[rickst29]

And that's why I reserved some extra distance for the "along the roof" portion. That doesn't include this distance between panels, because my MC4 connector wires from the junction box are adequate to reach my "Y" connectors (in between the panels) from a horizontal distance of over 1 foot each.

So, the panels can be separated lengthwise, from the mid-line of the shell, by a bit more than 2 feet. The "10 feet along the roof" allows the long wire segments to begin about 5 feet in front of the A/C unit, and that's near the end of each panel (not near the middle). Solar panels will lie forward from that point.