Thread: Solar Electric for the home

we have been on grid connect solar for about 1 1/2 yrs and have a solar hw system.

• 2 kw BP mono panels (last of the Homebush made panels)

• Latronics inverter;

• Edwards hotwater.

The panels make about 9 to 11 kwh per day in Brisbane. We previously (with electric hw) would consume about 11 to 15 kwh per day from memory. We are on 100% green power which costs us about 20c per kwh. I think we on average now draw about 3 kwh per day from the grid. We get paid about 50c per kwh.

So in summary we use some power in the day time but most goes into the grid. We then draw down from the grid at night. We still consume more power than we produce. However, because of the premium price paid for feed in solar power we now have no power bill and $100 credit each quarter (after the Qld Govt Ambulance Levy so really about $130).

Our system cost about $21000 less $8000 from the rebate.

I have seen systems cost a lot less than that. However, they cant/wont tell you the brand of the panels or inverter. Warranty claims go back to the manufacture (probably in China) not the retailer/installer. It looks to me like dodgy operators have moved from insulation to solar.

I had a look at prices through a Queensland group buy offer. Prices have certainly reduced since we bought our system. You can now buy a 2 kw system for about $12,000 using Sharp panels.

See
After Boom and Bust, Solar Power Has a Place in the Spanish Sun - NYTimes.com
The same will happen here, and is already happening.

Regards Philip A

The most cost effective intro to solar at the moment is a 1.5Kw system and can be bought for as little as $2500 I have been researching for a while and am on the verge of comitting to a purchase. Anything above 1.5Kw the cost rises exponentially as that is the size the government grants are aimed at. You can however then upgrade the inverter to give you the ability to expand later. It is worth checking out Home - Whirlpool Forums (there are a number of threads to garner info from), more info about the offer I refer to can be found here.....

Please click on your state to find out our latest offers

Thanks for the info

I've ordered a 3kW system. I got the $10K govt interest free loan to fund it.

Do any of the sparkies out there know if there is a safe, legal way to disconnect your home from the grid temporarily. I.e. - say you have a grid interactive solar system, and there is a brown out where you live. If you disconnect from the grid, you could still use the power you are generating...

Originally Posted by isuzurover

Do any of the sparkies out there know if there is a safe, legal way to disconnect your home from the grid temporarily. I.e. - say you have a grid interactive solar system, and there is a brown out where you live. If you disconnect from the grid, you could still use the power you are generating...

To use the power from a set of grid connect panels you need a different inverter and a battery bank. Not cheap.