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Thread: Solar power cheap

  1. #1
    DiscoMick Guest

    Solar power cheap


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    Brilliant
    You only get one shot at life, Aim well

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  3. #3
    DiscoMick Guest
    Yes, I think all sorts of schemes like this will emerge. For example, groups of people doing deals. Whole apartment blocks could do joint deals. The solar uptake is enormous despite government confusion. People are just taking it into their own hands.

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    The power companies are going to hate this if it takes off in a big way and the government will most certainly find some way to tax people in one way or another to make up for the loss of revenue.
    I have fully embraced solar power for camping and on my boat and it has made a HUGE difference But as I only rent my home I wont be installing solar there anytime soon unfortunately.
    However for people that own their own homes this is a fantastic idea because for many it is only a pipe dream because it is far too expensive for them to install and it is also creating jobs for Australians as well.
    I take my hat off to this South Australian Town council, What a great innovation

    Its a shame that this sort of thing wasn't done instead of the pink bats fiasco
    You only get one shot at life, Aim well

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    Quote Originally Posted by trout1105 View Post

    Its a shame that this sort of thing wasn't done instead of the pink bats fiasco
    For which 99.9% of recipients were extremely grateful. Anyway, in 2008 solar panels cost 4-5 times what they do today so this scheme would not have been possible.

  6. #6
    JDNSW's Avatar
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    Interestingly, my personal experience with solar does not support the decrease in cost everyone talks about.

    In 1994 I installed a stand alone power system for the house here. It was professionally installed, although I had a hand in the design and specification, and it used best available technology.

    Last year the system had to be replaced due to a lightning strike. The cost, for what was claimed to be a direct replacement was approximately double. There were several reasons for this cost as far as I can see.

    1. The amount of increased red tape and regulation is almost unbelievable. Most of this is driven by OH&S and changed wiring rules that apply even for systems not grid connected. Also, they probably have to factor in a significant margin to cover the new consumer protections.

    2. It was an insurance job. I suspect the cost would have been less had it not been paid for by my insurance company, but I don't know how much less.

    3. There is no longer a specialist local installer for stand alone systems - they have an office here but it is only a sales office. (The company that installed the original one no longer exists!) This means that the whole crew had to travel from Sydney.

    4. Cost of the inverter is more than double (same Australian manufacturer). OK, it is smarter, and probably more reliable, but a lot of the extra features are not needed. CCharge controllers also a lot smarter - and more expensive.

    About the only thing that was cheaper was the actual panels. Batteries are more expensive. And the system is so much bulkier that I had to build a new shed!
    John

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  7. #7
    DiscoMick Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by trout1105 View Post
    The power companies are going to hate this if it takes off in a big way and the government will most certainly find some way to tax people in one way or another to make up for the loss of revenue.
    I have fully embraced solar power for camping and on my boat and it has made a HUGE difference But as I only rent my home I wont be installing solar there anytime soon unfortunately.
    However for people that own their own homes this is a fantastic idea because for many it is only a pipe dream because it is far too expensive for them to install and it is also creating jobs for Australians as well.
    I take my hat off to this South Australian Town council, What a great innovation

    Its a shame that this sort of thing wasn't done instead of the pink bats fiasco
    Origin financed the solar for our Springwood house and we paid it off over a year.
    Power companies know either they get involved or people will just install battery banks and shun the power companies.
    It's a move from centralised to decentralised power generation and it's giving consumers more power and independence so that's good I reckon.

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