There was a post a few weeks/months ago stating domestic PV had greater embodied carbon than commercial PV farms and Ive been meaning to query that for a while and finally got round to it now.

Heres how I see the reverse seems a more likely scenario.

Panels are the same
Panel mounting rails and clamps are the same
Commercial farms need structural support frames and likely concrete foundations. Domestic install uses existing roof
Commercial farms need service roads. Domestic install uses existing driveway
Commercial farms need new electrical infrastructure for grid connection. Domestic install uses existing grid connection
Commercial farms use bigger inverters with more panels connected per inverter. Domestic install uses fewer panels per inverter.

It seems to me that the only time a domestic system may have more embodied carbon is in the lower panel to inverter ratio. In all other aspects the commercial farm has the same or significantly more embodied carbon than a domestic system.

Am I missing something?.

Dunno. Most domestic systems require a scaffold or somesuch to be erected?

But I don't remember the claim from before. Maybe you could find it, or maybe the OP will chime in?

I thought about workers vehicle movements and on the face of it theres more movements per kw of panels for a typical domestic install. For a typical 4kw system youve got 2 return trips for a 7.5 ton scaffolders wagon. 2 return trips for the installers van for a 2 day install. Our panels were courier delivered as part of the couriers daily run around so a bit of carbon for delivery but commercial farms would likely have dedicated deliveries

On a commercial farm youd likely be able to final fix 4kw of panels way quicker.....but. At the solar farm a few miles from us there was a a full site establishment for months which would have been 100s if not 1000s of work journeys. There were excavators and dumpers putting in service tracks. Stone to be quarried and transported. Ground workers and excavators putting concrete foundations. Steel erectors building support frames. Dozens of small substations built and cabled. Probably several miles of perimeter fence to be installed. None of the above is required with a typical domestic install.

Im fairly sure the panels used on commercial installs are same as fitted domestically, currently around 350-400w. Thats what a commercial installer I know is putting in and thats the size range people seem to talk about for domestic jobs??