Second Hand 3.6kW System for ~$2000 - Worth it?

Second Hand 3.6kW System for ~$2000 - Worth it?

Hi, I live in West Japan and interested in installing a solar system. Grid-tie feed in incentives are only applicable here when the installation is carried out by a certified installer. I would pay about 10-15k$ for a new system like this, installed.

Now, $2000 sounds pretty good to me, even if I have to leave out the incentives. My questions now are:

1. Since this is a used system. Would you consider it a good price?
2. I know there is a limited lifetime on these components (especially inverter and panels). What do you think about the given system?
3. Since I run this without feedin tariffs, would it make more sense to invest into a backup system too? What size would you recommend would make sense for a household that uses about 200kh/w on avg per month (i know I can't feed all of it, just to imporve the bill a bit).

Here are the specs of the system:

All from year 2011:

• MD - HH 215 T 215Watt Panasonic Panel (17 Panels)
• PV - PC40A5 40ka Panasonic Conditioner
• Panasonic Connection Box
• Cables and mounting hardware

I would mount this set in East direction at about 20-30degrees (have to check the roof). I have space for the south direction too, but I am planning to install a bigger system with grid tied feed in in the future.

So, just as a general explanation. I don't expect this system to work wonders, I just believe it's too cheap to miss out on. What do you think?

Edit: Just so you know, electricity here is about $0.22/kwh and for feed in they pay you ~$0.10/kwh. Maybe that helps in the decision making progress if I should invest in batteries, maybe get it installed by a pro, or just let it run on the side as is.

Also, is there some sort of calculator, that helps with this decision making progress?

Thanks!

submitted by /u/kLOsk
[visit reddit] [comments] http://ift.tt/2vzzO43