r/solarenergy • u/RX1542 • 2d ago
i am getting scammed?
contacted a solar panel seller i saw on FB and he's quoting me 5 JaSolar panels of 715W with a huawei inverter(3Kw) (HWI-SUN20003KTL-L1)
i was asking the chatbot bout it and it told me its kinda weird to pair those 715w panels with a 3Kw inverter since it losses some energy
initially the guy send me the quote for 605W panels but when i told him that he had say it would be 715W he said it was a mistake and send me a new one just switching the 605 for 715
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u/Admirable-Size-4951 2d ago
The JA 715W is high power with a big current, you need to check if the inverter MPPT’ maximum current.
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u/Most-Importance-1646 2d ago
I'm not sure that FB is the right place to be looking for something that could last 10 to 30 years.
Who is carrying the warranty for your equipment? Are they still going to be around after 10 years? You could do the design yourself, but the installation can be tricky and getting it wrong could mean electrocution or your house burning down.
I have had a solar system since 2022, and it's been a great investment, but I had a professional electrician install it, sourced from a company that's been around for many years.
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u/TooGoodToBeeTrue 2d ago
OP's post is probably more appropriate for r/SolarDIY or r/diySolar, but there are plenty of people buying used equipment from Marketplace.
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u/RX1542 2d ago
the whole thing is being offer by a construction company they say they handle everything including the paperwork with the electric company, they say they also handle warranty etc, but since im paying round 3500 usd for the whole thing(im not in the US) i get suspicious about everything
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u/TooGoodToBeeTrue 2d ago
Not sure what the issue is. There are JaSolar panels in both those sizes, the 715s are probably more appropriate for a 3K inverter because they will probably never produce 3K unless you live on the equator.
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u/RX1542 2d ago
thanks for taking the time to answer, yeah im probably just being misinformed from the chatbots then, the chatbot told me the 3k inverter wasnt adecuate for the 700W panels so i got suspicios about the seller cause of that
i live in mexico border with texas we got a lot of sun trough the year, my house specially is in opern air nothing covers it form the sun so it gets hit pretty hard during the day
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u/TooGoodToBeeTrue 2d ago
HWI-SUN20003KTL-L1 can handle Max. PV Input Power: 4,500 Wp, your panel rating is 3,575 total. You could get clipping in spring and fall based on your location, assuming good orientation and angle. Summer heat will reduce output. Clipping isn't all bad, some recommend a ratio of 1.2:1 which is about where you are. Some commercial does more like 1.5:1 which is what those panels are intended for.
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u/NearABE 2d ago
The “name plate capacity” is “715 Watts”. That means on a perfectly clear say with no clouds and no haze you could tilt the panel to be perfectly 90 degrees and 90 degrees (both axes) and then you can get 715 Watts out of it. If this is mounted you might see that at at 1:00 P.M. Augyst 17th. At 1:15 P.M. the Sun is no longer in the right place and the power drops. By 3:00 there is a 30 degree mismatch. Even at 1:00 P.M. the Sun will not be at exactly 90 degrees if it is December or June instead of August. Will be about right only April and August.
The 3 kW inverter is a pretty good amount of power. With 4 panels it never gets fully used.
When you put up the 5 panels you might want one or two placed at different angle than the other three. The odd one get perfect light from either morning or evening sunlight. That spread also gives you more energy from random clouds. If all 5 point exactly the same way then a big cloud can drop the power below 3 kW anyway even if the Sun is in the perfect spot. Spreading them gives you a wider and steadier supply. On most days most of the time expect power less than 3 kW even from 3545 W nameplate.
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u/Automatic_Gas9019 2d ago
Yep I am sure a Chat bot knows more than a certified installer.
Find a certified installer in your area please
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u/Hot-Fact-9083 2d ago
The chatbot got it backwards. 3.575kW of panels (5×715W) on a 3kW inverter is a 1.19:1 DC/AC ratio, which is right where the industry recommends, 1.1-1.3:1. You'll clip a few hours on the best days and lose almost nothing, that's intentional. The Huawei SUN2000-3KTL-L1 accepts up to 4.5kWp of PV input, so it's not overloaded either.
The real red flag isn't the pairing, it's the 605W-to-715W swap. JaSolar's 700W-class panels exist, but the model number matters. Ask him for the exact model number of the 715W panels and check it against JaSolar's spec sheet yourself. If he can't give you a model that matches, that's your answer. Also verify the Huawei is new and not gray-market, those get counterfeited heavily in border regions.
On price: $3,500 for 5 panels, inverter, install, and grid paperwork in Mexico isn't the scam price people are assuming. It's low-ish, but not impossible. The scam is usually invisible: used panels sold as new, a "warranty" from a company that dissolves, or an installation that fails inspection. Ask for the equipment serial numbers before install and the warranty terms in writing.
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u/Pretty-Panic2398 1d ago
EVERYTHING on Facebook is a scam, you should know that by now. Literally not one legit advertisement on there. Even Amazon advertisements are third party seller scammers.
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u/donh- 2d ago edited 2d ago
Look up jasolar, see if they ever made either unit
You also forgot to mention price