Who amongst us have gone solar

Solargain. And forget the battery...

 

I had to close the account when we moved out and the tariff was lost. Its a shame cause Id like to move across to renewables for environmental reasons as well as $. Now the system is not producing any benefit to us and is a liability if it breaks down. Im going to investigate next week and will report back ; )

 

what do u mean forget the battery?

 

Why forget the battery? He mentions battery as being in a couple of years which would tally with my thinking that batteries will be worth it then. The tech and pricing should improved significantly in the next few years

 

2 years is optimistic for batteries to become worthwhile. Not impossible, but optimistic. After you install solar you'll be able to do the maths to find out whether it's worth it for your situation.

My solar system is on track to pay itself off in 5 years... having monitored my meters for 6 months (as well as 2 years before solar) I've determined that solar alone is cutting my power bill from $4.56/day to $0.66/day.

If I were to add a Tesla Powerwall 2, it would result in a net daily bill of -$0.16/day, or a saving of $0.82/day. At this rate, it would take 36.8 years for the battery to pay itself off; i.e. it would probably die well before this.

Assuming batteries halve in cost every year, then in 2 years it will take 9.2 years for a battery to pay for itself in savings. However, even assuming batteries lose no performance up until the 10 year mark when warranty runs out, you've only just recovered your investment.

If you think that's a good deal, then go for it

 

We installed batteries to our solar system a number of years ago, not as a financial decision but as a lifestyle decision. We got sick of losing power on a regular (sometimes frequent) basis and having to wait for Energy to fix the problem.

Murphy’s Law says it will happen at the most inconvenient times. The last one I remember was NRL Grand Final Day. Batteries kept my TV running and my beers cold .

We have two arrays. One is connected to the batteries which charge them even when the grid is down. The other is the original array which is connected to the grid and for which we get FIT of 55c. Putting in batteries allowed us to pump more power into the grid, reducing our lifestyle payback time.

I have been reading our meters most days for over 5 years now, before and after batteries. Since batteries, we now get cheques from Origin.

We have had a change of plans. Originally, we were going to stay here for 20 years with our solar (and then our batteries) but we have decided to sell and move to the coast later this year (another lifestyle decision).

At our age (60+), most decisions are lifestyle decisions .

 

If you live in an area with regular power outages, then the lifestyle benefits of a battery setup (with backup gateway/functionality) will be well worth any financial outlay, short-term or long-term

 

Understood and good point that it will depend on the excess power you are still paying after solar cutting your bill.
I doubt I'll be able to get mine as low as $0.66/day but if we did then there would be little point in batteries except for power continuance like @kierank has.

 

Had a few quotes lately but still unsure which size to go, seems everyone has a differing opinion. @kierank @Westminster @chylld and others I welcome your feedback.

Not sure what this new home will average in consumption as we are only just installing aircon coming week(currently melting).
We have solar hot water in place already and only have electricity to the house, no gas. Running tank water so pump always running if used.
First month we average 4.5kw a day for 2 people, but we have since installed a dishwasher and split system air cons on the way.
Previous townhouse we averaged around 20kw+ a day which had central heating/electric hot water system, not sure why it was so high there but we weren't always home which seemed really high for 2x people consumption.
So do you listen to the installers that tell you to get a system that generates your daily usage or just go bigger from the start?
Advised we need a 5-6kw system, fronius inverter and panels depending on choice. Mate at work said to go at least 10kw or your wasting your time, he said kids will come later and jump that power usuage right up. Also assuming if I went a 5-6kw system I could eventually add batteries when they become more affordable down the track.

Anyhow what did you guys/girls do in making the correct size choice?
Is there a tipping point when spending more on a system is wasted?

 

I'm on single phase power so I have an export limit of 5kw... this is enforced at the inverter so my generation graph plateaus at 5kw on sunny days even with just 5.94kw worth of panels. If you have 3-phase then the more the better; still diminishing returns though. I think I'm roughly at the sweet spot for single phase. (I use 16kwh/day)

 

Hi All, Just wondering whether Enphase Microinverter is better than SolarEdge optimiser? Are they the same level? Thinking of 5kw to 7kw system. Need to upgrade the meter box for Enphase so additional $1100 cost compared to SolarEdge.

 

Better in terms of higher output, especially if they're partial shading.
Though personally I would not go for microinverters as I just don't trust that they will last 25 years and if they don't, you'll just end up spending too much maintenance.

 

Oh I see. What about SolarEdge optimiser? They only give 12 years warranty. Will it have too much maintenance? Is there any advantage to upgrade the meter box? I think it needs to be upgraded from a single phase to 3-phase. We don't have to upgrade it with SolarEdge.

 

Not sure whether solar will help us as our bills and consumption do not justify using solar at this time (that is what the person trying to sell us a system told us too).

Our annual consumption and bills for the past few years are as follows:

12 months ending June 30, 2017: $ 777 (3032 units)
2016: $741 (2990 units)
2015: $ 785 (2809 units)

We have 4 reverse cycle air conditioners in our bedrooms. Living rooms and kitchen have gas ducted heating.

 

Don't forget you also get the feed on tariff, a small 2-3kw system would pay itself off pretty quickly

 

Deciding on either the 10kw or 8kw system and export limit of 5kw. Only issue we are sorting out now is if we can place the panels onto the shed and inverter inside it. It's 50 metres away from the house and there seems to be some confusion between a couple solar company's thinking there will be to much voltage spike and drop. It's running ac back to the meter so not sure why they are mentioning dc.

 

They're confused, they think that the 50m run is from the panels to the inverter, not from the inverter to the house. In that case, it would be dc and voltage drop would be an issue. As it is ac though, it should be fine. If you're worried just overspec the cable. Not that cheap, but a minor expense when you look at the whole system.

 

I've been looking into a solar + battery system for my IP in ACT due to recent government policy:

"Under the third phase of the scheme, homes and businesses who install a battery connected to a new or existing solar system will receive support of up to $825 for each kilowatt (kW) of sustained peak output."

ACT government extends rebate for solar and battery installation


A local provider also provided this analysis table for ACT:

The ACT’s home battery storage incentive program - Solar Choice

Though i remain sceptical of financial viability, and overall risk of the system degrading in ~10yrs. Having purchased a home with existing solar panels- I for one will be waiting till the price of batteries drops and technology improves as I believe my money is better spent elsewhere for now..