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Solar Power Consumer Guide V2.6 - 2 CONTENTS WHY GO SOLAR? ....................

Solar Power Consumer Guide V2.6 - 2 CONTENTS WHY GO SOLAR? ............................................................................................................................................................. 3 TYPES OF SOLAR POWER SYSTEMS .................................................................................................................. 4 HOW A GRID CONNECT SYSTEM WORKS .................................................................................................. 5 HOW AN OFF-GRID SYSTEM WORKS ............................................................................................................. 6 SOLAR POWER SYSTEM COMPONENTS ....................................................................................................... 7 Solar panels .......................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Solar Inverters ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Mounting Systems ............................................................................................................................................................. 9 Cables and connectors ................................................................................................................................................... 9 Electricity meters ............................................................................................................................................................. 10 SOLAR PANEL INSTALLATION FACTORS .................................................................................................... 11 Orientation .......................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Tilting ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Shading ................................................................................................................................................................................. 11 Mounting .............................................................................................................................................................................. 11 GRID CONNECT SOLAR POWER SYSTEM LIFESPAN ........................................................................ 12 HOW BIG A SOLAR POWER SYSTEM WILL YOU NEED? .............................................................. 13 SOLAR REBATES ............................................................................................................................................................... 15 STCs ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Feed in Tariffs ................................................................................................................................................................... 15 CHOOSING A SOLAR INSTALLER ..................................................................................................................... 16 KNOW WHAT QUESTIONS TO ASK .............................................................................................................. 18 Questions for your installer ....................................................................................................................................... 18 Questions for your electricity retailer ................................................................................................................... 18 Questions for your electricity provider about the meter connection .................................................. 18 ADDITIONAL TIPS WHEN SHOPPING FOR SOLAR POWER ...................................................... 19 ABOUT ENERGY MATTERS ...................................................................................................................................... 22 Solar Power Consumer Guide V2.6 - 3 WHY GO SOLAR? Solar power systems are collectively saving Australian households over a million dollars a day on their electricity bills. Aside from giving you the opportunity to generate your own electricity, a rooftop solar array addresses issues relating to the expense and inefficiency of distributing power over long distances and contributes to reining in wholesale electricity prices in Australia. The electricity solar panels produce is also “clean” – an environmentally friendly way to generate power, unlike the use of coal or other fossil fuels. Because they have no moving parts, solar modules are extremely reliable, with an expected life span of several decades. They are also self-cleaning, easy to install and require very little in the way of maintenance. The average vehicle in Australia travels 15000km per annum, which is equivalent to 4.5 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. A 3.5kW grid connected solar power system will avoid 4.5 tons of carbon dioxide created through coal fired power generation - so it's the equivalent of taking a car off the road each year. Solar Power Consumer Guide V2.6 - 4 TYPES OF SOLAR POWER SYSTEMS The two main types of solar power systems are grid connect and off grid (stand alone/remote power). A grid connect installation ensures you have the electricity you need, whenever you need it - automatically and regardless of weather conditions. With a grid connect system your property is still connected to the electricity grid for periods such as night-time when solar electricity production is not possible. An off grid solar power system is completely separated from mains power and is more expensive as it utilises a battery bank for storing electricity generated by solar panels. Off grid installations are most common in rural and outback areas of Australia where the mains grid isn't available, or prohibitively expensive to connect to. Solar Power Consumer Guide V2.6 - 5 HOW A GRID CONNECT SYSTEM WORKS Most people in residential areas going solar invest in grid connect systems. Electricity from the solar panels is converted into supply suitable for domestic appliances via an inverter. Whenever the system produces more power than is being used, the surplus is fed into the mains grid. Depending on your electricity provider and location, you could be paid a premium for every kilowatt hour of electricity your solar system feeds into the grid. When your solar system isn’t producing energy – for example, at night – the electricity is supplied by the mains power grid, as usual. 1. Solar panels directly convert sunlight into direct current (DC) electrical energy. 2. The inverter converts the solar DC power into 240V alternating current (AC) ready to be fed back into the grid or used in your home. 3. AC power from the inverter goes through the switch board for use in your home. 4. The meter records the energy sent to the grid from your solar system as well as the energy consumed from the grid. 5. Any surplus electricity being generated simply flows through into the mains grid for use elsewhere. Solar Power Consumer Guide V2.6 - 6 HOW AN OFF-GRID SYSTEM WORKS Off-grid systems are suitable for people in remote areas, where a connection to the mains power grid is not available or too expensive, or for light industrial precincts where energy security is essential. These systems supply solar generated electricity through an inverter to a charge controller, which regulates the charging of batteries for energy storage. Appliances can then be run off the electricity stored in the batteries. 1. Solar panels directly convert sunlight into direct current (DC) electrical energy. 2. DC electricity flows via the regulator which prevents the batteries overcharging. 3. The control board controls DC and AC power and houses the switching and circuit protection devices. 4. The inverter changes the battery DC power into 240V alternating current (AC) ready to be used in the home. 5. The battery bank allows you to collect energy during the day and store it until you need to use it. These can be installed either inside the house or in an external battery shed. 6. A generator may be used as backup in cloudy or low wind conditions 7. As with solar PV, a wind turbine can be used to charge your batteries. Solar Power Consumer Guide V2.6 - 7 SOLAR POWER SYSTEM COMPONENTS The core components of a grid connect solar power system are the panels, inverter and mounting system. External to the system is the meter, which must also be compatible with the system. Solar panels Solar panels come in different wattages and sizes. As a rough guide, each solar panel is approximately 1.7 metres long and 1 metre wide. A 3kW solar panel system requires around 24m2 of roof space and a 5kW solar panel system requires around 40m2. There are 3 main types of solar cells used in solar modules. Monocrystalline silicon offers high efficiency and good heat tolerance characteristics in a small footprint. An example of a quality monocrystalline solar panel is the Daqo DQ190MFAa/b 190 watt module. Polycrystalline (or multi-crystalline) silicon cell based solar panels are now the most popular choice in residential installs. Recent improvements in polycrystalline panel technology have resulted in the development of modules equal to or better than many monocrystalline brands in terms of size, efficiency and heat tolerance. One of the world's leading producers of quality polycrystalline panels is REC. Amorphous (or thin-film) cells use the least amount of silicon. While some thin film panels are among the least efficient solar cells, Solar Frontier CIS solar panels offer the highest conversion efficiency of any mass-produced thin-film module. Even within any of the above technologies, performance between brands will vary. For example, some will perform better than others on hot days. With heat being the enemy of a solar panel and Australia experiencing more than its share of hot conditions, being aware of the differences is important. You can learn more about this topic in the Energy Matters produced video “Not All Solar Panels Are Equal”. What influences the cost of a solar panel? The cost of a solar panel varies greatly and is determined in part by its output capacity (in watts), the physical size, the brand, the durability / longevity (or warranty period) and any certifications the solar panel might have. Choosing a solar panel on price alone is not wise, as it may not be suited to the area where you wish to install it, may not have the necessary certifications to qualify for government incentives, or provide the performance required to assist economic payback. Solar Power Consumer Guide V2.6 - 8 Solar Power Consumer Guide V2.6 - 9 Solar Inverters Solar panels produce low voltage DC electricity. The inverter converts this into the AC electricity needed to supply power for standard appliances. The efficiency of an inverter is measured by how well it converts the DC electricity into AC electricity. This usually ranges from 95% to 97.5% for most models. Inverters are sized according to the power (watts) they can supply. As is the case with solar panels, not all solar inverters are equal and inverter efficiency will have a direct impact on the amount of time it takes for a system to pay for itself. Obviously, the more efficient the inverter the better – as less electricity will be wasted as heat during the conversion from DC to AC. While the inverter efficiency claimed by a manufacturer may be high, in reality it may not be. The only way to be sure you’re buying quality is if the inverter has real world examples of the performance of their equipment, validated by independent third party testing. Industry leading solar inverters for grid connect systems in Australia are SMA and Aurora. Be cautious of generic type brands. NOTE: It is important to ensure that your grid connect inverter complies with Australian Standards. This is required to be eligible for STCs and Solar Credits. Ask an accredited installer to provide proof uploads/Geographie/ energy-matters-solar-guide.pdf