All,

For longer, underground, array to inverter/charge controller runs, are folks
using aluminum or copper?
Last time I compared prices, for the same ampacity, Al was 1/3 the cost of Cu.

Dick Ratico
Solarwind Electric

--- You wrote:
Hi Dana;

I'd say that's a bit overkill for today's market. That money could be making
more power, not just preventing losses. 
Definitely a law of diminishing returns on wire sizing. 
If you allocated 50% of the budget to wire, and 50% to PV, your losses would be
very low, (immeasurable but unfortunately still there) but your total system
production vs. the money spent would be terrible.
I'm only using this ridiculous example to show, that at some point, we all spend
money on more PV, not bigger wire. 
I pick that point based on sound economic analysis, not some over applied rule
of thumb. As copper costs rise, and PV gets cheaper, that point moves up. 
If copper was still at 20th century prices, and PV were $10/ watt, your 1% might
very well be the right answer.

( this is also the point where Bob-O starts hammering me, so I'd better run.
$E2opi$E2o$BA)

R. Walters
ray@solarray.com
Solar Engineer
--- end of quote ---

