Solar power – What’s Involved?
Click on a link below to find out more about Solar power or move forward to 'Step 2' to find out how to get your own Solar Energy System.
What are Solar Panels?
Solar (or photovoltaic - PV) cells are produced from thin wafers of silicon. These cells convert sunlight directly into electricity without any energy being expended. Many of these cells are typically connected together to form a solar panel. An array of panels together forms a solar power system.
Federal Government Rebate of up to $8,000 is payable for Grid – Connect solar(PV) panels installed at your principal private residence.
What is a grid-connected solar power system?
The link below shows a grid-connected solar PV system – the sunlight strikes the panels and is converted into DC electricity which then passes into the inverter to be converted to 240V AC. This is then used in the house for your electrical needs OR it passes through the meter to the grid. If you “make” more electricity that you use, your meter spins backwards and you receive credits from your energy company.
How much electricity do I need to generate?
You can see your kilowatts hours (kWh/day) usage on your energy bill in graphical form but in general:
- Average house uses about 30+ kWh/day
- Low energy user - 15 kWh/day
- High energy user - 60 kWh/day
This is for a family of 4/5 people.
Your usage varies due to the appliances in the house, location and number of people in your house. You need to consider the impact of all these to determine your energy efficiency and the overall ability of solar to improve your energy footprint i.e. how much energy you use.
Energy consumption %’s in a typical home
What size system can I get and how much energy will it produce?
- A 1 kW system (6 x 180w panels) will generate about 4kw hours of power, on av. per day*
- A 2 kW system (12 x 180w panels) will generate about 8kw hours of power, on av. per day*
- A 3kW system (16 sqm of panels) will generate around 12kw hours of power on av. per day*
- A 4kW system (24 sqm of panels) will generate 16kwh hours of power on av. per day*
* Power generation varies from Summer to Winter and in relation to cloud cover and other climatic conditions.
How much will a solar power system cost?
A 1Kw system will cost around $15,000 fully installed – so after the $8,000 rebate is deducted will cost of around $7,000. The total job cost may vary due to individual circumstances such as roof access or complexity of the panel configuration.
(Click here for full pricing schedule).
What will be the savings on my electricity bill each year?
A 1 kW solar system on your roof will generate around 1,500kW of power per year and an average house uses 12,000kW per year. Therefore, in this example, solar will reduce your bills by approx. 13% pa.
By using solar what will I contribute to Greenhouse gas savings?
A 1 kw solar power system will save 1,500 kgs of CO2 per year. Over the life of the solar system (which is at least 25 years), this means you will be saving 37,500 tonnes of CO2. This translates to taking around 10 cars off the road – a wonderful personal contribution.
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