Posts

Solar production

Image
Solar Production since inception This has 6.5kw solar panels with a 5kw inverter in Melbourne Australia.  Summer is December to February, winter is June to August.

My Solar Projection

Image
We have been connected to the grid for a whole month now which allows me to make some projections. Based on the projection calculated by experts for a 9kw system, I have used these figures to calculate our 6.5kw system. Our yield might be slightly lower seeing as we have a 5kw inverter, so it can't put in more than 5kw's at any one time. I was a bit skeptical of these figures at first but we averaged 30.92 kWh/day of solar production for October, so they could be right. With a feed in tariff of 11.3c, we should be in credit by $1,160 in a year. At present we are using an average of 4.9kWh of energy straight from the panels per day. We pay 17.853 (incl GST) per kWh from the grid, so that equates to a saving of about $320 a year. The cost of the solar system was $10,030 before any rebates were applied (Sept-18). The first rebate was $3,535 and the new Victorian Government incentive is $2,225, though we haven't received the second one yet. This will bring the tota

Are Solar Panels worth it?

Image
Back in 2011 we put on a 2kw solar system onto our house in Melbourne. Back then the panels were only 180w and we had 11 of them. The feed in tariff (FIT) was set at 60c until the end of 2024. The system cost $3750 after the government rebate and I guestimated that we broke even after 3 years, taking into account what we would have paid in electricity had we not had solar and the FIT we received. The data available now will make this calculation much more accurate. Our electricity or gas were with the same supplier and we never paid a bill for either in those three years. Rolling onto 2018, we moved into a larger house with no solar. We replaced all the downlights with 11w LEDs and the question came up - do we put in solar again. My husband emphatically wanted to but I wasn't sure if it was worth it now that the FIT had been reduced to 11.3c. I read up about solar on the web and asked for three quotes. One came, one didn't even call and the other said we didn't use enough