Solar Panels

[drron]

We do have a large north facing roof in Queensland so It is pretty effective.

 

[ayebee]

Hello Team,

I've been following this thread for quite some time but haven't gotten around to installing panels as yet (despite getting a number of quotes).

I have just received a new quote that's significantly cheaper than those previously quoted. I realise that prices are continually coming down however, I'm wondering whether this company/quote is good value or poor quality (built to a price).

I'll start reading back through all 29 pages; meanwhile I'm wondering if anyone has knowledge/experience with this company/panels/inverter?

Company: Sunboost
Panels: Astronergy 330 Watt PERC 120 Half-Cut Cells (Premium Tier 1)
Single phase Solis 5kw Inverter
Free Wi-Fi Monitoring Device

6.6kW $4,191 installed.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

JV

I see others have already mentioned Solarquotes SolarQuotes | Get 3 Solar Quotes From Your Best Local Installers
I would also recommend them. As well as providing good information, we used them to get 3 good & credible quotes for installers in our area.

We installed a 5.5 kW system with Trina "Honey" panels and a Fronius 3 phase inverter.
The panels were not the most expensive or efficient, but we had plenty of roof space so added a couple of panels for a more economic solution.
I think the monocrystalline panels are now more competitive, so would probably go with them if I was doing it now.
You can monitor system performance via the wifi connection etc, but we just let it do its thing and it has not missed a beat since installation.
Prices are cheaper now, but we are still on track for it to pay off inside 5 years based on what we use, plus the 12c/kWhr feed-in we get with Powershop.

 

[drron]

I tried solar quotes a year or 2 ago.The only one that actually replied was the fellow we eventually got to install our new system.But at that stage he did the maths and said it would be borderline value at that time.An honest answer so he got the job when circumstances changed.

 

[cove]

Yes prices have kept dropping so it is quite attractive in most cases. In Adelaide we used a consultant and paid a bit extra for the one we put on a building where we have products manufactured.
i do want to do a bigger one in Adelaide on another manufacturing plant building.
What has happened to the battery storage pricing? Last time I looked the payback was about 7 years but that was 2 years ago for our home. 7 years iwas not a goer for us.

 

[NM]

What has happened to the battery storage pricing? Last time I looked the payback was about 7 years but that was 2 years ago for our home. 7 years it was not a goer for us.

I have not seen any real change in the business case for battery storage for my home situation. My personal view is that the huge increase in demand for the materials used to manufacture these batteries is keeping the cost high at this time and they can meet the supply demand (and hence desirable profit margins) without needing to drop the price at this time. Perhaps not sufficient competition in that sector of the market at this time.

 

[exceladdict]

I have not seen any real change in the business case for battery storage for my home situation. My personal view is that the huge increase in demand for the materials used to manufacture these batteries is keeping the cost high at this time and they can meet the supply demand (and hence desirable profit margins) without needing to drop the price at this time. Perhaps not sufficient competition in that sector of the market at this time.

Trying to decide whether to include a battery in our new house build.
In theory, if we go all electric appliances, many of which will be used when the sun is down, a battery will help (and also with air con overnight).
We're comparing the cost of running gas lines - copper and labour - to the cost of the battery (though of course the battery has a defined lifecycle).
But yes, the cost is quite high.

 

[NM]

Trying to decide whether to include a battery in our new house build.
In theory, if we go all electric appliances, many of which will be used when the sun is down, a battery will help (and also with air con overnight).
We're comparing the cost of running gas lines - copper and labour - to the cost of the battery (though of course the battery has a defined lifecycle).
But yes, the cost is quite high.

If I was building a new house and planning to live in it for 10+ years, then I would likely go down the solar/battery path.

We have just removed the last of our gas appliances )hot water system that died and replaced with electric). Gas was bottled and refilled on-site so was quite expensive. The new electric HW system should pay for itself in about 3 years just in reduced gas costs.

Timing of appliance use is very important. Batteries like Tesla Powerwall typically store around 13kWh. Most days I buy less than that from the grid, but don't always feed that amount into the grid. So when its sunny, a 13kWh battery would mean I am self-sufficient.. But an overcast day and I might not be recharging the battery much at all. 23 May I fed 0.23kWh to the grid and that was after 4 previous days of poor generation. While it may be worm in Qld, we do get plenty of cloud cover.

 

[exceladdict]

If I was building a new house and planning to live in it for 10+ years, then I would likely go down the solar/battery path.

We have just removed the last of our gas appliances )hot water system that died and replaced with electric). Gas was bottled and refilled on-site so was quite expensive. The new electric HW system should pay for itself in about 3 years just in reduced gas costs.

Timing of appliance use is very important. Batteries like Tesla Powerwall typically store around 13kWh. Most days I buy less than that from the grid, but don't always feed that amount into the grid. So when its sunny, a 13kWh battery would mean I am self-sufficient.. But an overcast day and I might not be recharging the battery much at all. 23 May I fed 0.23kWh to the grid and that was after 4 previous days of poor generation. While it may be worm in Qld, we do get plenty of cloud cover.

Good call. I believe we're also limited in terms of inverter size in WA in order to be eligible for a feed in tariff, so will need to think about how that all adds up in terms of being able to have enough to charge the battery even on a sub-optimal day, or on a weekend day where daytime energy use might be higher (AC, appliances etc).

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

Just got an email from IKEA - they have solar panels !!

We’re launching SOLSTRÅLE in collaboration with Solargain

Solar Panels For Your Home

At IKEA, we believe sustainable options should be available and affordable for everyone, so everyone can start making a difference to the planet (and their electricity bills). That’s why, together Solargain, we’ve developed SOLSTRÅLE, an exclusive home solar offering by Solargain for IKEA customers.

www.ikea.com

IKEA Home Solar | IKEA Australia

SOLSTRÅLE is a complete home solar system that includes all the products, services, and guarantees you’ll need to produce your own renewable energy.

ww8.ikea.com

 

[Quickstatus]

SMA 3 phase inverter
Trina panels (Monocrystalline)

 

[cove]

Don’t forget to wash your solar panels and take care doing it as falling off a roof is not recommended.

 

[Quickstatus]

Don’t forget to wash your solar panels

A single storey house helps immensely

 

[cove]

So many homes are now 2 storey because the block sizes near the cities has shrunk. Fortunately ours are on the only single storey part of our home.

 

[Flying mermaid]

We wouldn’t even consider trying to do ours ourself - double storey plus very steep slippery roof. We get a roofing company to come twice a year to clean gutters and check the roof and they give the panels a clean then.

 

[kevrosmith]

Anyone got an opinion/advice on Sungrow inverters versus Fronius? While I'm aware Fronius seems to rank highest, research seems to suggest Sungrow holds its own up there as well. Anyone have any personal experience with both or particular problems with Sungrow?

And how do people rate LONGi panels against others similar? Versus ZNShine in my instance, across two different quotes.

 

[Katie]

Don’t forget to wash your solar panels and take care doing it as falling off a roof is not recommended.

We're two storey on a narrow block (~10m wide). Any access to the solar panels will require scaffolds that go into the neighbours' yards on either side. :/

 

[cove]

This year our office / warehouse power bills have crept up a bit. The cost of power has gone up and the feed in has been reduced in some States.

 

[RB]

Also seems that some of the providers who are/were paying the higher FIT are getting cagey. Origin is now capping the FIT at 8KwH per day


How is an export cap calculated?

We generally refer to it as a daily cap, but we average it out over your billing period. It’s calculated by multiplying your daily export cap by the number of days in your billing period. Here’s an example:

• Let’s say your daily export cap is 8kWh and you’re billed quarterly (every 90 days)
• We multiply 8 (your daily export cap rate) by 90 (days in your billing period)
• Your total cap for that billing period is 720kWh

That means for every kWh that you export over 720kWh during your 90-day billing period, you’ll get our lower, standard FIT rate.

 

[NM]

This year our office / warehouse power bills have crept up a bit. The cost of power has gone up and the feed in has been reduced in some States.

Hence why I am onto my third retailer in 3 years. They offer nice deals to new customers and then screw us over the following year. Might not be as much of an option on the commercial/business realm, but for residential customers there can be some good incentives to churn suppliers.

 

[Hvr]

And here in Victoria the feed in tariff has been reduced to 10.2 cents per kilowatt.

Since I'm on target to feed in about 6,000 kWH per annum it's approximately a $108 loss.