Solar feed-in tariff

**Homestar** · 31st March 2016, 06:56 PM

Been quoted around $14K for 5KW of solar and the 7KWh battery bank, hybrid inverter, etc, but that's the first place I called. That doesn't include installation and although I have a mate that is Solar Certified, you need someone who is battery certified to do that side of it apparently and there aren't too many of those people around yet - I may look into what is involved and do the course myself yet - it may be a good little sideline.

Mick, as for converting to Lithium later on - the chargers would be different as would the algorithms for the battery discharge cycle, so I doubt it, but upgrading that isn't beyond the realms of possibility.

Lead acid is a tried and tested technology - in a home, there are no gains to be had from the weight savings of Lithium so that negates most of the gains IMO. The batteries I'm looking at give over 2,500 cycles - the 7KWh is a true 7KWh - that is with a discharge of 60% at which point the unit cuts the batteries out of the system until they are charged again. That 2,500 cycles is before degredation starts to become a really limiting factor, but that's the best part of 7 years, which is about right.

It isn't pretty like the Tesla Powerwall, the batteries sit in an IP rated enclosure outside near the switchboard - cabinet is 1500 high, 1200 wide and 400 deep. You won't even see them where I'll put them if I go ahead - they will be behind a fence on the dead side of the house.

Still lots to think about before I jump in, but the gears are turning.

At those prices, payback is borderline by the time the batteries will need replacing, but that's not the only reason I'm looking at it. With the built in functionality of a UPS in the inverter, power outages become almost a non issue - the system would run the fridge, and a couple of lights almost indefinately. It will be a good test to see what you can live without should you want to go off grid - which I'll almost certainly do down the track when we move to the country later on.

The physical limitations of a suburban block will stop me doing this until I move to the country - there just isn't enough room for all the panels I'd need where I am now to tell the power companies to bugger off completely, nor have I yet curbed my electricity usage - the Spa is the biggest culprit now - costs me around $3 a day to run that sucker now - was less than $1 a day when it was first purchased.

**rovercare** · 31st March 2016, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

Is it possible to convert to other battery technology (such as lithium) when the batteries are due for replacement?

Just change charge parameters in inverter charger, easy

**rovercare** · 31st March 2016, 08:07 PM

Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

Would love to hear what you install, it's performance and your experiences.

The difference between a poor performing off grid and a good one is Generator run time, that's it

**rovercare** · 31st March 2016, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by bee utey

Not without a rewire and a new meter. The solar inverter has to be connected to the demand (house) side of the meter for you to be able to use it instead of the grid. Without a meter change you will be charged for input as well as output as the current meter can't tell the difference. This will be a huge and expensive problem for NSW solar owners to go from gross FITs to net FITs. There simply aren't enough qualified meter fitters available, as well as a lack of meters. It's a policy disaster.

South Australia doesn't have this problem as we only got net FITs and any power you use during the day will simply reduce the pathetic feed in rate you would get on a system installed after the premium FIT.

How are the Gross meter to Net meters wired in NSW? but yes needs to be moved to Net and load shift, Immersur or AWS make units for immersion control

**rovercare** · 31st March 2016, 08:12 PM

Originally Posted by Homestar

Been quoted around $14K for 5KW of solar and the 7KWh battery bank, hybrid inverter, etc, but that's the first place I called. d.

It will be rubbish

**mick88** · 31st March 2016, 09:11 PM

Originally Posted by Homestar

nor have I yet curbed my electricity usage - the Spa is the biggest culprit now - costs me around $3 a day to run that sucker now - was less than $1 a day when it was first purchased.

Gav, a pond pump and 25 metres of 12mm dia poly laying through the garden and our spa gets up to 33 degrees after about two days.

Cheers, Mick.

cafe latte · 31st March 2016, 10:57 PM

Originally Posted by mick88

Gav, a pond pump and 25 metres of 12mm dia poly laying through the garden and our spa gets up to 33 degrees after about two days.

Cheers, Mick.

I now have a commercial solar hot water system, but in our last house I built one, it was a serpentine of copper pipe in a case made of capping with a steel sheet for the back and a perspex sheet (a piece I had) for the front. The water got so hot it boiled. a similar set up with a solar pond pump and your spa will be as hot as you want for free.
Chris

**AndyG** · 1st April 2016, 03:00 AM

For off grid, what would a good small diesel gen set cost, preferably with a low voltage auto start cost, to supplement the panels ?

**Homestar** · 1st April 2016, 05:26 AM

Originally Posted by AndyG

For off grid, what would a good small diesel gen set cost, preferably with a low voltage auto start cost, to supplement the panels ?

A good, single phase unit of around 8 to 10KVA in a silenced canopy with auto start capability would be around $10 to 12KK of you want it to last 20 years. I'd go for a Kubota powered unit - we have 100's of these in our fleet and they are bullet proof reliable - we have units in the fleet with over 30,000 hours on them - and the engines have never been touched apart from servicing.

**Corgie Carrier** · 6th April 2016, 10:10 PM

Be careful with lithium batteries.
A guy I know talked to his insurance mob about going off grid and using lithium batteries.
They told him they would not insure his house because of the fire risk. Apparently lithium batteries cannot be put out if they catch fire.

Is this true??
Has anyone else heard this?

I don't know much about them, but this sounds a bit unusual to me. Why would people be putting them in their cars if they cannot be put out when on fire?

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