Unfortunately where I live (Belgium), this kind of options result in a disqualification of any subsidy. They always require that the install is done by a pro with some certificate (even though DIYing electrics is actually legal here).

I understand that there are reasons for this, but as someone with the qualifications but not the certification, I hate that I have to pay someone else to do things like this.

If the DIY discount (minus your time and risk) is greater than the subsidy, then doesn't it still makes sense to DIY?

Is this for 100% detachment from the grid? Otherwise you need to add cutoffs so you don't kill a lineman, right? Is that a DIY thing?

Different states have different rules but in some states you can just put a new breaker in your box that connects the solar output to the rest of your house and a mechanical interlock (literally a stamped piece of metal) that prevents both the main breaker and solar breaker being closed at the same time.

Ah, OK, so that would work for the "simple" systems, but not the ones where you can feed power back into the grid and get a credit.

For those you need an automatic transfer switch (ATS), such as the Enphase Enpower. Such devices contain circuitry to automatically manage disconnecting your home from the grid, so you 1) maintain power in the home (at least on the critical circuits you decide on), and 2) don't island your home (so linemen don't die).

I would love to DIY but that website is a complete turn off for me.

In my opinion, a good DIY solar company site would have transparent pricing and ability to buy components. I understand there are variations in installations and pricing may be different, but they should have a pricing catalog.

What's so wrong with the website, that you wouldn't take 75% off?

What's wrong with the website? You submit your address, within a short period of time a human looks at your rooftop using aerial photography, and sends you a quote.

I used them in the past, and they were fine to work with. I still ended up sourcing all my own equipment (saved an additional 50% from what they were quoting me, for a better system), but they're not secretive about what they'll send you.

https://projectsolar.com is another DIY-able option, where they help with the permitting, etc.

It's nice they give you an instant quote, but they don't give enough info for me to be willing to take the next step.

Basic things like:

What is the physical size of the quoted panels?

The KW rating they give, is that actual power delivered, or rated power?

If rated power, how much actual power would they expect given my geographical location, and angle of roof.

How much of the roof are they covering?

They want $100 for the next step - presumably I would get those answers then, but I'm not willing to risk $100 without knowing more.

Thank you so much for mentioning this. Their offering looks compelling and interesting.

I enjoyed working with Solar Wholesale, and they got me off to a good start. But there is a pretty significant markup even when considering they're giving you a "wholesale" DIY kit. I was quoted ~$35k pre-incentive for my project.

Also, be sure to do your own roof measurements when you look over their proposals. For my project, they used fairly inaccurate aerial/sat photos, which got the shape of my roof entirely wrong. Had I accepted their offer, I'd have ~33% too many panels / racking that wouldn't fit on the roof.

I ended up sourcing all the materials myself. I got much nicer inverters (1:1 Enphase IQ8+) and PV modules (455W LG bifacial) than what they were offering (2:1 APSystems inverters, 355W Bluesun panels).

The real kicker: I had enough budget left over to have a professional solar installer install all the panels for me, so I'm not the one that has to get on my steep roof, plus I have a warranty on the worksmanship of the installation. Pre-incentive, I'll have spent about $24k on my self-sourced version.

At some point I'll write up a blog post about the whole process - parts selection and sourcing, finding an installer, permitting, etc. It's really not that hard.