Home solar power system is it worth it ??

[Dreamwalking]

Wooly:
I'm not sure if your a teacher or salesman but your being such good authority on this subject and my fearing to say anything that will have you correct me again I call upon you for a answer, it appears that my wording "Inverters that are failing are generally those under stress" left me wide open for criticism because I failed to name and shame specific manufacturers.

Could you please not fall into the same trap as me by generalizing and list all those cheap nasty Chinese ones for our readers to steer clear off and possibly let us know if there are any good Chinese brands, that is if your not biased ?

Additionally to your comment.. "Incorrect: Most of the inverters failing are the cheap and nasty Chinese ones" .. I am concerned with the word "MOST", you infer that there are other brands, that are not Chinese that are failing.... OMG ... let us know who these reputable manufacturers are so we wont consider their brand either.

Oh and one more thing you commented .. "Also incorrect: At least in Victoria and SA. The Feedin Tariff remains with the property and can be taken to a new retailer."
I don't where you got your information about SA from ?
All I have done is suggested that people should check their contracts before they increase the size of their solar system or switch to a new power provider. Because after a inquiry I made to the S.A. Department of Solar Power Networks 3 months ago about a VIC power company that offered to increase the size of my solar system and take over the power billing. The information I was given and consider to be up to date I have put up for others to read and use as they see fit.

You are like a shining light, I'll sleep well now that you have explained a split 5KW system with varying rays of incidence with smaller inverter as opposed to a basic full frontal unilateral system to me, when I did simple arithmetic at school I must have nodded off for that lesson.

I hope that my contribution experience in this thread only opens the eyes of the reader to go and check their contract(s) and not just accept my waffle or anyone else as being true gospel .. especially sales people.

Cheers

 

[wooly]

WOW pushed a button here....

Wooly:

Oh and one more thing you commented .. "Also incorrect: At least in Victoria and SA. The Feedin Tariff remains with the property and can be taken to a new retailer."
I don't where you got your information about SA from ?

I was referring to what you said below.

Final point ... are you aware when you switch from one power supplier to another your solar rebate changes to the current 'todays rate' eg .. for those lucky people like me who got in early with a rebate of 52c /Kv, if I switch to a new company my rebate would automatically default to the current offering .. I think around 5-6c /Kv today.
If I sell my house the new owner would get todays rate and not what I was getting

You are correct on this one below.

All I have done is suggested that people should check their contracts before they increase the size of their solar system or switch to a new power provider. Because after a inquiry I made to the S.A. Department of Solar Power Networks 3 months ago about a VIC power company that offered to increase the size of my solar system and take over the power billing. The information I was given and consider to be up to date I have put up for others to read and use as they see fit.

 

[silver]

good to see you fellas sorting through things

 

[thedigger]

Well Wooly, you given us all a spray,well you got a few facts wrong.

Price you quote for my system is well below your figure.

They are self cleaning if above 10 degrees,well my panels are at 23 degrees,and they collect dirt,and it builds up on the bottom edge.
They make machines for cleaning them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WByAdLI0vVg

As for the inverter it was a Conenergy,and the new one is a Fronius both made in Austria not China.

My nephew had a 5kw system put in,and they promised it would pay back in 4-5 years,I will not repeat what he said.

In saying all this I am a fan of solar,but in the right place,I recently set up a system from a lower dam to my upper dam, and it pumps 10hrs a day and moves a lot water.
In my van have 220 watts on the roof,180 I set up so I can move around during the day,that runs 40 liter Engel,150 fridge and freezer and all our needs.

Regards Frank

 

[GaryO]

Talking of Sprays.. im waiting for spray on solar panels. Just spray paint roofs ,walls and any surface and it acts as a solar panel. I seen it a few years back but it has seemed to gone quite.
Here is a link to the studies.

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/...-can-turn-any-surface-into-a-cheap-solar-cell

 

[jamie]

GaryO funny you say about a spray on solar system, a few years ago a work mate and i were talking about solar systems for my yacht and had a laugh about inventing a flexible/roll-able solar panel that could be designed into a sail instead of having them mounted on top of the cabin, well you can now get flexible panels.. dont say to much out loud mate they may be listening... now where did i put my tin foil hat...