| Q. |
What is the difference between solar hot water and solar
power? |
| A. |
Solar Hot Water systems (SHW) are a thermal system – i.e. they
absorb the heat from the sunlight and transfer it into the water. Solar Power
systems (eg GridPower® systems) are electric systems – i.e. they
absorb the sunlight and convert it into DC electricity.
|
| Q. |
Can I put power back into the grid? How is the power measured? |
| A. |
Yes you can! Most utilities will install a bi-directional meter to
monitor power going into the house (importing) and the power coming out of the
solar system (exporting). This way you are only billed for the ‘net’ amount of
power you use. |
| Q. |
What size system will work for me? |
| A. |
This is heavily dependant on 3 factors. 1) How much power you use.
2) How large your roof is. 3) How much money you want to spend. To figure out
how much power you use, check the ‘kWh usage’ on your energy bill. |
| Q. |
The terminology is confusing? |
| A. |
Solar power and electricity usually use 3 main terms. Kilo-Watts
(kW) describes the size of a solar array (eg GridPower® 1000
is a 1000W / 1kW solar array system). Kilo-Watt-Hours (kWh) relates to
the total amount of energy that is used or produced. Peak-Sun-Hours (PSH)
is the average number of hours each day of ‘full’ sunlight. |
| Q. |
Are there any Government incentives to help install a
system? |
| A. |
Yes there are! The Federal Government runs the PVRP (PhotoVoltaic
Rebate Program) scheme which will contribute up to $8,000 towards the cost of
your system. Check with your local authority for any additional rebates. |
| Q. |
What will a system cost? |
| A. |
The cost varies depending on the size system you install. Eg, a
GridPower® 1000 system will cost between ~$6,000 and ~$7,000
(after the PVRP rebate). You are also able to claim the REC’s the system will
produce. |
| Q. |
What about Environmental Credits (eg REC’s)? |
| A. |
Every GridPower® system will generate a certain number
of REC’s (Renewable Energy Certificates). These REC’s can be sold to an
electricity utility or traded on the energy market (most utilities have a
buy-back plan for REC’s). |
| Q. |
How much power will I save? |
| A. |
The power you save depends on the size system you install. Eg, a
GridPower® 1000 system will produce approximately 5kWh of power in a
day (over 1.8MWh per year). |
| Q. |
How much money will I save? |
| A. |
The financial savings depend on your electricity tariff. Eg, if
you pay 16c/kWh a GridPower® 1000 system will save approximately
$300 every year. |
| Q. |
How do I reduce my energy usage? |
| A. |
There are many simple ways to reduce your energy usage. Swap your old
incandescent lamps for compact fluorescent lights. Don’t leave lights on if you
leave the room. Install a solar water heater instead of an electric system. Use
energy efficient appliances (eg fridge, freezer, washing machine, etc) with at
least a 4 star energy rating – check www.energyrating.gov.au if you’re on the
hunt for new high efficiency appliances. |
| Q. |
Can I install the equipment myself? |
| A. |
No. The system MUST be installed by a suitably qualified person.
This will usually be a BCSE accredited installer who holds an electrical
contractors license. |
| Q. |
What do I need to do to maintain the system? |
| A. |
Not much – GridPower® systems are virtually
maintenance-free. There are no moving parts to break down and all the
components are very high quality with warranties from 5 to 25 years. All you
need to do is keep the panels free from obstructions (eg heavy dust, salt,
leaves, etc). The weather usually does it for you! |
| Q. |
My roof doesn’t face north. Can I still install a system? |
| A. |
Yes you can, though you may loose some power. Up to ~15° deviation
from north will not affect the performance very much (<5% loss). At 30° you
will see a noticeable drop in power of ~10%. At 90° (ie East or West) you will
loose approximately 30% of the power the panels are capable of producing. |
| Q. |
Can I look at the power production on my computer? |
| A. |
Yes you can. One of the optional extras that can come with a
GridPower® system is a data-logging kit. This enables you to record
all of the system performance information and download it to your PC where you
can review historical data and graph the information. |
| Q. |
Is there a portable display that I can have in the house? |
| A. |
Yes there is. The personal display is a small, portable display
screen linked to the inverter by a remote radio system. The display mimics the
information shown in the inverter menu anywhere in your house. |
| Q. |
How do the panels mount on the roof? |
| A. |
The panels are fixed to the roof using the UniRac SolarMount
framing structure. This is a series of components that allow the installation
to be incredibly flexible in choosing how and where to mount the panels. |
| Q. |
What type of panels and inverters do the systems
use? |
| A. |
GridPower® systems use Sharp Crystalline solar panels
and Fronius IG grid inverters. These are some of the highest quality units
available. They come with warranties of 25 years (panels) and 5 years
(inverters – optional upgrade to 10 years). |
| Q. |
Are there any structural considerations when installing a
solar system? |
| A. |
No. A GridPower® system can be installed at any stage
of construction, or retro-fitted to an existing home without needing to alter
the roof structure. |
| Q. |
Will the system work in a black-out? |
| A. |
Unfortunately no. The systems are required by the electricity
safety regulations to switch off when there is a black-out. This prevents the
inverter from feeding power into the ‘dead’ grid while technicians are working
on the lines. On the plus side, as more and more homes install GridPower®
systems they will stabilise the grid, helping to prevent brown-outs and
black-outs caused by over-demand. |
| Q. |
Can I connect some batteries? |
| A. |
Not directly to the inverter. To use batteries in the system they
must be installed in a separate circuit from the ‘mains’ circuits. You will
also need a stand-alone inverter to change the DC battery power into 240V AC
power. |
