Solar Panels
 

Can you tell me if solar panels are fitted as standard on proprties in Perth? Haven't spotted any on the accommodation pictures!

Re: Solar Panels
 

LOL, no they are not fitted as standard.

They're a jolly good idea though, if you have a bit of spare cash to throw around. :)

Re: Solar Panels
 

As the old man ;) says, they arent fitted as standard, but solar hot water is becoming more popular (although its a slow process :eek: ). I think that you even get a cash rebate here in Brisbane if you install solar hot water, Ive never done it, but have had 2 places with it installed now & it cuts the power bill by a little bit.

Actual solar power to run a house is an entirely different kettle of fish & is quite rare - used to have it on a property when I lived in Woop Woop, the joys of having a TV & VCR & an electric fridge to keep things cold when there was no electricty before was amazing. ;)

Re: Solar Panels
 

you'd think with the amount of sun in Australia that every house would have a roof full.

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Partners off to a industry seminar tonight making another 14 hour day :rolleyes: but one topic is from 2006 in qld electric hot water systems will be banned in new homes, solar enforcement looks like its about to begin.

Re: Solar Panels
 

best get it now then while its cheap!

Re: Solar Panels
 

Well daylight hours are actually shorter than that of UK. But shouldn't post positive facts about UK on here, as they Aus is all wonderful group will round on me lol.

Solar power unit are too expensive as yet to make it viable to have them installed. Maybe a wind turbine would be a better option (these would also work better in UK) :D

Re: Solar Panels
 

Daylight hours & sunlight hours are 2 different things. Do you have a link to show that actual sunlight hours are more in the UK than Australia? Having a long twilight in summer doesnt mean that solar power will work any better.

It has alot more to do than with just the amount of time it's light anyway, the position of the sun in the sky also has an effect. Besides which, cloudy days effectively cut the charging to almost zero.

So you were saying .......?

Re: Solar Panels
 

Depends on your diet :p

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Re: Solar Panels
 

Also known as any part of Australia more than 100kms from the coast :D .

For me specifically it was Eulo, home of the Paroo Track where they hold the World Lizard Racing Championships ;) :D .

http://www.walkabout.com.au/locations/QLDEulo.shtml

Re: Solar Panels
 

I work for an architectural firm and I can tell you that solar passive design is becoming MUCH more popular with newly built and renovated house. It's not as dear as people think it is!

As far as daylight hours go.... they are identical. Just because you're not up at 4am to SEE the light doesn't mean its not there! We just get our hours of daylight on a different "shift" so to speak.

As for wind turbines.... Perth is the second windiest city in the world! Second only to Chicago I believe so the comment about them working better in the UK is probably inaccurate as well.

*struts proudly in her rose tinted specs - 2 years on!*

Siren

Re: Solar Panels
 

People are talking about two very different technologies here. One is solar panels for a solar hot water heating and one is solar panels (or photovoltaic panels) which generate electricity.

Solar water heaters have an initial cost which is more than a standard water heater, but payback time on the unit is anything from around 5-10 years.

Photovoltaic panels are very expensive and not particularly efficient at converting the suns light into electricity. The payback time would be more than you lifetime probably. They are best used in remote areas where there is no access to an electricity grid system. The cost of extending the grid to these remote areas is more expensive than installing single units on houses.

You are talking to an ex-renewable energy consultant here ;)

Rudi

Re: Solar Panels
 

Hi folks

Thanks for all the information regarding the solar panels. We have solar panels on our house in Crete which literally heats the hot water. I must admit that having this system cuts our expenses by approx 1/3. I'm pleased to hear that it is currently being talked about in Oz.

Re: Solar Panels
 

Daylight hours are equal all the way around the world, even the North and South poles, every area around the world gets it's equal share of the course of a year.

Now my 7 year old has just learned this in school lol, maybe should have posted it on another thread.


I think solar hot water costs around 2,000 bucks to install (and needs gas back up), there is about a 150-200 dollar rebate, and lasts about 10-15 years, a gas installation costs about 700-800 bucks and lasts about the same.

I've never ran the figures properly, but at those prices, Solar for Hotwater is not enough of an incentive at present, particuarly in Melbourne.

Solar (black piping) for swimming pools is a different matter, as it's very cheap to install.

Solar for electricity, is probably the way to go, the cells and the batteries are not cheap or effective enough yet, in comparison to the supply charge price.