What is a solar panel?
A solar panel converts light energy into electricity without causing pollution. Solar panels are also referred to as a photovoltaic or PV modules (photo = light, voltaic = electricity).

What is the difference between a solar power system and a solar hot water system?
A solar power system uses silicon cells and light to produce electricity. A solar hot water system uses black pipes, evacuated tubes and the sun’s heat to heat water.

How long has PV been around?
The first solar cells were made in the 1880s. Modern solar panels were developed during the 1950s and progressively improved to increase efficiency and reduce costs.

What is a grid connected solar power system?
When the solar panels on your roof are connected to your existing commercial electricity supply, the system is said to be grid connected.

What size solar power system should I buy?
Any size Grid Connect solar power system will make an impact on reducing pollution and decreasing your electricity bill. However, for most people the maximum return on investment occurs with systems under 1500 watts. This is because under the new Solar Credits scheme about to be introduced, the first 1.5kw of solar panels receive 5 times as many RECs as anything over that size. You can buy a larger system, but will only receive a single value RECs for the extra panels.

How much will it cost?
For a simple 1050 watt system you pay between $11,000 and $12,000 depending on your house (single or double storey, tiles or flat roof). After the Solar Credits this comes back to around $7000, less if you are eligible for further discounts.

How much will a 1050W grid connected system save?
The average home uses about 18 kilowatt hours per day. The system will produce on average about 3.5 kilowatt hours per day or 1200kwh per year. This will reduce your electricity bill by about $250 a year while reducing the amount of CO2 in the environment by about 1.65 tonnes each year. The solar system will also cushion the impact of future electricity price increases. If a feed-in tariff is introduced, your quarterly electricity bill could reduce by anything up to $180 a quarter in today’s dollars depending on what a future feed-in tariff is set at.

What are Solar Credits and how do they work?
Solar Credits are the proposed scheme to replace the previous rebates program. They are effectively an industry funded, rather than government funded discount to solar purchasers. In effect you will receive an up front discount from your solar supplier based on the size of your solar system. For the next 2 years you will get up to $6500 discount for a 1.5kw solar system. This amount will progressively reduce over the following 4 years until you will only get about $1300 discount. The solar company will use this discount to create Renewable Energy Credits similar to shares and then try to sell these to electricity companies who must buy them to offset their carbon emissions.
The government has effectively capped the price at $50 per REC. A 1kw solar system normally creates 18 RECs, but for the next 2 years this is multiplied by 5 to compensate for the closure of the rebate program.

What is a feed-in tariff?
This is the price the government says must be paid for the power produced by your solar panels. Currently you are paid one for one. However, most state governments are planning to introduce a NETT feed-in tariff that pays up to 4 times the retail price for your EXCESS solar power. This is supposed to greatly reduced overall electricity bill.
However, most other countries use a GROSS feed-in tariff which pays for ALL your solar energy produced. This is how it works in other countries …

No Feed-in Tariff i.e. one to one 20kwh per day
You buy: 20kwh per day @ $0.16 per kwh = $3.20
You produce: 4kwh per day @ $0.16 per kwh = $0.64
You pay: The difference = $2.56 per day

With GROSS Feed-in Tariff of say $0.60
You buy: 20kwh per day @ $0.16 per kwh = $3.20
You produce: 4kwh per day @ $0.60 per kwh = $2.40
You pay: The difference = $0.80 per day

With NETT Feed-in Tariff of say $0.60
You buy: 20kwh per day @ $0.16 per kwh = $3.20
You produce: 1kwh per day EXCESS @ $0.60 per kwh = $0.60
You produce: 3kwh per day @ $0.16 per kwh = $0.48
You pay: The difference = $2.12 per day

As you can see, a GROSS feed-in tariff is a preferred system that would encourage more people to invest in a solar system. Talk to your state politician about this if you want a better deal for people wanting to make a difference.

How does the electricity retailer know how much to bill me when I am producing some
of my own power?
In most cases the electricity meter records the electricity your solar panels send to the grid as well as the energy consumed from the grid. However, in some cases it may instead record all the energy produced from the solar modules as well as all the energy consumed by the house. Your electricity distributor reads the meter and determines your balance. Your electricity retailer then bills for the energy consumed OR makes payment for the excess production. In Victoria, the proposed legislation only gives you a credit, not a payment and if you don’t use the credit up in 12 months, you lose it. Another case of unfairly treating those people trying to reduce our planets problems.

Why use solar power?
• It is quiet, clean energy and reduces electricity bills.
• It avoids the impacts of fossil fuel power stations such as greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution.
• It can add value to your house, and make an interesting and unique architectural feature.

If I have solar electric panels, does that mean I won’t have electricity when it’s dark, cloudy or raining?
Solar panels do need light to produce electricity. However, the electricity can be stored in batteries (Stand Alone Power Systems, SAPS) or in the electricity cables on the street (Grid-Connected Solar Systems). Therefore, there’ll always be electricity when you need it.

Will my solar panels make power during blackouts/power surges?
If you have a gridconnected system your power will go out in a blackout, as your system’s inverter automatically disconnects the electricity supply to prevent electrocution. When this happens, you can’t get your electricity back out of the cables, and you can’t put any more in. In regional areas where the supply of electricity is not reliable, ‘uninterruptible power supply’ (UPS) solar power systems can be set up to provide power when blackouts or power surges occur. Such systems also incorporate a battery bank to store the back up power.

Are solar power systems reliable?
Solar power systems are covered by Australian standards and installed by trained professionals. The actual life of the solar panels is expected to be more than 30 years.

How reflective are solar panels?
Solar panels are designed to absorb as much light as possible to generate the maximum amount of electricity. Therefore the materials typically have no or low reflectivity.

What is an Inverter?
The Grid Connected inverter converts the electricity from your solar panels to mains power electricity. It also safely stops the solar system if there is a blackout on the powerlines.

How many solar panels do I need to run my house?
This depends on how much power you use. Even if you are a high user of electricity, you can dramatically cut your energy use by being Energy Smart, which in turn would require a smaller more affordable system for your home. Also, you don’t need to install enough panels to power the whole house if you live on grid electricity. You could, for instance, buy as many panels as you can afford (and add on later), and buy Accredited Green Power for the rest. A solar panel has an area of 1.35 square metres, and a Grid Connect System will take up a minimum roof area, starting from about 8 square metres. We can design a system to meet 100% of your electricity needs, or to the size or budget you require.

Do I need permission from the electricity supplier before I install solar panels?
Yes. Electricity suppliers are not obliged to connect your system to the grid. Before you purchase a grid-connected solar power system, we will check with your local electricity supplier about connection and metering arrangements.

What about heritage-listed areas?
It depends on the council’s regulations, so it is best to check with your local council. We can do this for you.

Do I need home building insurance to install?
No, but Home and Contents insurance is a good idea if you have solar panels. As with all major household purchases, make sure that your solar power system is included.

What if my roof doesn’t face north?
North-facing roofs are ideal for solar power, but most systems can work up to an angle of 45 degrees off North, or a system can be designed on a side-pitch array frame for West, and West Facing roofs. Solar panels installed onto flat roofs can be tilted to face the sun.

If I move home, can I take the solar panels with me?
You could take your solar power system down and re-install it at your new house provided the roof of the new house is suitable.
Or, you could include it in the selling price of your house.

How long does the solar installation take?
A typical installation typically takes one to two days depending on your property. We will inspect your site to determine the ease of installation. The installation includes connection of the solar system to mains power, installation of the inverter, and installation of the solar panels and framing. Installation does not include the changeover of the electrical meter – this will be charged to you by the electricity provider, and the meter normally gets changed two weeks following the installation.

Why does my meter get changed over?
The meter must be changed so your electricity retailer can read the amount of solar electricity you export so they can credit your account.

Do solar power systems ever pay themselves back?
The solar system will produce 100% Green Energy every sunny day. A solar power system is a long-term investment with a typical payback or around 10-15 years. However as prices go up, the payback will shorten. If the feed-in tariff comes into effect, this will also dramatically shorten the payback, perhaps as low as 6-8 years. Keep in mind that solar panels are a similar price to many other home renovations and consumer goods, which will never pay themselves back e.g. home theatre, new carpet, swimming pool, a new kitchen or even a car.

Is it more expensive to fit to an old house than buying a system for a new house?
The cost would be about the same if the roofs were the same shape. If you are building a new house you can make sure the roof is optimally shaped and oriented for solar power. If you are building a new house, the relative cost of the solar panels compared to the overall cost of the house will be small.

Will solar panels damage my roof structure?
Your roof has been designed to carry a lot of weight and most roofs will hold panels without the need for reinforcement. Solar panel framing is attached to the rafters of the house so that the load is ultimately borne by the roof structure not the roof material (e.g. tiles). The installer will design your solar power system to take account of the roof structure. Solar panels are placed over the top of any roof penetrations, and all penetrations are waterproofed so the roof won’t leak.

Are they easily maintained?
Yes. Solar panels are designed so that they need little or no maintenance. Dust typically reduces output by 5% but since solar panels are sloped, the rain keeps them clean. You may need to hose them down after long periods of little rain.

Will my solar panels survive a hailstorm?
Yes. Solar panels are made of toughened glass and are generally indestructible. They are also sloped so hail tends to glance off rather than hit directly.

Is my Solar system electrically safe?
As accredited installers, our installations comply with the Australian Standards for Solar Electricity Grid Connect systems. All installed systems are inspected by an electrical inspector and a Certificate of Electrical Safety is issued.

Do solar panels produce enough energy to recoup the energy it took to make them?
Yes. Modern solar panels will make approximately enough electricity in 4 years to cover the amount of energy that was used in manufacture. Solar panels generally have a 25+-year lifespan.

What is the environmental cost of making solar panels?
Making solar cells from silicon does use some toxic chemicals. However these are all contained and re-used, unlike the air pollution created by burning coal. Disposal can also be controlled.

How efficient are solar panels in comparison to other renewable energy technologies?
In terms of converting a renewable resource to energy, solar panels are less efficient (15%) than other renewable energy technologies such as wind farms (30%) or hydro generators (40%). But solar panels require the least maintenance since there are no ‘moving parts’ as in other technologies and will last longer without requiring upgrades.

More Information
www.solarsunwex.com.au
www.greenhouse.gov.au
www.sustainability.vic.gov.au

Download the Solar Sunwerx Solar Power FAQ sheet