
Wiring in parallel keeps voltage the same but adds the currents — those same
panels in parallel gives 40V/20A. String inverters typically want
higher-voltage series strings, while some charge controllers prefer parallel
wiring. How you wire your array matters for compatibility with your inverter or
charge controller, so always check the specs before you wire anything up.  

 MPPT stands for Maximum Power Point Tracking — it’s a
technology used in inverters and charge controllers to continuously find the
optimal voltage and current combination from your panels to extract maximum
power. Basically, it makes sure you’re never leaving energy on the table due to
temperature or lighting changes throughout the day. Nearly all modern inverters
and quality charge controllers use MPPT, and you should insist on it — older
PWM charge controllers leave significant efficiency behind by comparison.  

In a grid-tied system, excess power flows back to the
utility grid — if you have net metering, you get a credit for it. In a battery
system, excess power charges your batteries first, then exports to the grid
once they’re full. In a pure off-grid system, your charge controller or all in one inverter stops
accepting power from the panels once batteries are at 100% to prevent
overcharging. There’s no situation where power just ‘disappears’ — it always
goes somewhere.  

Panels produce power from daylight, not just direct sun, so
they still generate on cloudy days — usually at 10–30% of their rated capacity.
At night, production stops completely since there’s no light source. In a
grid-tied system, you draw from the utility at night. With batteries, you draw
from stored energy. In Arizona, cloudy days are rare enough that this rarely
has a meaningful impact on your annual production numbers.  

Most people assume more sun equals more power — and while that’s mostly true, heat is actually the enemy of solar output. Every panel has a temperature coefficient on its spec sheet (something like -0.35%/°C) that tells you how much output the panel loses for every degree above 25°C, which is the standard lab test temperature. On a July afternoon in Phoenix, your panels can easily hit 65°C — at that coefficient, you’re losing around 14% of rated output just from heat alone.

In cold climates, this flips in your favor — panels running below 25°C can actually slightly exceed their nameplate wattage on a clear winter day. In hot climates like Arizona, you’ll want to pay close attention to this number when comparing panels. The difference between a -0.35% and a -0.29% coefficient might not sound like much, but it adds up significantly over a full desert summer. When shopping panels for a hot climate install, lower temperature coefficient is one of the most underrated specs to prioritize. 

When comparing panels for a desert install, look for the lowest temperature coefficient you can find — premium panels are pushing -0.29% or better. That difference adds up meaningfully over a full Arizona summer.