All things Solar (merged threads)

[poppa smurf]

yep, I'd agree with that.....

I notice a significant increase in production after rain or a good scrubbing....and the solar array may benefit as well with a good wash

I wont comment too much on the empty holiday homes making money off solar as it is flying very close to "politicising" the thread......only to say I see no difference in making money off solar than I see in investing in the stock market

somebody loses in order for someone to win......taxpayers, investors......same, same

never mind......22 kilowatts per day generated for the past two days......using 7 kilowatts per day to run the house.....about 12 kilowatts pure profit or $7.08c per day profit.......I love spring......take that you power moguls

[mickyyyy]

Thats some good info!!!

A simple hose down every fortnight should do the job???

[poppa smurf]

I tried the hose down and found it didnt remove the grime.......our local bulldust laughs at the hose but cringes when I produce the scrubbing brush

if you can see the array then have a look to see if it has a "film" on it....if it still has this film after a quick squirt then I'm afraid nothing short of the scrubbing broom whatsit will do

caution is advised though.......these panels can and do break if you drop something on them......

dont believe all the hype about being able to take a 6" hailstone at 90 miles per hour from outer space

I know of 3 that have been destroyed by "misadventure"

[SmokinXR50]

Originally Posted by xisled

What was Lumo giving you before the 66 cent FIT, because that is the what you should be getting on PFIT?

66 cents is the minimum.

Hi,
I was getting 60c Ex GST which is the Government minimum, it was increased to 66c Ex GST (Lumo do not apply GST to the power you put back into the grid, they only apply GST to the power you consume and the the service to property charge, don't ask me why however this is what was explained to me).

I hope this makes sense.

Chris

[prydey]

ok, about to head to bunnings to find something suitable to clean the panels. i'll be looking for something with a handle and something with a hose attachment preferably.

is a window cleaner/car windscreen cleaner type thing the instrument to have or will a normal broom head be ok.

the last couple of days have been great solar weather but have noticed my output doesn't seem to be as high as what i thought it would be. i've seen it north of 3500 on even partly cloudy days but the last couple of days its barely cracking the 3000 mark. i hopped up on the roof and there is a layer of grime on them and i had to give it a reasonable rub with my finger (and spit ) to clean it, so i'm guessing mine are long due for a clean. been on the roof for a couple of months now.

time to whip the covers off the a/c while i'm up there i think.

[poppa smurf]

so why didnt you continue with the finger?.......

I have the car/caravan washing thing

hose attaches to one end and a brush on the other.......water flows through the middle

when you buy one dont be miserly like me.....buy a good one and make sure it's extendable

also be sure the fittings are good quality, mine leaks like a mongrel.....I end up with more water on me than the panels

watch out for the middle grips....mine turn when they are wet and it makes it hard to hang onto......make sure it has middle grips!! LOL!

damn, writing this has shone a not so favourable light on mine......may have to invest in a better one

[xisled]

Originally Posted by SmokinXR6

Hi,
I was getting 60c Ex GST which is the Government minimum, it was increased to 66c Ex GST (Lumo do not apply GST to the power you put back into the grid, they only apply GST to the power you consume and the the service to property charge, don't ask me why however this is what was explained to me).

I hope this makes sense.

Chris

Ok thats good. I get what you mean.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

so why didnt you continue with the finger?.......

i have 20 panels, how much spit do you think i have

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

I have the car/caravan washing thing

hose attaches to one end and a brush on the other.......water flows through the middle

when you buy one dont be miserly like me.....buy a good one and make sure it's extendable

also be sure the fittings are good quality, mine leaks like a mongrel.....I end up with more water on me than the panels

watch out for the middle grips....mine turn when they are wet and it makes it hard to hang onto......make sure it has middle grips!! LOL!

just went to bunnings so not sure if other stores have more range, but i didn't have a choice. they only had one there (telescopic truck/van hose broom). still cost $55 though so not exactly miserly in my book.

waited till 6ish and then gave them all a scrub. i bought a squeegee as well so dried them off. only used tap water and only a couple at a time to stop the water drying on there. the visual difference before and after was pretty contrasting but have no idea if it affected output as it was already pretty low when i started. will see tomorrow if its still a nice day. watched a couple of things on utube, and some suggested only doing it once or twice a year. for the small amount of effort, i have no problem doing them once a month. only single story house and plenty of access.

[poppa smurf]

yep! I'd go along with once a month......the you tubers can become a bit overwhelming with the stuff they go on about with demineralised water and other stuff

the brush setup sounds similar to mine.....I seen one down in Clare at one of the hardware stores....$130 from memory.....extended out to about 10 feet and solid with it

if tomorrow is similar to today then i think a comparison in production figures will show that your energy outlay will be worth it

just a quick warning to the young players out there......dont wash the panels when they are hot..

early morning or late afternoon when they are cool to the touch is best, cold water, hot glass and all that

[gtxb67]

we switched on our melbourne based 3kw system on thursday
so far it has made 32.4 kw and is currently producing 1.5 kw


over those 3 days, it has produced more than our average daily usage

[poppa smurf]

well done......what is your feed in tariff?

are you in front or covering your costs?

[gtxb67]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

well done......what is your feed in tariff?

are you in front or covering your costs?

thanx - 31 cent feed in tariff
we were one of the many that did the mad panic during september to avoid only getting the 8 cent tariff

at present, it seems we are generating more electricity than we use by a couple of kilowatts a day, but obviously there is a service charge as well. if nothing else, it should put a huge dent into the power bill. our next door neighbours have a 3kw system and don't pay any bills, so hopefully it will wipe our bill out


a quick question to those who have a smart meter
is the cumulative net consumption figure, the total amount used - or the total amount from the grid used
yesterday we only used 4kw for 24 hours, which is around 6 less than our average daily usage. we didn't use the dishwasher, washing machine or oven during that time, so i figure it is probably the total amount used, be it from the grid or the solar system

[poppa smurf]

net would be "all" power used" I would assume........

you will find your consumption down quite a bit, possibly somewhere between 2 - 5 kilowatts, as the array feeds directly into the house in low draw times

even if it halves your power bill it's a mighty big step in the right direction......well done

[prydey]

my smart meter went on a couple of weeks ago. import says about 130kwh, and export says about 180kwh.

hopefully that lead gets a lot bigger otherwise, given the different price structure i was informed of for solar uses, and the fact i'm on minimum feed in tariff (25.8c), i will still get a small bill. rates are currently between 33-37c!! thats about 40% i need to be in front by.

[supershifty]

Originally Posted by prydey

waited till 6ish and then gave them all a scrub. i bought a squeegee as well so dried them off. only used tap water and only a couple at a time to stop the water drying on there. the visual difference before and after was pretty contrasting but have no idea if it affected output as it was already pretty low when i started. will see tomorrow if its still a nice day. watched a couple of things on utube, and some suggested only doing it once or twice a year. for the small amount of effort, i have no problem doing them once a month. only single story house and plenty of access.

Rob, how did you go with the rub and tub on the panels?

I was happy with what the rain did to mine, did you get any noticeable increase in output above from the peak 3kW you were getting, or has the weather been crappy in SA?

Cheers!

[prydey]

Originally Posted by supershifty

Rob, how did you go with the rub and tub on the panels?

I was happy with what the rain did to mine, did you get any noticeable increase in output above from the peak 3kW you were getting, or has the weather been crappy in SA?

Cheers!

sorry, didn't really give an update did i. the weather the next day was crappy, so no comparison. the day after was pretty much the same and i doubt there was any improvement. part of me thought it was actually less and i was thinking that i'd inadvertently done something to the panels in the process.

took the covers off the a/c unit yesterday and you can't tell that i've even cleaned them. there is no film on them though, just dust etc from rain.. before there was also like an oily film on them, possibly from manufacture etc.

well into spring now, and we've had some pearler days, but i've not really seen a massive increase in my daily output from when it was first put on a couple of months back. my best day so far is only 24kwh produced. its generally always over 20kwh but maybe around the 24 is the best i can hope for for my system. its 3.8kw, but given the lack of roof area facing north, 9 panels of the 20 are on the west face, so for the first few hours in the morning until the sun gets higher in the sky, its not really a full 3.8kw system as the west facing panels aren't doing much.

normally it would be fine, but with the current change in my pricing, i'm now paying about 40% more than i'm getting so i need to build a big lead to break even.

looking at my smart meter i've imported about 160kwh and exported about 220kwh so if you add 40% to the import figure, you'll see i'm just about breaking even. doesn't bode well for the less sunny months....

might have to get on the blower to origin etc to see if i can't get a better deal somewhere else.

[paule11]

Down at the amrkets this morinng was a bloke with a solar panel cleaning business from $6 a panel. No one was talking to him

[davenl5l]

why do people sign up for solar and then and only then come and ask a million questions?

[poppa smurf]

questions are asked after instalation because there are more than a million answers and only a handful that are qualified or time rich to give those answers

the installers dont want to waste time explaining everything, and if they do, a lot of it is false or misleading

these areas are the best places to "mine" info from those that have no interest in the sale and have a great pool of experience and actually own solar panels

me and a lot of other folks are more than happy to pass on our experience with no bias

and if we dont know the correct answer we can, and often do, make something up that sounds pretty damn plausible

$6 per panel yikes!!!!.......

[supershifty]

Originally Posted by davenl5l

why do people sign up for solar and then and only then come and ask a million questions?

For the same reason we spend $50k+ on a car, then have questions to ask - not all is covered in the owners manual, and there's always questions we think of after the deal is done. Besides that, it keeps this very good thread alive!

Actually, I think buying a car is simpler

I did around six months of procrastinating and comparing before I went solar - I sure wish I was on this forum and this thread at the time, it sure would have made things a hell of a lot easier.

Cheers!

[SPArKy_Dave]

I've been running my own small electrical contracting business, installing solar since before all the hype of recent years.
It's funny how the industry is so much worse now, than it was before.

The worse-ness (lol), kinda co-incided with the numerous regulatory bodies sticking their nose in, and then changing their minds on the regs every 3 months........
And with the quicky 3 day solar courses they started offering every sparky and his dog.............

(For comparison, it took me 6 months of night school, back when I got my solar ticket.)


Happy to help fellow Ford Forum solar buffs where I can.
Hit me up with the questions

[poppa smurf]

well done mate.....more knowledge to the base is always a good thing.....a company that has just recently started up here had a "weekend" in town to enable them to install solar.....I often get referrals from them to me for customers who are a wee bit, shall we say, perplexed

at least these installers will do this.....some others just shrug their shoulders and cant be bothered answering, what they consider to be, "dumb questions" just want the job done and the money in the hip pocket

[prydey]

not really about solar directly, but it is about electricity so thought it was relevent to this thread. not a bad read.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/farme...021-27zeg.html

[poppa smurf]

yep!......been like it for while now....investors making money out of anything

wonder why the numerous "enquiries" have unearthed nothing......never mind thats the way of the world....we build a better mouse trap and the mouse finds a way around it

investors try to strip our last dollar and we will find a way to hang onto it to give to Coles or BP or Mr Ford.....

but the discussion is on solar..must be careful that we dont stray into politics and get a good thread shut down

21.5 production today......37 degrees.....bit strange as normally production falls dramatically when temps go over 32

[devilcv8]

Last Wednesday wife spoke to local solar people, deposit Thursday, installed Saturday.
Still running old disc meter and loving the backward spin during the day.
3kw system is showing 27kw Sunday, Monday and 25 today generated.

[prydey]

sounds like a very efficient setup. good numbers for a 3kw.

[EgoFG]

If you are in NSW try and keep the backward spin meter - it will mean almost 30c for excess generation, rather than 6c (assuming that your bill to bill generation is less than your bill to bill usage)

Originally Posted by devilcv8

Last Wednesday wife spoke to local solar people, deposit Thursday, installed Saturday.
Still running old disc meter and loving the backward spin during the day.
3kw system is showing 27kw Sunday, Monday and 25 today generated.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by EgoFG

If you are in NSW try and keep the backward spin meter - it will mean almost 30c for excess generation, rather than 6c (assuming that your bill to bill generation is less than your bill to bill usage)

its been mentioned on here a few times that the old type meters don't like spinning backwards for long periods of time. they will eventually start playing up apparently, possibly spinning forward faster than they should etc.

[EgoFG]

Yeah ...

Though it never seemed to cause a problem on the old 3-phase spinners - perhaps someone with qualifications would be able to tell us more.

Originally Posted by prydey

its been mentioned on here a few times that the old type meters don't like spinning backwards for long periods of time. they will eventually start playing up apparently, possibly spinning forward faster than they should etc.

[usernametaken]

Got up and washed the panels on the roof today.

Used a soft brush broom and a bucket of suds followed by a good rinse.

Yesterday, I insulated the garage roller door - what a difference!