Thread: Power prices, gas prices- ouch or Solar perhaps?

Originally Posted by Captain_Rightfoot

I'm talking to an installer on Monday. We don't have any more roof space, but apparently the new panels as a substitute can lift our capacity from 6.5 to 11.

Also our inverter will need to be replaced as it's not "hybrid"

Do you have a shed roof? That might be an easier way to go

My question is. Why aren't off peak rates offered in the middle of the day when there is a surplus of power and solar rates go negative?
When the coal power stations are gone there will probably be no off peak at night.
The wholesalers and retailers should be paying us to use power between say 10AM and 4PM.
My neighbour just made the mistake of going to TOD metering and pays premium from 3PM to 9PM (when you want to use power) and also has a "Peak Demand" clause which AFAIK mean if he uses lots of power on one day he gets charged at a higher rate for the rest of the billing period.
Latest was the most expensive bill he has ever had.
Another question, why aren't off peak rates offered for those who want a battery (even without solar) so that they could charge at off peak whether at night or during the day and use the power at peak times? I cannot get subsidy on either solar panels or batteries as I live in a retirement village where the house is leased. So the subsidies are only for the wealthy who do not need them.
Regards PhilipA

Originally Posted by PhilipA

My question is. Why aren't off peak rates offered in the middle of the day when there is a surplus of power and solar rates go negative?
When the coal power stations are gone there will probably be no off peak at night.
The wholesalers and retailers should be paying us to use power between say 10AM and 4PM.
My neighbour just made the mistake of going to TOD metering and pays premium from 3PM to 9PM (when you want to use power) and also has a "Peak Demand" clause which AFAIK mean if he uses lots of power on one day he gets charged at a higher rate for the rest of the billing period.
Latest was the most expensive bill he has ever had.
Another question, why aren't off peak rates offered for those who want a battery (even without solar) so that they could charge at off peak whether at night or during the day and use the power at peak times? I cannot get subsidy on either solar panels or batteries as I live in a retirement village where the house is leased. So the subsidies are only for the wealthy who do not need them.
Regards PhilipA

Have a look at amber.. they do wholesale electricity. It's common for electricity to be 0c during the day. But it also might be 40c in peak. If you download their app you can see how the prices fluctuate (for free). It shows that power companies when they charge you say 30c they are really just taking an educated guess that overall they are going to win. They will take a hit in peak but make a motza during the day.

The downside with taking them on as a supplier is that unless you are exceedingly thrifty in peak you're probably going to loose out. The way around that is of course a battery. They also have integration with inverters to "curtail" them when the sell price is negative.

Originally Posted by DoubleChevron

Do you have a shed roof? That might be an easier way to go

That's a fair idea, and I have thought of it. It's not a big shed (two car) and it's heavily shaded from about noon by trees. Also while it does have power on it's unclear whether the wiring would support power going the other way.

Originally Posted by PhilipA

My question is. Why aren't off peak rates offered in the middle of the day when there is a surplus of power and solar rates go negative?
When the coal power stations are gone there will probably be no off peak at night.
The wholesalers and retailers should be paying us to use power between say 10AM and 4PM.
My neighbour just made the mistake of going to TOD metering and pays premium from 3PM to 9PM (when you want to use power) and also has a "Peak Demand" clause which AFAIK mean if he uses lots of power on one day he gets charged at a higher rate for the rest of the billing period.
Latest was the most expensive bill he has ever had.
Another question, why aren't off peak rates offered for those who want a battery (even without solar) so that they could charge at off peak whether at night or during the day and use the power at peak times? I cannot get subsidy on either solar panels or batteries as I live in a retirement village where the house is leased. So the subsidies are only for the wealthy who do not need them.
Regards PhilipA

Goingbush posted the following on June 7 this year............ you might want to look into it:

'I'm with OVO , the 3 for free plan, I have a pool pump running too between 11and 2 . too ,
heres a link with my ref code
OVO Energy | Loading... if you sign up using the we both get $120 credit.'

DL

Originally Posted by Captain_Rightfoot

That's a fair idea, and I have thought of it. It's not a big shed (two car) and it's heavily shaded from about noon by trees. Also while it does have power on it's unclear whether the wiring would support power going the other way.

running another power cable to the shed will be cheaper than throwing away your existing system. Having said that, do you run into the issue where you just can't put more power generation into the existing house wiring (especially as most houses are only on one phase). I genuinely have no idea. It is a waste of time if your shed is always in the shade though

Originally Posted by DoubleChevron

running another power cable to the shed will be cheaper than throwing away your existing system. Having said that, do you run into the issue where you just can't put more power generation into the existing house wiring (especially as most houses are only on one phase). I genuinely have no idea. It is a waste of time if your shed is always in the shade though

That's a good point. If I can get 11 kwh in new panels in existing locations.. what am I going to do with more. Limited value.

Originally Posted by Captain_Rightfoot

That's a good point. If I can get 11 kwh in new panels in existing locations.. what am I going to do with more. Limited value.

Oh .. Brisbane.... I was just going to say ..... waaaaaaayyyyy to much solar would be meaningless through 4 months of the year either way. Through the whole of winter it'll barely light a light bulb let alone produce anything remotely close to its rated power ..... But, um .... brisbane. The top end of australia is perfect for solar, during the day when you have the most power generated, you need the most power to run the A/Cs.

In Ballarat, everything changes as they derate so much with heavy cloud cover. from 20kw of solar you might be 2kw generated on a dark cloudy winters day.

seeya
Shane L.