For households in South East Queensland, the feed in tariff (FiT) rate varies between retailers. In regional Queensland, the rate is 6-15 cents per kWh.
Estimated annual electricity savings
5.40kW solar power system: $1,369 – $1,668
5.31kW solar power system: $1,358 – $1,651
Estimated Brisbane electricity bill savings range have been noted above based on 24.0c per kilowatt hour electricity price and 7c feed in tariff with 50% to 70% consumption of produced electricity for systems without batteries, and 70% to 100% consumption of produced electricity for systems with batteries.
If your household is on the higher FIT it is best to export at the $0.40+ and import it back at night at $0.27. The best thing to do here is reduce power during the day when the sun is shining. There are rules around about what can be done to your system e.g. upgrading. Certain works done on your system could lose you your FIT. So best leave your system alone and reduce power consumption so you can export. You could install hot water do the maths of this use Cost minus hot water power consumption and FIT savings.
No FIT best using your power during the day and storing it for use back at night.
Let’s get into it, here’s what you should know before you get quotes for solar power and proceeding with system installation.
Always compare apples with apples.
- What are the four main components of a solar power system?
- Why is a good installation critical?
- How many solar panels do you need to buy?
- What is the difference between ‘STC financial incentives’ and ‘feed-in tariff’?
- What is the optimal roof direction/angle for solar electricity generation?
- How are solar system savings and payback calculated?
- Basic costs for quality solar energy systems and why quotes can vary.
- Do you need storage batteries life out look of your system?
- How are you planning on paying for your system?
- The next step…
Solar power systems are comprised of four main components:
- Solar Panels
- Inverters
- Racking
- Monitoring
This is how your system will pay for itself. Using the cost of the system minus the average cost of your power (now), the FIT and government rebates. There are savings gained by self-consumption by using power when the sun shines e.g. by using load control on pools spas hot water etc.
STC Rebates Explained to STC financial incentives
Small-scale Technology Certificates, or STCs, are a tradable commodity attached to eligible installations of renewable energy systems (including solar panels, solar water heaters and heat pumps).
Under the Federal Government’s Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, when you install an eligible system, you may claim a set number of these STCs.
This number is based on the amount of electricity in megawatt hours (MWh)
These are out of BAmps Electrical control. For any upgrades, solar installation, new installations and tariff removals or changes that require Ergon/ Energex to attend. You can access their charge via websites or calling customer support. They are usually minimal depending on the job, travel plant etc.
The electrical/ solar industry is governed by Australian Standards. That means all installations and repairs must be bought up to a minimal standard. This may involve extra work to customers premises to meet these minimal standards. We will communicate and keep you informed of any extra works needed.
Why you should use an accredited installer?
Clean Energy Council accredited installers have demonstrated that their solar PV systems meet our extremely high standards of safety and performance.
Using an accredited installer means you can have confidence in the safety, performance and reliability of your solar PV system for many years to come.
There’s also a financial benefit – to receive government rebates for your solar PV system, both the designer and installer must be accredited by the Clean Energy Council.
Find out more in our guides to installing solar PV for households or businesses.
With electricity prices on the rise and solar photovoltaic (PV) systems cheaper than ever, it’s no wonder that millions of Australians homes and businesses are installing rooftop solar panels.
But with such a broad range of products, installers and retailers out there, being an informed consumer has never been more important.
Free guides for households and businesses;
The Clean Energy Council offers free, downloadable guides on buying solar PV and battery storage systems. Available for both households and businesses, these guides cover everything you need to know when purchasing and installing rooftop solar or a battery.
Link http://www.solaraccreditation.com.au/consumers.html
Electric utilities use electric meters installed at customers’ premises for billing purposes. They are typically calibrated in billing units, the most common one being the kilowatt hour (kWh). They are usually read once each billing period.
When energy savings during certain periods are desired, some meters may measure demand, the maximum use of power in some interval. “Time of day” metering allows electric rates to be changed during a day, to record usage during peak high-cost periods and off-peak, lower-cost, periods. Also, in some areas meters have relays for demand response load shedding or load shifting in the future during peak load periods.
There are two types of solar metering gross and net metering.
Grid Connect. A grid-connected photovoltaic power system, or grid-connected PV power system is an electricity generating solar PV power system that is connected to the utility grid. A grid-connected PV system consists of solar panels, one or several inverters, a power conditioning unit and grid connection equipment. They range from small residential and commercial rooftop systems to large utility-scale solar power stations. When conditions are right, the grid-connected PV system supplies the excess power, beyond consumption by the connected load, to the utility grid.
Stand-alone power system (SAPS or SPS), also known as remote area power supply (RAPS), is an off-the-grid electricity system for locations that are not fitted with an electricity distribution system. Typical SAPS include one or more methods of electricity generation, energy storage, and regulation.
Electricity is typically generated by one or more of the following methods:
- Photovoltaic system using solar panels
- Wind turbine
- Geothermal source
- Micro combined heat and power
- Micro hydro
- Diesel or biofuel generator
- Thermoelectric generator (TEGs)
Storage is typically implemented as a battery bank, but other solutions exist including fuel cells. Power drawn directly from the battery will be direct current extra low voltage (DC ELV), and this is used especially for lighting as well as for DC appliances. An inverter is used to generate AC low voltage, which more typical appliances can be used with.
Stand-alone photovoltaic power systems are independent of the utility grid and may use solar panels only or may be used in conjunction with a diesel generator, a wind turbine or batteries
Micro-inverters
Micro-inverters are rapidly gaining popularity, particularly for residential solar systems. Micro-inverters tend to be more expensive than string inverters or power optimizers, but their costs are falling as they become more popular.
How Micro-Inverters Work
Micro-inverters are installed on each individual panel in a solar energy system. They convert the DC electricity from your solar panels into AC electricity on your roof, with no need for a separate central inverter. In many cases the micro-inverters are integrated into the solar panel itself, but they may also be mounted next to the panel on the mounting system.
One of the major advantages of micro-inverters is that they cancel out the negative impacts of partial or complete shading. Because the DC-AC electricity conversion takes place at each panel, there is no “bottleneck” when one panel’s production decreases. Micro-inverters also allow you to monitor the performance of individual solar panels.
String inverters
String inverters are the most cost-effective inverter option. Solar installation companies will generally offer you a system with a string inverter if your roof is not shaded at any point during the day and does not face in multiple directions (such as a gabled roof).
How String Inverters Work
Your solar panels are arranged into groups connected by “strings.” Each string of panels is connected to a single inverter, which transforms the DC electricity produced by the panels into appliance-friendly AC electricity.
String inverter technology has been used for decades. It is a tried-and-true technology but is not suitable for certain types of installations. A string of solar panels will only produce as much electricity as its least productive panel – if one or more of your solar panels is shaded during any part of the day, the power output from that entire string would be reduced to its level. For this reason, if your solar panels are installed facing different directions, a string inverter may not be an appropriate choice.
One of the most common reasons for a panel to produce less power or stop producing power altogether is shading from nearby objects. If your roof is prone to shading any time during the day or in certain seasons, you could either remove the source of the shade (e.g. cut down a tree) or install the panels where they will not be shaded.
In summery a string inverter system is only as good as one panel if shaded it brings down the whole string. Reason is the string is only as good as the worst panel. Other causes are dirt, panel age, quality, damaged etc… This system in Australia can also have up to 600Volts DC so a micro inverter system is safer by being extra low voltage. Installation of sting inverter systems are limited as each string must be the same orientation and tilt. One MPPT input in the inverter handles multiple solar panels in a ‘string’, one string is only as good as the worst panel (shading).
So Micro inverters get a big tick by being safer having only extra low DC voltage and ac connections from inverter to grid. More efficient because of separate MPPT inputs one per panel. Installation possibilities are endless for different orientations and tilts. Different roof spaces on the consumers property.
We have done the research and are very happy to offer a wide range of pumping needs. We deal straight with the importer who has a business address in Australia.
Solar pumping is a great investment as the cost of pumping or transferring water is a very expensive experience. Cost wise most pumping situations the system will pay for it self in a few years.
We calculate all that is needed to suit your water requirements through consultation directly with the customer.
We use CEC accredited installers/ Designers. Ensure you use an accredited CEC designer Installer and registered electrician for your solar install.
Solar panels absorb the sunlight as a source of energy to generate electricity or heat.
A photovoltaic (PV) module is a packaged, connect assembly of typically 6×10 photovoltaic solar cells. Photovoltaic modules constitute the photovoltaic array of a photovoltaic system that generates and supplies solar electricity in commercial and residential applications. Each module is rated by its DC output power under standard test conditions (STC), and typically ranges from 100 to 365 Watts (W). The efficiency of a module determines the area of a module given the same rated output – an 8% efficient 230 W module will have twice the area of a 16% efficient 230 W module. There are a few commercially available solar modules that exceed efficiency of 22% and reportedly also exceeding 24%. A single solar module can produce only a limited amount of power; most installations contain multiple modules. A photovoltaic system typically includes an array of photovoltaic modules, an inverter, a battery pack for storage, interconnection wiring, and optionally a solar tracking mechanism.
- The Standard Test Condition rating (STC) assumes a standard set of optimal operating conditions (25°C cell temperature, 1000 W/m2 and an air mass of 1.5). The STC rating is most often used by manufacturers to classify the power output of PV modules. To calculate the system’s energy production for any future year, the expected degradation in system performance is included (See “PV degradation”, in table below).
- Energy Output is calculated based on historical solar irradiance at the given location. A typical meteorological year is selected using statistical methods. Factors including panel tilt, orientation (azimuth), and system efficiency are taken into account.
- System efficiency is estimated to account for losses caused by a variety of factors. These factors include intermittent shading, cable losses, dirt, scheduled downtime, manufacturer tolerances, inverter efficiency for DC to AC (this does not affect off-grid DC only systems), battery round trip efficiency, and other factors.
- Utility electricity price inflation is adjusted based on the given location.
- United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2017. Greenhouse Gases Equivalencies Calculator -Calculations and References. Available at: https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gases-equivalencies-calculator-calculations-and-references.
- Australian Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs) are an incentive provided under the Renewable Energy Target. One certificate is
equal to one megawatt hour of eligible renewable electricity either generated or displaced by the installed system. Read more at: http://www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/RET/Scheme-participants-and-industry/Agents-and-installers/Small-scale-technologycertificates.
Note: The system design may change based on a detailed site audit. Estimated savings are based on past electrical usage and utility rates
provided by the customer. Actual system production and savings will vary based on final system design, configuration, utility rates, applicable subsidies and your energy usage post-solar installation. Utility rates, charges and fee structures imposed by your utility are not affected by this proposal and are subject to change in the future at the discretion of your utility. The production calculations in this report are based on historical climate data for the site location and represent typical estimates of future solar production.
At BAmps Electrical you can expect exceptional quality workmanship, materials, equipment in all installations, repairs and maintenance.
We deal with reputable partners with exceptional warranties.
Good old fashioned friendly service is our motto, and we will endeavour to bring it back one customer at a time.
We only sell quality components, installed by trained and accredited solar professionals in Toowoomba. In the unlikely event of an issue occurring, rest assured our guarantee program including a unique system performance guarantee on selected systems, will continue to protect your investment for many years. Buy with confidence!
Hot water or load control by switching hot water systems or any costly load into times when power is being generated by your solar. To reduce reliability on the grid or use excess solar to heat water.
Load control can be swimming pools pumps anything to improve energy consumption
