The next nuclear plants .The answer to our climate goals.

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Originally Posted by AndyG

If your paying $8 dont even think about batteries, but make sure you get your panels cleaned & checked, say every two years.
We lost a chunk of generation because the kids next door were throwing rocks on our roof, typical white anglo saxon arseholes

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Last time I was up on the roof myself. Not doing that again, will get some one to do it. We have to do something about the pigeons, who think the panels are the greatest for making a nest. I love your last bit, makes a change from what we normally hear.

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Originally Posted by AndyG

Your welcome, why am i not surprised Tombie trumped us all (again)

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Cost me big $$$ for the array though.
High feed in came during the high system prices.
Of course now that’s all done...

I scrubbed our panels and the solar hot water two weeks ago and got a lot of crud off.
If the dirt washes to the bottom and sticks, blocking sunlight to the lowest section of the panel, that can cause some panels to reduce their total performance, even of the upper sections, I'm told.

I clean ours using my mobile scaffold and a pool broom.

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Originally Posted by DiscoMick

I scrubbed our panels and the solar hot water two weeks ago and got a lot of crud off.
If the dirt washes to the bottom and sticks, blocking sunlight to the lowest section of the panel, that can cause some panels to reduce their total performance, even of the upper sections, I'm told.

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DM, there was a little episode on tele a year or two ago, where some boffins had a meter hooked into a solar power supply. What they did was place different sized objects to shade bits of the panels. The results were amazing. Doesn't take much to knock the guts out of them.

The fold out 160w car/camping panel was significantly affected by the shadow from just a roof rack.

I tried googling for it but to no avail.

Thanks. I understand the effects can vary.
Our panel supplier said he had tested our particular RCS panels, which he has on his roof, by blocking sunlight from sections and he had to block more than 40% of the panel before it had a noticeable effect. He said other brands of panels may not perform as well.

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Originally Posted by DiscoMick

The advice I'm getting is to delay on batteries by at least two years and instead put on more panels plus a 5kW inverter, which is the limit which can be put into the grid by households with single-phase power.
We're already in credit with 3.1 kW and a 15 cents feed in rebate and are about to double our panels to 6.5 kW with a 5kW inverter.

Solar system size limits: How much does your local network allow? - Solar Choice

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Just checked the paperwork, we have a 6.05 KW system with a Growatt GW5000MTL-S inverter.The panels are Hanover Solar from Germany. Tomorrow I read the instruction book that came with it. Only 5 years too late. [bighmmm]

Sounds good. German gear is good quality. If your bill is only $8 then you're doing well.
Assuming your system runs the house and exports the surplus to the grid, then demand management might be the key for you.
Move all possible power consumption to the daytime when your power is free. Run your air-con in the daytime to cool the house and turn it off at dusk. Get your water heater reset to heat in the daytime, not at night when it costs you money.
Minimise what you have to draw from the grid at night. Turn off lights and unnecessary consumption.
Check what feed in tariff you are getting from the power company. It should be at least 15 cents. Shop around. There are deals.
Make the system work for you.

grrrr

this period (partial)
Solar Electricity Sold to Grid 434.42 kWh
Electricity Bought From Grid 272.99 kWh

last period
Solar Electricity Sold to Grid 1457.41 kWh
Electricity Bought From Grid 1388.60 kWh

damm you small feed in tarrif!

The feed in tariff will keep shrinking as solar becomes more widespread, so don't rely on it. Just put on more panels, they're cheap now. Do you have a 5 KW inverter?