Anyone done one of these installations? I'm looking at doing one in the range of 3-4Kw. Being in Qld, the incentives are nowhere near as good as those in NSW (and the ACT I think) where you get paid 60c per KwH you produce (it all goes into the grid) whereas in Qld and most other states, they only pay the top rate for any surplus you export to the grid over your own consumption. And that top rate is a bit poorer too, at 44c/KwH. But with the prospct of power prices doubling over the next 10 years, it seems to me to make a fair bit of sense.
I understand that there is a $10K interest-free 4-year loan available from the federal Govt, plus reasonably good $$ for the sale of Renewable Energy Certificates.
I'd be interested to hear the experiences of others who have gone down this road.
I also am looking into this. Forgot about the loan scheme, you have to have an energy audit don on your house at no cost.
I have tried contacting a few of the cheaper places that will do this, they haven't gotten back to me yet, doesn't fill me with confidence.
I'll be keen to see where you go with this one.
Cheers
Stuart
Well, stay tuned to this channel, as the saying goes: I've got the installer guys coming tomorrow to do a prelim; and the quotes I have from them for supply and install a 2.72Kw system (based on 16 x 170Watt panels) is about a nett $11K after RECs etc.
The math I've done suggests that this ought to show an actual return of about $2K per annum which would pay for all othe in non-daylight hours power I use plus a bit. That means an investment of about 11K gives an effective return of about 2K/annum. Seems OK to me.
I'll post again after I've spoken to these guys tomorrow.
Peter.
In mid August 2008 I had a 2KW array installed. With the thought in mind that I may want to increase the capacity down the track, I specified a 3 KW inverter. The difference between the initial cost of a 3KW inverter relative to a 2KW inverter was only about $400.
I also specified the installation of a data logger with my inverter. This allows me, at any time, to take my laptop out and plug into the data logger and download my data. The software that came with the data logger allows me to look at a graph for daily performance with data points every 10 mins or graphs for monthly or yearly performance.
In May 2009 I added another 1KW to increase my array to 3KW.
At the end of Aug 2008, about 2 weeks after the installation we received a 3 monthly power bill which was $406.
My next power bill dropped to $60 and my 2 most recent power bills have both been in credit. I am still waiting to have a gross feed in tariff meter installed, so at the moment I am still only being paid on what I export and not my total output.
From mid August to end of Dec 2008 my 2KW system produced 1.7 MW/Hrs.
From Jan to Dec 2009 my system, which was upgraded to 3KW in May 2009, produced 5.278 MW/Hrs.
It is easy to do the math for what to expect at 60c/KW/Hr. Based on my 5.278 MW/Hrs as a min output, this figure will obviously be considerably larger after a full year as a 3KW system. However an absolute min return of $3,166 would be expected.
I did a considerable amount of research prior to deciding to do this. I selected Sharp 2160 W NU-SOE3E panels. All Solar panels are designed to perform with a tolerance eg; +/- 5%. I have found that with my panels, peak performance is often more than the design ratting.
Let me say at this point that I have absolutely no connection with the Sharp company and my comments are based on the extensive research done prior to installation, plus the monthly data download that I have done from from my data logger since the initial installation.
There were other Solar panels that were cheaper than what I chose, but I looked at it as a long term investment and chose what I thought would prove the most efficient over time.
I live in Broken Hill NSW, the roof of my house is a hip roof and runs NNW to just East of South. I had my array installed on an angle across my roof so that is running East / West but tilted to the East.
A point to remember; Solar panel performance is de-ratted as the panel gets hotter. This means that it is vital to have the panels mounted at an angle to the surface they are mounted on, so that there is good airflow under them to reduce this heat build up of the panel. This is why Solar panels work so well in space, it is much cooler.
Have attached a pic of my 3KW array, note the angle across my roof to make them East / West and also the angle to the roof to get good air flow under them. The panels, for max efficiency need to be tilted to the Sun at whatever your local latitude is. Out here in Broken Hill that is near enough to 32 degrees.
Are there any maintenance requirements? Eg, clean the panels occasionally?
Is it worthwhile to consider any form of storage from which to recover power at night? Or that isn't economic?
I have a house to build in NSW sometime in years to come. There is another thought - what can be done with a new build - eg. integrate into roofing which is already oriented appropriately, and with cooling of panels designed in? OK, I'd better do my own research!
Are there any maintenance requirements? Eg, clean the panels occasionally?
Is it worthwhile to consider any form of storage from which to recover power at night? Or that isn't economic?
I have a house to build in NSW sometime in years to come. There is another thought - what can be done with a new build - eg. integrate into roofing which is already oriented appropriately, and with cooling of panels designed in? OK, I'd better do my own research!
Gooday there young Eric,
My system is "Grid Connect" so any recovery of power at night is irrelevant.
Due to the number of dust storm we have been having out here, I occasionally give them a bit of a squirt with the hose. The thing that I really love, is when we go away on holidays the entire output of my system is being exported to the grid, making money for me. Mind you, following the NSW Govt decision to bring in a gross feed in tariff from Jan 2010, ounce the new meters become available the entire output will be earning 60c / KW/ hr.
If you were considering the integration of such a system from the design level of a building then things to consider would be the provision of a large enough surface area facing north and aligned east west . Also of great importance is the consideration of the placement of such thinks as vent pipes for the sewer and yard sink along with antennas etc with much consideration given to the shadows they will cast.
Hi Eric,
in the design of your house, remember this:
blackouts are going to become increasingly familiar during peak load periods. The capacity necessary to supply all those suburban air-cons is not there. So anticipate how your design would handle blackouts. Wide eaves are a must and beware those lovely all-glass walls. The new McMansion homes in suburban areas will be ovens if they can run their air-cons. Maximise the natural thermal properties of your building and place the house accordingly.
Peter
Eric, depending on where you build, you should consider constructing the whole north face of your house with glass. But you must have sufficient eaves to exclude the summer sun and minimal glass on the S & W sides. The size of the eaves will depend on your latitude, but usually 600mm. Winter will have the sun shining in providing you with free heating. Thermal mass inside the house (concrete slab/tile/slate in the solar collection areas and either insulated double brick or reverse brick veneer) helps with maintaining a comfortable temp all year. Been living in one of these since 93 and wouldn't even consider to anything other than a solar passive design for living comfort and energy costs.
Also, considering adding solar panels but haven't delved into it yet.
How long does it take to recoup the capital investment
Synergy here buys back at a cheaper rate that they charge customers
something like 30c kwh now if a system costs $15000 for a 1.5kw unit and your daily consumption averages about $5 per day
how long would it take to cover your cost
One thing u have to consider if u are doing this is that depending on the energy corporation u are dealing with ( in our case Synergy in WA ) is that for u to recieve a rebate on excess energy generated u may have to be in credit for a certain time before u are eligable for credits ( Synergy has a 3 month ! time period. That was what we were told when we had our system installed just over a year ago. )
But it sure makes a diff to your power bill
Bloke down the road from me was saying that its all changing. At the moment for every 1KW you produce in to the grid, 1KW comes of your bill. There is no 60c/kw/hr. The meter just runs backwards for a while. But all changing to for every 1KW produced, 3KW are taken off your bill.
Speaking to a sparky that installs them, he did one at a winery in the south west WA and after an hour of the array being up the meter was running backwards, in effect taking off KWs used, reducing bill.
