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[interest]

Has anybody got solar panels on their roof?
Could you help me with this please
How big in is your inverter
How many panels
What brand
Any problems
What cost
How long have you had it

As you can see I'm starting to investigate whether or not to invest in solar panels
ANY HELP GRATEFULLY APPRECIATED (bloody caps lock)

[r9453]

I think dial before you dig is mainly for contractors working in the street. If you hit something on your own property its most likely yours. Notwithstanding drainage easements which will be shown on your DP. In the case of your fence the machine will be straddling the boundary so no harm in being extra careful.

[JeffH]

I got the cable details before our driveway was dug out and limestone gravel laid.
Guess what?
That's right, the telephone cable was nowhere near where the Telstra plan showed. Cable (a 10 pair -we are wired for everything here) was duly snagged by the front end loader and ripped clean out of the terminal box inside the house. I repaired the cable and slevved the broken conduit, after figuring out which wires belonged in which terminal, then advised Telstra after we finished the job.
Telstra said I would have to pay for any repairs and sent a technician to check. He verified my repair was satisfactory and also found a crossed connection at the pillar box up the road (fixing that connection removed the excessive noise from my phone -I had been complaining about that for years!).
The technician was given a copy of the Telstra plan and agreed that the location of the cable snag was nowhere near where it was indicated. I got him to endorse my copy and away he went.

Never heard from them again (apart from my monthly accounts).

Sometime you have to wonder why you bother to try and do the right thing.

[ausjack]

Have fun trout and hope you catch a few nice mud crabs, yummm :drooling:

Bloody hell Rob it looks like your drain is wide enough, next time give me a yell and I'll bring a few tools down :friends:

Can't help sorry interest as we don't have solar

Good ole telstra hey Jeff, just what we expect :dodgy:

[r9453]

Has anybody got solar panels on their roof?
Could you help me with this please
How big in is your inverter
How many panels
What brand
Any problems
What cost
How long have you had it

As you can see I'm starting to investigate whether or not to invest in solar panels
ANY HELP GRATEFULLY APPRECIATED (bloody caps lock)

I'm at my brothers place, he had solar installed two years ago. He has an inverter on each of 12 panels which are arranged in 2 banks of 6 (3kw total) that happen to be at right angles in order to suit the layout of the roof. The brand is Enphase Energy (US), no problems as yet. Total cost was about $5.5k with some sort of government rebate. The system is connected to the Internet and he receives emails reporting his energy production etc.

[purplepennyhunter]

Has anybody got solar panels on their roof?
Could you help me with this please
How big in is your inverter
How many panels
What brand
Any problems
What cost
How long have you had it

As you can see I'm starting to investigate whether or not to invest in solar panels
ANY HELP GRATEFULLY APPRECIATED (bloody caps lock)

The technology has moved in leaps and bounds hasn't it since we had a system installed in 2011. We haven't paid a power bill since and get a cheque in the mail at least once a year.

We used Braemac Energy and signed up when the feed-in tarrif was high but so was the cost of the system. I just happened upon the paperwork the other day so I can give you the exact info. Back in 2011 a 4.18KW grid connected system with 22 Suntech 190W panels and a SMA inverter was just over 18k (geez) but with solar credits we handed over $13,400.

The interesting thing is right now we have no idea of how much our power bill would be if we got one, our usage in the day when we are making power is neglected off the statistics. When we are making power we want to use less and send it back to the grid for the higher price paid.  When our heating/cooling is on we are always using more than we are making even on a nice sunny day. I try and use power (ie run the washing machine) when the sun is not out! That would be the opposite if our cost of power was more than we are paid for our excess power going back to the grid.

The Braemac guys were fantastic and we've run problem free and maintenance free since installation 5 years ago.

[trout]

I read somewhere that Tesla have developed Lithium storage batteries for use in conjunction with solar collection that are now capable of storing plenty of power to use at night or overcast days for an average household.
This would be the perfect solution for remote and even urban dwellings and you could live off the grid as well :good:

I have a couple of portable solar panels 120w and a 160w that I have used with great success on the last 4 camping trips.
I hook them up to a couple of deep cell batteries 100ah and 120ah that run a 40l freezer, 80l fridge, 2x electric fans, 3x led strip lights and various other little lights, also my laptop and a breadmaker via an inverter.
The only time I have used my new genset was when it was overcast and rainy for 3 days straight or when I got a bit sooky/too lazy to build a fire  and fired up the electric blower heater on a couple of cold mornings :angel:
I find that these solar panels  are one of the most useful and reliable things to take away Bush :good:

If I owned my house (which I don't) I would install a solar setup in a heartbeat :ok:

[autocoupler]

Has anybody got solar panels on their roof?
Could you help me with this please
How big in is your inverter
How many panels
What brand
Any problems
What cost
How long have you had it

As you can see I'm starting to investigate whether or not to invest in solar panels
ANY HELP GRATEFULLY APPRECIATED (bloody caps lock)

We've had our 5KW system (20 panels) with a 6KW Aurora inverter (French)  since mid 2014. Paid similar money as PP, unfortunately the big subsidies were gone by then, ours is just 8 cents per KWH. The company was Bio Solar who are long gone, but the system has been trouble free so far, touch wood. They were registered with the Master Builders so there may be some protection there if needed, fingers crossed. I'm no whiz on this stuff, but apparently, if you're on the smaller subsidy as all new connections would be, the system should be connected in a way that allows all power used in daylight hours to be drawn from your solar output first, effectively increasing the benefit to say for example 28 cents / kwh which is what you would have paid if not generating your own. So if you're at home through the day, this is when you should be using the washing machine, dish washer and lets not forget the air con etc.

Anyhow, even though it may appear we paid top dollar, the proofs in the pudding as far as I'm concerned, as our summertime and wintertime power bills have ranged from $165 to $280, and that's with long term air con usage. We have friends whose power bills for the same periods are $800 and upwards.

On the down side, as with all businesses who gouge, the power companies are now charging an extra fee to measure and record our solar output. Probably won't be long till the dodgers fully absorb whatever benefit we are getting from our solar systems, much like what the health funds have done with the government subsidy in that area.

[trout]

So the power company pays you 8 cents a kw for the power that you supply them and yet charge you 28 cents a kw when you buy your power back ??
Something wrong with that setup on many levels :dodgy:

[Goldseeker]

I had my eight panels installed ages ago.

Yes, I still get power bills but was getting $0.68c/Kw but now that has dropped to $0.62c/Kw.

I had mine installed at the very beginning and my buyback price is guaranteed for 15 or 25 years.

I shall have to check my paper work for full details and once located, will post here.

With the company I am with,, they charge GST on the total account BEFORE the removal of the feed in tariff or buyback.

It really is at times a no win situ.

[trout]

Maybe those tesla storage batteries are not such a bad idea.
You could keep your excess power for your own use when you need it and go off the grid entirely and end the rip offs from the power companies :good:

[autocoupler]

I know of people who are operating off their own battery banks, but the cost is pretty well up there, something in the region of $20,000 just for the batteries. Then they had to purchase a generator for those extended periods of gloomy weather, this was more to do with not allowing the voltage level to drop below a certain value, than anything else. Apparently, if the battery banks drop below 60 volts it's not good for extended life.

No doubt as technology improves efficiency and more people start to go off grid, the cheaper these systems will be. This of course will be bad news for the power companies, coal suppliers and government, so don't be surprised if all self generators will have to be licensed, which would naturally go hand in hand with stringent and costly periodical compliance checks. :shock: I'm surprised they haven't bunged on compulsory licensing for solar users already.

The real problem is we are hamstrung by this incessant desire for a perfect world which is always going to be realistically too expensive for anything we do, but we do it anyway. So when you add that to everything else that's holding us back, like incompetence, corruption, laziness, scams etc and that's only within government mind you, without even considering that of the private sector, it's going to be a long row to hoe. Danger danger I feel myself spiralling I'm gonnnnnneeeee

[JeffH]

I have had some experience installing solar power -I was an accredited Solar Energy Industries Association designer/installer long before grid interactive became the main game. When the Government started the big subsidies and electricity retailers started paying incredible buy back rates the industry was flooded with 'cowboys'*. That's when I got out because I quoted on a quality installation and could not compete on price.
So here are some of my opinions for what they are worth...

•Make sure you know exactly why you want to install solar. Is it to save electricity costs (doubtful if you will save much at present and payback period will likely be many years); or is it to play your part in saving the planet (in which case your consideration of costs/potential savings will be different).

Nowadays subsidies and rebates are negligible or non-existent and buy back rates for energy are much less than purchase rates perhaps the 'fly-by-Nighters' have moved on to the next Get Rich Quickly scheme.
•First thing you should do is find an ethical supplier. It wouldn't hurt to have a wander around your neighbourhood and knock on some doors, where you see solar panels installed. Most people are happy to share their experience.

It is not really much of an economic proposition right now as costs are high even though solar module prices are much lower than ever -lack of high subsidy accounts for that and what you will get paid by you electricity distributor is way less than what you will pay to buy equivalent amount of energy back at night.
The answer is to store your solar energy during the day and use it at night.
However older style, lead acid batteries have a short life span so battery replacement can be a significant long term cost. The new Lithium-ion batteries entering the market are far superior in terms of effective service life and energy storage capacity relative to battery cost and size. The Tesla 'Power Wall' units are the best known. Cheaper Chinese copies have a few question marks about quality but, give them a year or two and they will be right up there. Some major manufacturers (for example Panasonic and Samsung) are entering this market so prices are likely to fall in the future.
I suggest;
•Don't rush in, the economics of a solar/battery installation are likely to improve.
•If you install solar/grid feed without batteries it would be highly desirable to ensure your inverter electronics can handle the option of a battery bank being added later.
•Also worth considering having spare capacity in the inverter if there is any thought of adding more solar modules later.

I am familiar with NSW situation and other states may differ. I believe the situation would be broadly similar.
•Check carefully the cost, terms and conditions for your locality.

If, like me, you are on a 'legacy' electricity tariff (carry over from a long gone, original electricity supplier) then installing solar will probably force a change to a 'time of day' tariff. The new tariff will probably be more expensive.
•Check what electricity charges you may end up paying, both purchase and selling prices. Also compare what deals are available from alternate electricity suppliers.

*System suppliers/installers I have had quite a few jobs sorting out problems with solar installations because original installation was substandard, original supplier has disappeared or original supplier will not honour warranty.
Installations I have seen range from merely slipshod workmanship to downright dangerous electrical wiring and some that appear to be outright rip-offs such as mislabeled or undersized solar modules.
•References for the supplier are highly desirable. And I mean references from happy recent customers -don't just take the supplier's word for it.
•Carefully check the installation, to ensure you have what you have been quoted, before making a final payment. It may be worth your while to have an electician (or at least someone with some familiarity with wiring) to inspect that the wiring is adequate and safe.
•If the supplier will agree to a nominal withholding amount (say 5%) to be deducted from the completion payment -to be paid after an agreed period, when all teething problems (and there will likely be those) have been sorted- so much the better.
•Be sure you carefully check any warranty offered. Are there exclusions? If you live a distance from the supplier who pays travel and/or shipping costs?

So the power company pays you 8 cents a kw for the power that you supply them and yet charge you 28 cents a kw when you buy your power back ??
Something wrong with that setup on many levels :dodgy:

Similar story in NSW. A few years ago it was around 20¢ per kWH to purchase
and 60¢ buy back. Something wrong with that too -all the customers without solar were subsidising the customers with solar!

That's what happens when politics influences the market; commonsense and logic fly out the window.

[Nevol]

We have panels on 3 aspects of the roof, the only 'bare' aspect is North.

All up we have 32 panels, but quite a few of them are charging batteries.

We had 3 separate installations by 3 different mobs and our only problem was caused by an employee of one mob who even the 'manager' said was a 'corner cutter' (whom they eventually sacked, but not until he had caused us to lose quite a bit of money in lost production due to shoddy electrical work). Installations  were done in 2011, 2012 and 2015.

We have 3 inverters, 2 for regular usage and 1 for battery.  

Like PP, we have not paid an electricity bill since having them installed and we receive 4 quarterly rebates from the electricity supplier. (AGL)

I can't remember how much it all cost but probably somewhere between $30 & $50g. My son paid for most of it.

He logs onto a site that gives him all the info imaginable about our set-up and he can do comparisons to other peoples set-up as well. He can tell if/when a string is under performing & that's how we found there had been shoddy work done. One string was not even connected, but the installers simply would not believe him, but after some weeks, they grudgingly returned to check it out and sure enough, he was right.

Our buy back price is guaranteed until 2028 as long as I'm still alive then.  The buy back price can only be transferred spouse to spouse, not to offspring, even although the property is in both names.

[r9453]

Bloody hell Rob it looks like your drain is wide enough, next time give me a yell and I'll bring a few tools down :friends:

Thanks AJ, I could use a bigger hammer and someone to swing it!