The Equipment
SILEX SOLAR- Australian made panels was our preferred product. We try to buy Australian Made whenever we can so we we were prepared to pay a premium for Australian made panels (rather than some of the cheaper imports on the market).
Just like cleaning up your nest... buying Aussie Made makes good sense.
Now let's talk performance! - From August 2010 to January 2011 we had 6 full months of production accompanied by the highest rainfall, tropical storms and floods in 100 years - the silex panels have produced an average of 22kwh per day over that 6 month period.
What that proves without any doubt is that they are capable of taking the slightest brightness in the sky and converting it to electricity. We are very impressed and once again draw your attention to this brilliant - Australian Made - product.
Additional note: 1 the 1 year point the average production was
The Aurora inverters are made in Italy by Power One and imported by Solar Inverters Pty Ltd in Sydney [it seems no inverters are made in Australia??]
We did have a minor problem with the inverter (installation problem - not a fault with the inverter). The importer & inverter warranty company was straight on to the problem, arranged pick up, repair and return - even their phone staff are actually trained to help fix your problem... what a refreshing change.
We were back in production quite quickly so we would highly recommend the Solar Inverters Pty Ltd products and their after sales service.
The Installers and your rights
This is a link to AgriSolar Australia website. They are the company that we contracted with for installation of our Solar system. They operate in South East Queensland and Northern NSW. We caught up with the team at the 2011 Agro Trend and told them how happy we were with the system.
In regional Australia a company sells you a system but they may only have the team to install the panels and it's probable that they will contract a licenced electrician to do the connection and application to the electricity company. So be prepared for Contractors doing parts of the job.
We had some delay in getting the new Net Meter installed and our problem was twofold. The paperwork was delayed by the electrical contractor... So get Involved! Ask the electrical installer for the Form "A" - make sure it gets into Ergon's local office - the depot which will send a truck and men to install the new Meter.
Next was the Net Meter install in our power box. There was a minor problem but Ergon must work by-the-book so they refused installation which meant another week's delay until it was rectified.
Don't rely on people's say-so... maybe you can hold back a sum of money until the application is accepted and meter installed. Let's face it making power on the roof but being unable to sell it into the grid is NOT a completed contract. The installation contract is complete when the Electricity company leaves your property and you're officially selling power into the Grid - and not before that point.
Be firm with the company that you contract with to ensure your rights are protected. A respectable company will accept your interest and your knowledge - a fly-by-nighter will think you're too much trouble. If they have a policy of seeing everything through - including the paperwork and quality of workmanship of their contractors they'll stand your scrutiny.
Be a good consumer instead of complaining after the event. Know the process, know your rights, be aware of the pitfalls, protect yourself. You don't have to be the customer from hell but if we all demand excellence from Solar companies it should sort the opportunists from the honest and competent ones.
Timeframe
It took 8 weeks from sign-up to install complete and during that time we received the power company (Ergon) contract in which they acknowledge our system and agree to the financial arrangements.
We had a period of two months with the old meter and that meant our system was making electricity spinning our meter backwards during the day and then running forward during the night.
Ergon then fitted the new IES meter which makes the Net calculations - which will result in us receiving a cheque for the times that we export more than we use.
What about the Cost?
The retail price for 32 SILEX panels (with inverter & installation) is around $32,000 then depending on where you live you will be entitled to REC 's from the Federal Government.
It's complicated and I do have the formula to work out the credits BUT it depends on YOUR LOCATION... and worse still it depends on HOW LARGE a system you purchase. As with most Government rebate systems the installers will get you to "sign the credits over to them" which is fine as it saves you finding the money up front but just be aware of how it works! Check and see if they're passing the right amount on to you. This Federal system was meant to help the householder afford Solar... it wasn't designed to line the pockets of installers. They're entitled to a reasonable profit of course but you need to be a smart consumer and ask the right questions.
From 0 to 1.5kW system you get a LARGE Renewable Energy Credit from the Federal Government, then after that, the credits drop.
If you want the formulae email me but if you want to know why it's so darn complicated and why they don't want you to put in bigger systems... I'm as much in the dark as you are... 
What about the performance?
The system has been installed for over a year now and we started out with a mix of brilliant sunny days and cloudy overcast days so our figures weren't outrageously 'good' or dismally 'bad' - just a pretty average mix for where we live. Then of course xmas 2010 Queensland began to experience the biggest "Wet" on record and the floods followed. Here we were wishing the drought would break and we got our wish with about 5 years rain in 4 months!
When the system was first installed we would read the meters at 10am and 4pm to build up some data (which we graph to give a visual reference).
Even on a dull day our system will still generate power - Nowhere near the maximum rate of course but typically it will produce 8 or 10kwh of electricity per day on rainy days. On days with black sky and 100mm (4") of rain the system only makes 2-3kwh - which proves that light is working on the panels even if they can't see the sun. We think that's pretty impressive.
The inverter is very smart and gives you all the data as it’s happening and daily totals etc, easy to hook up a computer and get information that you need.
These are our major findings to date;
- During Winter the system is switching on before 7am and it's still running at 5pm.
- Even on dull days the panels produce electricity
- We've become very power conscious - major electrical appliances like dishwasher, washing machine and clothes dryer are used after dark but that's the only change we've made to our personal habits.
- As the sun moves higher into the sky (spring/summer) we see a steady rise in the production each day.
- The record rainfall from November 2010 to February 2011 broke the drought but our averages dropped.
- Wind Generation system is being installed to take advantage of the wind during our storm season.
- In the first full year the system AVERAGED 22kw hours of production per day (below the 25 per day that we'd hoped - but taking into account the floods and record rains... we ain't complaining!).
- Will continue to update this page... so please visit again.
Statistics
Updated: 1-May-12
We're recording the monthly performance to see what each Season produces.
We're not interested in bragging about one-day Highs. We're in for the long haul - while we hope we did the right thing in investing heavily in solar, we're like the rest of you - we simply didn't know how it would go.
The following tables record our solar years from August through to end of July so now we can check on our progress and calculate our payback times.
We're so happy about this 'making our own electricity' we're putting up a WIND generator - the constuction is nearly complete although a mix up in inverters means we have to wait for a new one (suitable for Aussie 240Volt... even though everyone agreed on what was being sent... the wrong one was dispatched). Anyway in the meantime the 9.5m pole is up with the wind generator and blades attached and all the wiring is just hanging about waiting. It's only a small unit which will power the shed. It's not being tied into our grid feed system. Looks like we'll have to make a Project Ventus page hahaha)
Wind project has stalled, too many other jobs on the go at the moment but soon, soon....
This is the data to date:
(Figures will be updated mid and end of the month)
Second Solar Year 2011-12
| |
Highest Daily Production kWh |
Total Monthly Production kWh |
Avge Daily Production kWh |
Highest Daily Export to Grid kWh |
Monthly Export to Grid kWh |
Avge Daily Export to Grid kWh |
| August 2011 |
30 |
678 |
22 |
20 |
418 |
13 |
| September |
34 |
815 |
27 |
25 |
555 |
19 |
| October |
33 |
717 |
23 |
25 |
443 |
14 |
| November |
35 |
876 |
29 |
24 |
576 |
19 |
| December |
34 |
697 |
22 |
24 |
415 |
13 |
| January2012 |
34 |
686 |
22 |
25 |
384 |
12 |
| February |
34 |
702 |
24 |
20 |
403 |
14 |
| March |
34 |
706 |
23 |
23 |
462 |
15 |
| April |
30 |
680 |
23 |
20 |
426 |
14 |
| May |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| June |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| July |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notes on the weather this year:
August: Still unseasonally cold and wet
September: hooray the sun is back - bright warm days.
October: We are entering our build-up to the storm season, so clouds roll in from the North
November: Clouds building [no rain - very different to last year!] 876KWh Highest monthly production ever
December: Wet Season has begun, overcast almost every day not much rain. Monthly rainfall 276mm
January2012: Rains arrived, common to have 50mm overnight & 190mm in 1 storm. Monthly rainfall 454mm
February2012: Rain is easing. Monthly rainfall 121mm
March2012: 184mm turbulent weather, typical of Autumn
April2012: Rain all around us but only 32mm, gave quite a few overcast days however
31st July 2011 ends first full year of production
Annual production 7503kWh [Average daily production 22kWh]
Average daily sales to the Grid: 13.5kWh
Two things about these annual figures;
1. we were without the unit for 3 weeks during a warranty repair Nov/Dec 2010 and
2. we had record rainfall and 100 year floods which impacted production during summer
First Year Solar 2010_11
| |
Highest Daily Production kWh |
Total Monthly Production kWh |
Avge Daily Production kWh |
Highest Daily Export to Grid kWh |
Monthly Export to Grid kWh |
Avge Daily Export to Grid kWh |
| August 2010 |
30.5 |
635 |
22 |
|
|
|
| September |
32 |
591 |
20.5 |
|
|
|
| October |
36.5 |
787 |
25.7 |
27 |
504 |
14 |
| November |
33.2 |
359 |
22.9 |
20 |
211 |
13 |
| December |
32.7 |
456 |
19 |
23 |
247 |
10 |
| January |
34.3 |
757 |
24.4 |
24 |
439 |
14 |
| February |
33.3 |
707 |
25.1 |
22 |
424 |
15 |
| March |
30.3 |
549 |
17.7 |
20 |
298 |
10 |
| April |
28.7 |
639 |
21.3 |
20 |
402 |
13 |
| May |
27.7 |
688 |
22.2 |
19 |
449 |
14 |
| June |
25.4 |
610 |
20.6 |
18 |
380 |
13 |
| July 2011 |
27.3 |
710 |
22.7 |
20 |
462 |
15 |
Notes on the year's weather:
August 2010: Wettest on record for this area !
September: Extreme wet weather, wild storms, flooding, overcast for weeks! [Not exporting to grid yet]
October : Overcast day after day as we head into the cyclone season - we begin to export to the Grid
November: Overcast & showers almost every day of November! - system down 15Nov Warranty repair
December:Ongoing tropical rains - Dec rainfall 666mm (26") Bundaberg floods! Unit repaired 8th Dec
January:Ongoing tropical rain depressions - Rainfall 233mm (9")
February:Northern Cyclone heavy clouds clearing. 50mm rain
March:Still WET season. Cloud cover/rain most days. Rainfall 300mm (12")
April:Still raining, on Cyclone watch
May: Clouds cleared and rain eased. Made 690kwh Sold 450kwh
June: Weather coldest winter on record, days are short! Solar panels are coping well
July 2011: Bitterly cold, short unexpectedly overcast & gloomy days
How does SELLING Electricity work?
Grab a coffee and relax as it will take some time to get your head around all this.
First know your system: e.g. In our case each panel is rated to produce 170Watt, so 32 x 170 = 5440Watts - that's 5.4kW (kilowatts) maximum it could make each hour.
Bundaberg has a stated average of 5 hours per day where the sun is strong enough to produce electricity via this photovoltaic system.
So 5.4kw x 5 hours = 27kWh of power per day is what they expect we would generate... More on a bright, sunny day…. Less on an overcast day.
Our electricity bills showed an average usage of 32kWh of power every day - [yes, we are excessive users - lot's of fridges, a spa, run the air conditioners when too hot or too cold!... that type of thing.]
Simple math shows that if we use 32 but can make 27 of our own - mathematically we would buy only 5 per day. At that rate it's going to reduce our quarterly electricity bill from $600 to $60.
BUT wait there’s more… and this is where “selling excess electricity to the grid” comes in. Ergon Energy has fitted an I.E.S. Smart Meter - Net meter - and it works quite differently.*
Image it happening hour by hour (I'm rounding figures to keep this simple)
If during the day the house is Drawing 1kw for an hour and the roof is producing 5kw, we have an excess of 4kwh that is exported to the grid in that hour. Now remember those Average 5 hours of Bundy Sunshine per day? Our excess 4kw x 5 hours = 20kWh of surplus electricity is left over, available to export... and it's this excess that we're selling to Ergon and this figure is recorded by the smart meter.
But, it's not all our way... Think about 'night-time' from 6pm through to 6am our Solar system is asleep and we have nothing to sell so instead the house is buying electricity from the Grid.
The new Net Meter shows how much you're 'taking' from the Grid during those hours that the panels aren't producing and how much you're exporting to the Grid while the sun shines.
Can you see that during the day we're racking up credits and then at night we put in some debits. A typical day could be: I earn $8 and pay $3 so my ergon account is $5 in credit for that day.
The next day it might rain and I only generate enough electricity to cut out half my usage… and so on. Day after after day these debits and credits are racking up.
If you were a wild and crazy optimist you could say; there are 90 glorious sun filled days in a Quarter, I'm getting a credit of 90days x $5 and think you're $450 ahead!
Of course being a realist you will know that it rains, is overcast or is so incredibly hot you run aircons for 6 days straight - so many factors effect the dollars in the equations.
But here's the most sensible tip of them all.
DON’T do the washing, ironing, clothes dryering, dish washering during the day - keep the house just ticking along at the minimum - So that hour by hour you’ve got excess to “sell”.
If you waste the energy during the day on chores which could be done after 6pm, then you’re effectively costing yourself 44cents for that power aren’t you?
So that’s what selling to the grid is all about.
*We receive quarterly electricity accounts but they are in CREDIT... at the end of 4 quarters (the anniversary of our connection) Ergon sends us a cheque for the credit we have accumulated - that clears the account to Zero and we start all over again for the next 4 quarters.
* Some folks have queried the electricity buy/sell information so I'm adding two links to help explain the Queensland Government Net system which I might have oversimplified above.
The first site is a Qld Government website see Qld Government Solar Bonus page.
The next site is from the Silex Solar - our Solar Panel providers. They've compiled information on each State system to help their clients - Check out the Silex State Info pages [Please be aware that every state is different - e.g. NSW is on a Gross system]
** * In Queensland we currently have a contract with Ergon Energy that they will buy exported electricity for 44c per kWh up to the year 2028.
Let's talk MONEY and how we're calculating PAYBACK!
We chart the figures each day in a spreadsheet and note units produced, used and sold. When the electricity account arrives each quarter we compare the readings and couldn't be happier. Well done Ergon energy - the bills are accurate to the last kWH and easy to read, clearly showing the full credit for exported power and the annual cheque arrived automatically as promised.
You'll recall that we outlaid $22000 for this system now let's see how long it's going to take us to 'pay ourselves back' for the investment.
Prior to solar: The electricity accounts were $660 per quarter = $2640 per year including the hot water charges and the account keeping fees etc.
Our 5.4KW system has completely cut out our electricity bill ! - i.e. we generate enough from the roof that we do not pay Ergon for electricity and each bill arrives showing an increasing credit amount.
Savings Year 1. No electricity bill = Saving $2640 PLUS we received a cheque for $523
Total savings year 1 = $3163.
System cost $22000 divided by $3163 = 7 years to pay back the cost of installation.
That's the calculation at the end of year 1.... We had initially budgeted on a 9 year payback so we're currently ahead of that.
If the Electricity prices increase (as the media keeps assuring us they will) then our payback will become a little fuzzy to calculate but we'll do the best we can.
This page will be updated frequently with hard data. We want to complete the picture and show the realistic payback info - so please check back.
