Who amongst us have gone solar

@Jamesaurus which brands did you go for panels and inverter? Which company did you use to install solar in Canberra?

 

Sorry i left that part of my situation out, but I purchased the IP with solar installed already

 

however this may help:
Package 2 – ITP Home Energy

 

For inverter go German made period, Chinese made will die after a couple of years
lot of cheap packages offer cheap Chinese junk, ask for quality one and get them to quote you. SMA has a good reputation for many solar users

 

@PandS currently, I got the quote with Jinko panels and SolarEdge inverter.

 

Ask them you want to swap that inverter with SMA and see what they quote
also most German Made has much longer Warranty period due to their confidence in their product
I think SMA has 5 years warranty

Once you have solar you can have lot of fun with this

PVOutput

Inverter Statistics

Check out SMA market share that said it all about its Solar users preferences

Another notes with Solar is going with someone who has been around and likely to be around, don't go with cheap fly by guys because when things go wrong they are gone.

 

Thanks @PandS. Yes, I got quotes from Solar gain and Solar hub. Solar gain is not based in Canberra though.

 

Canberra I would go with ACTEWAGL, give them a call for a quote they won't disappear over night.

Seriously solar it going to be around for 20-25 years on your roof and you want someone to stick around that long.

I am speaking from experience with many solar users among my group, some went cheap and nasty and 4 years later they cause them a world of pain and the installers nowhere to be found

 

Yeah, I did that before but they didn't have good brands for panels and inverters.

 

Don't go for what they give you, ask for what you want
research, work out the panel you want and the inverter you want
then call them in for a quote said I want these panels brand X, this Brand X, model X inverter etc..

also once you do that they know you have done your research and cant give you a run around and non-senses

 

Actually, I forgot I needed the optimiser due to different directions that the panels are facing. The roof space isn't that big. SMA is only string inverter I think.

 

Longer I watch and think cheaper these things are becoming. Products are more abundant and some major factories have lowered cost BUT better quality and high Kw for each M2 seems the game and that keeps prices higher.

Batteries are changing the game but still costly to rewire a new battery and panel system in but thats changing. A few builders are pre-wiring new builds which is smart. Soon we could see builders with roofs made of panels - 50% to 100% roof surface would be a game changer if price was sharp.

The payback period is shrinking. If its was 6 years or less I would be tempted.

My concern / hope is some major new factories are coming on line eg Teslas Gigafactory (one of 4). But I read where one of Musks Directors (Elon talks too much to media) ran the numbers of the Gigafactory and when completed in 2022 that one factory can build enough cars and panels and batterywalls BUT it would use all the worlds current lithium production. So supply is the problem and new solar panel systems are based on battery storage for best efficiency and return. So mining could be the factor that delays costs falling.

I havent any idea what goes into solar panels but is there plenty of supply of that or could lack of supply see costs rise ??

 

I have SMA Sunny Boy and S Island inverter controlled by a PLC and it's great. I am totally off grid with a fairly detailed set up (various scheduling for HWS heating at specific times, draw down limits etc etc) and the Sunny Island allows can handle the scheduling (some of the cheaper systems don't allow different scheduling).

I chose an electrician with quals to install and maintain solar systems (Am willing to PM my electrician's name near ACT).I'm so glad I did as the installer also knows our house's electrical set up and I get him in for all electricity matters as he knows how the electrics interact with the solar. I just wasn't comfortable with a 'solar only' installation group where you may not see the installer again.

 

How old is the house? Mine is an '80's build, no rewiring in the house needed?

 

Integrale Homes.

 

@Mac Fields, just PM'd you.

 

Also, Solar Edge actually offers 12 years warranty.

 

I'll just leave this here...

SunPower And SMA Choose To (Very Discreetly) Manufacture In China - Solar Quotes Blog

 

depending how you want to buy your stuff and what sort of process you got to make sure you get the right gear, I make sure if I want my stuff German made, I ask and check for it and make sure it is

same with my Bosch equipment plenty made in China, I just only buy the one Made in Germany I got them for my dishwasher and my boiler, same with my Canon Camera Gear, I make sure I get Japanese made.

 

Yeah, that could cause problems, lot of areas already have voltage issues, they will likely not want to gamble, if you know the cable size, you can calc the likely drop, or if familiar with electricity, you can measure it compared to the mains.

It is the inverter operation that may be the prob.