All things Solar (merged threads)

[poppa smurf]

gotta be happy with that mate.....

[comagutsa]

ok a few questions
my new 3kw system had its 1st day of full sun and made 11.32kwh total for the day
inverter is a SMA 3000TL
but the highest the power got up to approx 1880w as it was making it, is this right? just thought it would be higher for a 3kw system
also if i use the power as its being made will the power figure on the inverter just read lower coz im using the power it is making or will it always just show what the panels are making
reason is i want to know, is how much i am sucking out of the solar panels before it goes back into the grid to cover my running costs of the house
if you know what i mean because we get stuff all money back from our power provider so exporting it to them isnt really worth it and i would rather use it as its being made but dont know how to figure it all out

[wrexed03]

Sounds about right this time of year. My 4.84kw peaks around 3000-3500 bit more with cloud edge effect this time of year but remember the sun is sitting low now but the days will start getting longer shortly and it will get better.
Inverter wont read lower if your using the power. It will just push out less to the grid.

[poppa smurf]

actually 11.32 is pretty good for this time of year.......in summer you will probably see figures around 18kw per day

the figure shown on the display will change minute by minute and may sink to o or peak at any given time the output is a "daily" average

the meter on the inverter will only show what you are making and if you are drawing from the grid or direct from the panels

your house will only draw direct from your array when your usage is below that being produced

[comagutsa]

thanks for that guys

[XD 351 Ute]

I've been following the thread, and as such, have chosen & paid for a system.
But it's getting nearer to teh end of the month and my roof is still systemless...
Can anyone shed any light on the rebate, is it paid if your system is fully paid for but not installed by the 30th?

Ed

[MNM96]

Have you got your approval from Ergon?

That will at least solid up your FIR. Mine is .44c to 2028 for a 5kw system.

How June 30 affects the rebate in Queensland, I am sorry, I can't help. I expect, if you have paid, it should have already been sorted. Ask your supplier.

[davenl5l]

Originally Posted by XD 351 Ute

I've been following the thread, and as such, have chosen & paid for a system.
But it's getting nearer to teh end of the month and my roof is still systemless...
Can anyone shed any light on the rebate, is it paid if your system is fully paid for but not installed by the 30th?

Ed

you lose it if system not installed i hope you only paid a deposit otherwise they have no incentive to install

[poppa smurf]

Originally Posted by XD 351 Ute

I've been following the thread, and as such, have chosen & paid for a system.
But it's getting nearer to teh end of the month and my roof is still systemless...
Can anyone shed any light on the rebate, is it paid if your system is fully paid for but not installed by the 30th?

Ed

I've fired off emails to various knowledgeable folks including pollies but have not received one response

have you asked your salesman.....a phone call should sort it out

[lotus]

Originally Posted by XD 351 Ute

I've been following the thread, and as such, have chosen & paid for a system.
But it's getting nearer to teh end of the month and my roof is still systemless...
Can anyone shed any light on the rebate, is it paid if your system is fully paid for but not installed by the 30th?

Ed

I think you will find that the rebate is paid from when the system is installed and working. That's what happened to me when i got my 6.4 system installed last year. Had it ordered and partly paid for but they could not get it installed till after june 30 so got the revised rebate.
Still worth it as I get 50c and I don't think that changes till 2028.
Just got a letter from Orgin to say price has gone up to around 22c but still ahead.

[XD 351 Ute]

Thanks for all the replies, I have sent an e-mail, and will be following up with another phone call on Monday...

Ed

[sgt_doofey]

I was told when ordering mine that it had to be installed prior June 30 to get the current rebate.
Hopefully, it's going in tomorrow. Had a call yesterday from the installer to try and arrange a time.

[mickyyyy]

Any changes after 30-6-2012 or end of this financial year to rebates or things along this line???

[poppa smurf]

Originally Posted by sgt_doofey

I was told when ordering mine that it had to be installed prior June 30 to get the current rebate.
Hopefully, it's going in tomorrow. Had a call yesterday from the installer to try and arrange a time.

I've had conflicting info on this but nothing confirmed.....installers saying one thing and sales stating another.......I guess time will tell

all I know is that to get my .50c feed in tariff I had to have ordered and got an install date along with my pvseg no before the deadline.....it didn't have to be installed

not sure if this still stands.......good luck with your install

Originally Posted by mickyyyy

Any changes after 30-6-2012 or end of this financial year to rebates or things along this line???

rebates have dropped a fair way now and I don't know of any future drops but we are dealing with politicians who are driven by the energy sector.....

dont be surprised if they send us a bill for any energy we produce in the future

[mickyyyy]

Cool, reason i ask is im trying to get my parents across the line but having a hard time. A neighbour said its stupid and just put your money in a high interest account to combat this... he has a point but i dont totally agree with him and they trust his word!!!

[poppa smurf]

I did the sums before I invested in solar.......done correctly the return from solar, at the time of my install, was far greater than the current interest rate from the banks

you must also do ALL the sums, factoring in a rough estimation of between 10% and 18% growth in power prices at least every year for eternity

your usage must be taken into account and the amount of solar needed to offset or completely extinguish your power bill.......you must weigh this cost against any benefits

solar is not a "magic bullett" that will solve all your dramas power wise but it can be very beneficial as a lot of folks from within this thread have found

having said that I have not had a bill for power since install, many others have the same success

but it must be done accurately and be truthful

all info can be found within this thread as well as online and hopefully not too difficult to find



any queries dont hesitate to ask......someone here will have the answer

[XDV800]

Didn't need a telescope to see this coming.

Bad news for anyone that doesn't have solar on their roof by July 10 in QLD
http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rc...NhTqTSA1OkS7dA

[poppa smurf]

when they do that here I think I will go totally "off grid"

thieving mongrels using the old "subsidising" dribble to keep their profits high

[buggerlugs]

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/q...-1226408292697
Yep, politicians of all sides are a disgrace. The dribble that comes out of their mouths before an election.............

[EgoFG]

Just gunna say:

With a net feed in tariff of 6c I have this year been able to cost justify the capital outlay.
When we had a gross feed in of 66c I could not.

The 8c fee in is only for what you make beyond your ability to use.

All this announcement means is that the prices of solar installations will now drop, and people will be able to provide for their own electricity needs with an effective return of (say) 24c, any any over production is worth 8c.

So for us: with an effective return averaging at say 20c (some saving at peak rates, some production sold at 6c) I could cost justify my system.
At an effective return of 66c I could not. What changed ? The installation cost !

[genebaby]

Once the system is paid off then the bigger feed in tariff will bring more $$$?

So higher installation cost is negated by higher feed in tariff, which produces more once the system is paid for in a few years.

This is in Canberra, where all our generated power goes to the grid, none is used by us first.

Our decent feed in tariff finished a year ago.

[poppa smurf]

I couldn't run the house just off 3.5 kilowatts, I'd need a far bigger system than that

the F.I.T. means that I build up a "credit" (mine is currently at $494.50c)

I am slowly eating in to that as winter has not been kind to our arrays ability to cover our usage

currently we are going down by about $2.00 per day

we will quickly recoup this as spring and summer comes around

around 3 kilowatts is gobbled up by the house when needs are low but the rest is taken by the grid, currently exporting about 3 kilowatts per day out of a generative capacity of between 5 to 7kw......this varies greatly as clouds roll in and out of course

I estimate we will be in front by about $2,000.00 per year.......theory of course but my daily data readings are backing this up so far (fingers crossed this will continue)

[XD 351 Ute]

Got my stuff sorted today, everything should be sweet.
Rang Ergon and the Government today, along with my supplier.
All paperwork is fully completed and received by relevant departments, and so will be getting the 44 cents per zot.
Panels are rocking up tomorrow & she will be installed shortly thereafter.

Poppa, your link above is similar to the one I got sent today, and mine answered all my questions.

http://www.cleanenergy.qld.gov.au/de...nus-scheme.htm

Ed

[danmc]

Just adding to the info - I have a 5kw installed in Perth.

Was a pain in the neck. Mine was installed on the last day of the cut off here - 30 september last year.

Western power etc were keen to drop anyone off the rebate and spot checked install dates by requesting the electricians paperwork signing off the system. They asked for mine.

[sgt_doofey]

My 1.5kW system was installed yesterday, just in time for a bit of a sunny day today! Will have to see how things go.

[poppa smurf]

Originally Posted by XD 351 Ute

Got my stuff sorted today, everything should be sweet.
Rang Ergon and the Government today, along with my supplier.
All paperwork is fully completed and received by relevant departments, and so will be getting the 44 cents per zot.
Panels are rocking up tomorrow & she will be installed shortly thereafter.

Poppa, your link above is similar to the one I got sent today, and mine answered all my questions.

http://www.cleanenergy.qld.gov.au/de...nus-scheme.htm

Ed

good to hear wont be long now..........glad to be of some help!

let us know how it is progressing

[MNM96]

Two months since install, my 5kw system has tick over 1250kw produced thus far.

Really looking forward to the summer to see what sort of output we can achieve in a day.

[Franco Cozzo]

I keep seeing ads on TV that prices are going to double, is some government subsidy ending?

Is it worth paying extra for a bigger system like 5KW+ for example?

Are energy prices going to go up that much to justify spending thousands on solar panels?

[danmc]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I keep seeing ads on TV that prices are going to double, is some government subsidy ending?

Is it worth paying extra for a bigger system like 5KW+ for example?

Are energy prices going to go up that much to justify spending thousands on solar panels?

Not sure what the go will be where you guys are, but in hindsight I wonder if I should have bought a 5kw inverter, applied for a 5kw system and then just bought say 1kw of panels. The way it works in WA, its based on the inverter so I would qualify for the rebate and be able to add panels after the rebate ends to get the actual panel input up to 5kw.

The raw prices per panel and inverter here seemed to drop right after the rebate as, at the end when everyone wants their system the installers etc ramped prices up to suit demand, so I might have saved a few bucks on panels and the install would have been a bit easier/quicker. Not sure if the idea works in reality though.

[Wah]

I subcontract and install these in W.A.
I put a 5kw on my parents house, 22 panels, sunny boy inverter, conergy rail, cable and ****.. Cost me 7000 in parts, minus 3600 rebate =$3400 5kw installed..