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Look through the drop-down information areas below to see common jargon and myths explained
Well, technically, believe it or not, it has some truth. As solar panel are nothing more than what is called a photovoltaic cell (see my jargon page). In other words a battery that converts light to DC power.
So.. if its a “brit moonlit nit t’nit” then yes some power may be registering. But is it enough to start up an Inverter and get usable production – Absolutely not!
Sure, the overall annual production will be greater on northern facing panels and this is what electricians are taught. However, the unavoidable fact is, that in SEQ/NNSW the sun rises south of east, and sets south of west, tracking over the top of us. So.. if your power usage is great in summer (October – February) you will get higher production results (up to 50% more on a southern roof) just when you are likely to use more power for Air conditioning.
So… depending on your roof layout some panels on a southern array can bolster your peak power requirements over summer. Also.. because the “annual production” is about 20% less, just add more panels to the southern array, or even better, depending on your roof orientation’s, some north, some south.
(We have helped many customers that had perfect southern roofs where the northern roof faced the road and felt solar wasn’t suitable for them because of the aesthetic appearance facing the road, when in fact it wasn’t a problem at all.)
(We are talking in watts not kilowatts )( reason - panel production reduces when the panels heat up in the sun – it’s a technical fact)
However, positioning depends on when you plan to use power? If you have kids or yourself coming home in the afternoon opening fridges, turning on appliances, running Air-conditioning, cooking on electric, I would be recommending the Western roof. That will assist you with better savings.
As they want single day jobs as there is more profit in it and its easier to ask for a lower investment cost. Also a big one that’s told by internet and television marketing companies.
Without trying to put tickets on myself, in 2017 I was concerned about the Limitations that in SEQ Energex also stated you can only have maximum 5kW inverter (6.6kW of solar panels).
After reading in detail through their lengthy “connections standards” document, I discovered that it stated that each household in QLD could have 10kVA per phase, a technical term for 10kW.
I took snippets from their document and lobbied through DEWS (Dept of Energy and Water supply) to have that changed to 10kW for QLD customers per phase. DEWS supported it and the standard was changed the following Monday.
So… the correct information is:
In QLD you can have a 10kW inverter per phase.
Hence a single-phase household can have a 10kW inverter with subsidies up to 13.3kW of solar panels
A three-phase household can have up to 30kW of inverters and subsidies up to 39kW of solar panels.
Of course, roof size is the controlling factor.
Also, if you're building a new home, something to consider in your roof design.
Many other Myths exist covering - shading, batteries, savings, cleaning, servicing.
Please contact us and arrange a site visit with one of our well-trained assessors.
Power is measured in Watts
One Thousand Watts = One Kilowatt (1kW)
One Thousand Kilowatts = One Megawatt
One Thousand Megawatts = One Gigawatt
You will find this written on appliances. For example, A clothes dryer rated at 2kW element means the electricity it consumes at any moment of time is 2000watts. (2kW) kWh Means Kilowatt/Hour this is what is referred to on your electricity bill. If you were to run that clothes dryer for 1 hour then it will have consumed 2kWh's (two kilowatt hours). If you ran it for 30 minutes or half an hour, it will have consumed 1kw hour. (1 kWh) Interesting, so there's a myth right there! "Don't use the dryer its too expensive!"
Well, now you can work it out: dry a few small items for 15 minutes, and lets say your electricity costs you 28cents per kWh, voila! It only costs 14 cents, so you can see its not all that bad as people have been saying for years. I often use my dryer when I need something small dried quickly, and if solar is functioning then you made the power to run it.
Better known as battery power like in your torch from AA cell batteries or any other type. Your car battery is DC power.
It is the type of power we generally call "electricity". It where you plug your TV or toaster. These type of appliances need AC power (electricity) to operate. Sometimes in Caravans, you may find DC operating fridges and lights, but in your home all appliances that plug into your power points are AC.
And creates DC Power. Some calculators have mini photovoltaic cells and of course Solar Panels. Generally solar panels for your home or business come in two main forms a bank of either 60 or 72 photovoltaic cells joined together to make one solar panel. Just like a lot of small batteries connected together, like in torch or other device.
Sometimes people mistake the terminology with this and call them 'converters'. Which is another way to describe their function.
Like a pool timer. However it must be noted a "timer" alone is not well equipped to perform this function as they are not rated to handle hot water power levels for long period of time and will in time fail and then... you have cold water... yuk! To perform hot water power switching, you need an additional device (a high rated contactor or relay device) mounted in your switchboard that the timer operates, then this device switches power through to the Hot water system. Be aware.
Some retailers pay up to 20 cents for exported electricity.
The system devised by the Australian Government to subsidise the purchase of Solar power on your home or business. STC's are traded like stock and can never be worth more than $40. In September 2017 they dropped to $28 and vary in price depending on volumes in the market. You the customer sign these over to us after installation and we sell them in the STC market to claim the subsidy. There are no guarantees that the STC programme will continue with many instances of the Government threatening to remove them, and if they did it would add considerable cost to the purchase of a solar system.
This was a Govt offer in QLD as 44 cents per kWh exported until 2028 if you applied before July 30 2012 and installed before July 30 2013. The offer is intended to last until 2028.
How does it work? Simply, unused electricity that you produce is sold back (exported) to the Govt Body for 44c per kWh. Can I still get this 44c Fit? no . The best you can get at this point of time is 20c from an Electricity retailer. Of interest, many consumers who took this option have small systems installed and are in fact self consuming all their electricity and the 44 cents is of no consequence. Additionally it is interesting to note that if electricity prices rose by 15% per annum for 3 years, then electricity would cost 44c per kWh and would make the scheme defunct from a practical sense.
Can I upgrade my system to a larger system and still get Panel subsidies YES you can still get full panel subsidies, but you will forgo the 44c FiT. However, there are attractive offers in the market right now offering up to 20c from electricity retailers.
Tindo Solar, an Australian owned solar panel company, proudly make their superior products right here in Australia.
They are currently building a second automated factory facility in Adelaide to meet rising demand.
As Tindo authorised resellers, we can offer you a 25-year manufacturer's warranty.
