There are many reasons why you should make the switch to solar including:
Reduce your carbon footprint – by joining the 20% of Australian homes who already use solar energy, you’re helping us to reduce the country’s reliance on fossil fuels and mining.
Save on your electricity bills – with a solar system, your energy comes from sunlight, which Australia gets an abundance of. You can even sell any excess energy back to the grid.
Sunlight is partially made up of photons, which are the smallest measurable units of light energy. When these photons touch your solar panels, the panels then generate electricity. An inverter built into the panels converts this into a current, which makes the energy usable in your home. Any excess energy converted by your solar panels can be ‘sold back’ into the electricity grid or diverted to a battery storage system.
The price of an average 6.6kW solar system has fallen by over 50% in the last six years, even without government subsidies in place. As a rough guide, the average 5kW system costs around $8,000 after the Federal rebate (but before State rebates and loans*).
*Currently, the Victorian State Government is providing a rebate of up to $1,400 and an interest-free loan of $1,400 for eligible solar systems.
The Australian Government provides incentives for solar systems, both small and large under the Renewable Energy Target (RET). The RET then incentivise the installation of small-scale solar systems under the Small-Scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES).
The SRES was developed to assist households, small businesses, and community groups with the cost of installing a solar photovoltaic (PV) system. The SRES works by issuing Small-Scale Technology Certificates (STCs) to homes and businesses that install systems under 100 kilowatts (kW) in terms of the DC Solar Panel capacity. The STCs are officially created once an accredited solar installer has commissioned the system.
STCs are based on the expected output of the solar system until 2030, when the rebate will cease. One STC is the equivalent of 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) of renewable energy. So to calculate your STCs, you will need to calculate how many MWh are produced by your system each year until 2030.
The key thing for solar system purchasers to know is that installers assume responsibility for STCs. This means that you do not have to worry about how much you’ll be able to claim back as a ‘rebate’, rather the STC incentive will be presented in the form of a ‘discount’ directly to the price of your system
Victorian households are eligible to receive a rebate and loan for installing a solar (PV) system if:
they are the owner-occupier of the property
the owners have a combined household income of under $210,000 per year
it is an existing property, valued at under $3 million
they do not have an existing solar PV system
Eligible Victorian householders can apply for a rebate (of up to $1,400) and an interest-free loan (of up to $1,400 for a solar system and up to $8,800 for a solar battery) to complement the Australian Government (STC) incentive.
Depending on weather and the size of the solar system, it usually takes 1 to 3 days to complete the installation of a new system.
A solar system should last between 25-30 years, keeping in mind that the efficiency of the system is likely to decline over that period, particularly as years progress. In saying that, all systems usually come with a long and comprehensive warranty that covers both parts and performance.
A typical family home uses 20kWh of energy a day, so in this instance a 6.6kW solar system (or about 15 panels) would meet most of this house’s needs. A 6.6kW system measures around 35m2, or 7m x 5m.
If you have enough space on your house or shed roof, north-facing usually works best in the Southern hemisphere. However, you can still catch enough sunlight on east or west-facing panels depending on the time of day. For example, systems with west-facing panels receive the most sunlight in the late afternoon, while east-facing panels receive more in the morning. Before picking out a space on your roof, make sure there isn’t any shade in the way. Shade can be caused by a taller property nearby, a large tree in front of your house, or even a fast-growing hedge by the side of your property
Solar energy could help to cut your energy bills in two ways
Using solar energy lowers your dependence on your energy provider which helps to reduce your energy bills. You can also make conscious steps to reduce your energy consumption so that your house runs predominately on solar energy.
If your panels produce more energy than you use, excess energy can be ‘sold back’ to the electricity grid. This is known as a feed-in tariff and may help you to offset your overall energy expenses. Most tariffs are around 5 cents per kWh (1 kWh is roughly equivalent to running a dishwasher for an hour, or watching a plasma TV for 3 hours).
This depends on:
How much energy you use on average
When you use that energy
The feed-in tariff rate in your State
The size of the solar system you install
Where you live
So, let’s assume you’re paying 30c per kWh right now. If you use all of the solar power you generate, you could easily save $2,000 every year on your electricity bills. That would mean the solar system could start paying for itself in just 3-4 years.
Sounds Confusing?
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