OpenTube

Why and How I Cut Ties With PG&E

Fisherman's Life

1,453,982 views

I was tired of paying $700+ dollars a month for electricity so I decided to build my own solar system. One company quoted me for $90,000 to install a smaller system than I built. No way we could afford that so I starting doing research on building a DIY solar system myself. All in, including permits, mounts, panels, grading, shed, wire and everything else was about $20k. We used Ballasted Solar Panel Racking and with our system vs. PG&E monthly bills, we'll have this system paid off in two to three years and have free energy from that point on.

The components I used for solar:

IntegraRacks IR-45ASAA

EG4 12000XP Off-Grid Inverter

https://signaturesolar.com/eg4-12000x...

EG4-WallMount Indoor Battery 14.3kWh

https://signaturesolar.com/eg4-wallmo...

Aptos 550W Bifacial Panels (Pallet of 31)

https://signaturesolar.com/17-05kw-ap...

IntegraRack IR-45ASA Adjustable Seasonal Angle BallastRack™ Solar Module Racking System

https://signaturesolar.com/integrarac...

20 Comments

@alvink91 1 year ago

Backhoe operator was a good hire. Bro was clean with his work

@adamsocha8815 7 months ago

Your camera wasn't recording in slow motion. That's just the speed a government inspector works!

@clippysaurus1 7 months ago (edited)

Hiring an engineer on fiverr for the plan set is genius. Thanks for the idea. This will save me many hours of screwing around reading documentation and configuring cad tools to generate plans that I will never do again.

@joshuaespinoza534 7 months ago

Thats a 'I dont know what the hell im looking at but it looks good to me' attitude from the inspector. He even threw his hands up like screw it! 😄

@itoldyou7887 1 year ago (edited)

I worked from 2013-2016 in SolarCity (Hawthorne office) as solar installer then from 2016-2020 in Tesla (OC office) as senior solar service Tech.
You did good job considering you are not electrician, I would change the Polaris with Burndy because they are more durable, cover any PV wires that exposed to sun, also the cabin needs a fan for ventilation because the Batteries greatest enemy is heat. Your wife is a great assistant, she worked hard without complaining.

@chriscox7579 1 year ago

I DIYed a solar install on my house 14 years ago. My friends thought I was crazy. Permits and learning how to do it right was a learning process but worth it. Turning it on and hearing the 60 hz hum of the inverters ramping up was so satisfying. I could see that same feeling/emotion coming over you as it did me. 😊

@darragh6814 1 year ago

$2k permit to build a shed on your land? wtf

@gzeronine9484 10 months ago

Good on you bro. I’m a contractor but I love seeing people do things like this. We as humans are capable of so much. Don’t listen to everything we are told. Don’t live in fear. Don’t be a slave to corporations that bleed us dry.

@echo5827 11 months ago

Cheaper to hire a backhoe for 2 days than a permit for a 3sqft shed.

@garyt7232 1 year ago

What stood out for me was that your entire family pitched in. Your wife is amazing! What was a nice touch was that everyone put their palm print into the foundation of the shed. Enjoyed this one from start to finish. Peace.

@ClarkyMalarky 11 months ago

3:30 the farmer chew spit is a sure sign you hired the right guy 😂

@m3rdpwr 4 months ago

Cheers to your lady, for helping with the heavy lifting.

@CreatorsFueled 11 months ago

As a licensed electrician, i can tell you aside from some questionable box/pipe fill and missing straps here and there, i am extremely impressed ! Great job 👏

@ri438j 11 months ago

Hard to believe the backhoe operator time was cheaper than the building permit for the slab shed!

@samflynn3670 1 year ago

from expert fisherman to solar electrician in one video...well done sir 👍

@FJBandTj 4 weeks ago (edited)

You're a bad ass. I've done similar labor, but not to that extent for the electrical. That is definitely intimidating, but with my HATRED for PG&E it's something I'm going to start researching.

EDIT: SIDE NOTE: PG&E made $2.5 Billion profit in 2025.

@WoodTramp 1 year ago

I'm an electrician who just started my solar project this year. To say I'm impressed with what you've done there is an understatement. You are winning.

@Sweetbabyrayrayo 1 year ago

Great job. As a solar contractor I'd say only thing you gonna wish you had done is put more weed cloth down since the panels are low to the ground.

@CyberMikeOG 11 months ago

You did a great job. I put 32 panels on my house. Provides about 90% of all my electric needs. Including charging my Tesla some days. Such an amazing feeling getting free energy from the sun.