robert cowan

Thinking of getting a 5kw Solar power system we would like your thoughts on this.
we have been quoted $18000.

we use around 17kw hours a day.

any one got a 5kw Solar power system. (if so how is it working out for you)

we are in mornington vic

steve`o

something dosnt sound right here mate
17kw is a tiny amount of power a day

we average between 31 and 42kwh per day depending on the time of the year
thats an average sized house with ducted AC and a small pool

robert cowan

the 17kw is from our electricity bills we have all of them for the last 4 years it go's up and down 3 or 4 kw's but mostly around 17kw.
we have no a/c but we do have a pool.
21kw hours seems to be the average for a house in melbourne

Broad Shoulders

You are over-using. The average Australian household uses approx 22kWh per day. I have a large house with aircon (which is on for only about 20 days a year) and 3 kids and we only use 23kWh per day on average.

I would look at getting a climate smart device to monitor what in your household is consuming that much power.

derf

We got a 4.2Kw system install at the start of december. Working well so far, but not sure if it will still be there in the morning. In the first month we produced 450Kw Hours of power, though we do have an issue with a high grid voltage cutting off the production some times.

We are in Townsville so should get good production through the winter when the angle of the panels is better and the temp of the panels is reduced.

Broad Shoulders

I work in the Solar industry, 17kWh per day is not that much and a 5kW system would be more than enough to cover your usage and likely produce excess that you can feed back into the grid. Victoria has one of the most generous feed-in tariffs in the country at the moment. Also, come end of June, the 5x multiplier will be reduced to 4x, so you will get less RECs. Remember, it needs to be installed by June 30 too, so that would mean getting your order in at least 8 weeks prior as the demand is expected to be pretty big.

$18k for a 5kW system is on the lower side of things, so I would be cautious about what parts they are using. Try and aim for a Power-One or SMA inverter and make sure the panels are of good quality too (lots of brands about so it is harder to tell what is good and what is cheap). Also, make sure whatever you do, you don't buy from Modern Solar. There are others to stay clear of so if you want to know who they are PM me

mulben

Check your post code on this sitehttp://www.pvoutput.org/ladder.jsp?o=pc&d=desc
click on filter to get your local area.
also for more info :
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/138?g=223
or
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum...elbourne+Solar

here is our yield on a 1.5kWh
............ Total .................. Max daily ........ daily average
Jan 11---- 275.697kWh---- 10.593kWh --- 8.893kWh
Dec 10--- 288.321kWh---- 10.704kWh --- 9.300kWh
Nov 10--- 270.117kWh---- 10.566kWh --- 9.003kWh
Oct 10--- 286.893kWh---- 10.412kWh--- 9.254kWh
Sep 10--- 252.702kWh---- 9.513kWh--- 8.423kWh
Aug 10--- 213.156kWh---- 8.595kWh--- 6.876kWh

we use between 16kWh to 21 kWh so with the FIT (feed in Tariff) it covers about 50% / 60%

robert cowan

Hope you have got out of Townsville and hope your house is still there in the morning.thanks for the info and good luck.

Rossi

So what size / make system do you have installed ?

Broad Shoulders

I'm getting mine in the next couple of months. I've just forked out for solar hot water and we are doing other things to the house at the moment so it is a question of juggling funds for me.

Probably going to get a 3.2kW system at this stage. It would have Suntech panels and a Power-One Aurora inverter

derf

We survived. No damage and despite the sounds through the night the roof stayed on. Just got power back on 10 mins ago, so back to producing power.

Rossi

I'm always juggling funds
Thanks for the insider info - I'll look in to it here in Melbourne

odyssey

Where from S? Hope you and kids are well - we are also getting a new system and I suspect that I am getting a 'cheap avoid that" one currently I was going to go for a larger inverter and less panels to start with the thought that I would build it up.

I only want to pay about 5k now.

Broad Shoulders

Hello stranger!

hmmm.... The issue of getting a larger inverter versus smaller panel configuration is one of the most painful headaches of all solar companies in our industry. The truth is that if the company is worth its salt it would not offer this option. The idea of an "expandable system" (ie: adding panels at a later date) probably makes sense in laymans terms, but in the reality of so many other things in the solar industry it is quite a bad idea....why?

1/ You're not really getting bang for buck. If you're buying a larger inverter, then you are most likely also paying quite a bit more for that extra capacity. You're much better off buying a system where the panels have been configured to match and balance with the inverter. If you have $5k to spend (for instance) spend the $5k on the largest kW system you can get for that money.

2/ The best solar companies will install your system in a configuration and setting that ensures you get the maximum performance from the components you have. If you are buying an expandable system, then there is a chance that the installer is going to set it up in a way that doesn't get the most out of your current setup, as they will be preparing it for an upgrade, to make it easier when that time comes.

3/ It is not ideal to mix and match panels. To get the most out of your system, you should really be looking to make sure all your panels are the same spec (wattage, voltage). Right now, the most common panels are 190 & 200W, however 18 months ago the most common panel was 180W, which are now very hard to come by and likely to be obsolete within 6-12 months. Meaning, if you decide you want to upgrade your system in 2 years time, your panels might either be obsolete or more likely very difficult to come by and therefore VERY expensive.

4/ Cost of actually expanding your system at a later date is quite a shock to those who thought it was a good idea back in the day. We regularly have people call us who had installs done somewhere else wanting us to expand their system for them. When we show them how much this would cost (see panels explanation above), coupled with the extra installation charge and very minimal return on the rebates it generally is enough to make the customer realise it is just not worth their while.

If I were to make one recommendation to people looking to buy solar, then it is if it's too cheap to be true, then it probably is! I would recommend everyone to shop around and get as many quotes as possible, then pretty much scratch off the bottom 40-50% cheapest quotes and work from there.

There are many problems with the industry I am in and there are a lot of cowboys who prey on those who are not very educated in the industry. Because it is a very specialist industry it makes it extremely difficult for the average Joe to know much about what is real and what is bull. Additionally, there are a lot of providers out there who have appeared in the last 12 months off the back of the rebates (similar to the insulation program) who are just looking to make a fast buck. This entails making their prices super cheap to get as much business as fast as possible. In some ways the consumer is also partly to blame, as the hunger to get the cheapest systems possible often means they are unknowingly entering the dragon's lair where no one can be trusted.

I'll PM you with some more info for you!

odyssey

mmmm, thats interesting.

thanks for your pm - the bigger companies I had got quotes from all did say that you couldnt add panels later with the exception of AGL. they didnt say you could just get a massive invertor but they did say you could get the next size up but with a plan to increase panels within 12 months.

the one I was going to go with is a start up (and I also thought long and hard about the guarantee component of small company who may go bust and larger company). that said its the son of my landlord and we were perhaps going to do a deal where OH actually installs it all and they just provide a layout and wire up. At this stage its just thinking of what to do - my bills are SO high

it is a difficult choice because all of the panels do get imported pretty much but for sure companies like yours offer a better chance of getting it right.

Will email you - I have already had a sales rep out from the company but crossed them off my shortlist because of the invertor issue

You really should pop in one day on your travels - we have the nicest fish and chips next door and emelems makes a great cup of tea. I may be off the phone long enough to say hi! will send you our address too incase you are are passing.

Viv