All things Solar (merged threads) - Page 36

ute83 · 06-09-2012, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

sorry mate but as "the consumer" we are always the end tax payer........usually above the rate charged as is the case with power as of now

as I stated previously the original price of carbon was set at $30 per tonne and the power price went up immediately to reflect that, in my case a substantial increase

the government has now decided to go with "world parity'.....currently set at $10 per tonne but I have had no contact from my supplier as to when the new price will fall to reflect this new price

if this is not gouging then I don't know what is

a lot of the the top 200 polluters in the country have received an "amnesty" and some have successfully applied for a license to pollute without retribution or payment

big business have refused a buyout offer on playford at Port Augusta (not enough money offered) so generator No 2 will sit idle over summer until a decision has been reached

Joy Baluch told me that she and most of the City want a thermal solar plant put in place, the company that owns the generating plant are "thinking about it"

You have your numbers all wrong poppa. The carbon price is $23 a tonne now and will go up slightly each year. In 2015 this set carbon price reverts to a emission trading scheme which used to have a floor price but now will be linked to the EU ets price and no minnimum price. So no lower prices till july 2015 at the earliest or the guvment loses the next election.

davenl5l · 07-09-2012, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tha Jack

Just got a quote from eurosolar for the same system $8450 seems they charge more for Victorians.

geez that sucks

poppa smurf · 07-09-2012, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ute83

You have your numbers all wrong poppa. The carbon price is $23 a tonne now and will go up slightly each year. In 2015 this set carbon price reverts to a emission trading scheme which used to have a floor price but now will be linked to the EU ets price and no minnimum price. So no lower prices till july 2015 at the earliest or the guvment loses the next election.

Gillard started it at $23 per tonne and that was what the new power prices were set at but $30 was tossed around and immediately taken up by power companies, only they called it 30%

it has dropped significantly since with no concurring fall in power price

prydey · 07-09-2012, 04:15 PM

system was turned on about 1pm monday arvo, so 4 days in and i've generated 55kwh so far. that might not seem to flash on face value, but considering the weather we've had here in adelaide...

tuesday was an almost perfect day and it generated 20kwh. today the sun has been out a bit as well and its up to 14kwh. the rest of the week has been abysmal! it is spring isn't it???

the novelty hasn't worn off yet. checking my meter every day...

**supershifty** · 07-09-2012, 05:56 PM

Nice Rob, I knew you wouldn't be disappointed. You're generating more than I figured. The novelty of checking my meter output daily hasn't worn off on me yet. I've had my system installed since April '12. My converter is by my front door though - it's kinda hard not to press the buttons as I walk past. Summer days - bring it on!!

mickyyyy · 07-09-2012, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prydey

system was turned on about 1pm monday arvo, so 4 days in and i've generated 55kwh so far. that might not seem to flash on face value, but considering the weather we've had here in adelaide...

tuesday was an almost perfect day and it generated 20kwh. today the sun has been out a bit as well and its up to 14kwh. the rest of the week has been abysmal! it is spring isn't it???

the novelty hasn't worn off yet. checking my meter every day...

What size system did you install???

prydey · 07-09-2012, 07:03 PM

see post #1009

3.8kw

ute83 · 07-09-2012, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

Gillard started it at $23 per tonne and that was what the new power prices were set at but $30 was tossed around and immediately taken up by power companies, only they called it 30%

it has dropped significantly since with no concurring fall in power price

The price is $23 a tonne until 01/07/2013 when it goes up about a dollar. It does not go up and down during the year. I don't know where you get the $30 from.

mickyyyy · 11-09-2012, 07:48 AM

If i recall correctly back in 2010 the government i think accounced that our power bills will rise to 64% by end of 2013. Do i recall correctly? If so how much percent has it gone up since 2010???

prydey · 11-09-2012, 08:16 AM

going back through my bills, here in SA

in 2000 i was paying about 12c/kwh
in 2005 that was up to about 16c
in 2010 that was still only about 18c...

today, in 2012 it is now 25c so not quite 50% rise, but at the rate things are going i would not be surprised if it is 64% by end of next year.

mickyyyy · 11-09-2012, 09:29 AM

Im sure it was anoouced!!! need to find out to work out payback period of solar system...

prydey · 11-09-2012, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickyyyy

Im sure it was anoouced!!! need to find out to work out payback period of solar system...

as long as you put a system on big enough to cover your usage + a bit more, then you will pay it off as you won't be paying a bill. this is regardless of any feed in tariff.

the beauty of feed in tariffs (the ones that are more than what you buy it for off the grid) is that you can still cover your bill even if your system isn't quite covering your usage. with feed in tariffs now almost disappearing, it means it is more important to get the right size system for you.

from what i can gather a 3kw system will average around 12kwh give or take for the year (more in summer, a lot less in winter). some are slightly better than others but thats a reasonable ball park to base calculations on.

according to my bills, i average around 15-17kwh a day which is why i went for 20 panels. at the moment, its doing it easy.

mickyyyy · 11-09-2012, 10:19 AM

Our roof is 25 dregress NNE and no shade so we have a very good position for solar, so system should generate great kwh...

Our current usuage is average 15kwh a day and 7 is being used during the day for all standby items eg 2 fridges, TV and the rest of it....

A 2kw system can cover day costs as most of them average 7kwh but thinking 3kwh, as i can see more day use in the future...

Here is a solar system payback calculator

http://www.ecoonline.com.au/product-...-pv-calculator

Still getting my head around it

prydey · 11-09-2012, 12:48 PM

i wouldn't worry too much about all the payback stuff. to me solar is primarily to cover your usage, so at an average of 15kwh a day, i wouldn't go anything less than 3.0kw system, and even then that would be marginal in my opinion.

thats just my view.

mickyyyy · 11-09-2012, 05:54 PM

A 2kw Trina panel and Aurora inverter combo on average will produce 7kwh but on a good day it should produce upto 10kwh

A 3kw Trina panel and Aurora inverter combo on average will produce 10kwh but on a good day it should produce upto 14kwh

Now that our roof is 25 degress NNE with no shade it should work very well and produce average numbers easy, plus more because of roof position.

Based on our current usage of 15kwh per day and about 7ish being used from 7am to 5pm, a 2kw system will cover the cost for those hrs.

A 3kw system would be better because of overcast and raining days that we have to consider, which could potentially be upto 50% of the year...

Have to punch in the numbers to justify the extra 1200-1500 to go 3kw

xisled · 11-09-2012, 07:04 PM

IMO I would be looking to go bigger system, the main reason for this. In Vic price for electricty, can be increased every 6 months, and in other states big increase happens around 1st of july every year.

Flickxr6fg · 11-09-2012, 07:57 PM

my wife and i live in Dubbo, NU energy come to town offering free 1.5kw systems cos of the high aussi dollar and prices. All we had to pay for was for the fitting of the unit and a new meter which was about $500. we just had to sign our green credits from the gov over to them which was fine with me, we got in before they reduced the fed in tarrif we are so glad we did this as our last power bill was only $50. We will enjoy it while it lastes.

MAD · 11-09-2012, 09:57 PM

What's the point if you're not home during the day to make use of all that power, and only get a measly 8c for it.

Stagg · 12-09-2012, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAD

What's the point if you're not home during the day to make use of all that power, and only get a measly 8c for it.

To save the environment and so that our children can breathe clean air!!

mickyyyy · 12-09-2012, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAD

What's the point if you're not home during the day to make use of all that power, and only get a measly 8c for it.

Thats why you only get a system that will cover the day cost... The solar system will work from 7/8am till 4/5pm in winter and 6/7pm in summer

MAD · 12-09-2012, 09:10 AM

I was referring to xisled's comment after yours.

There is now no incentive to have the residential sector generating substantial amounts of power that industry uses during the day. Instead the best that will come from it is the relatively few households that have someone home during the day.

The original idea was to reduce the dependency on the power plants, the lower feed in price has shot that to hell.

mickyyyy · 12-09-2012, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xisled

IMO I would be looking to go bigger system, the main reason for this. In Vic price for electricty, can be increased every 6 months, and in other states big increase happens around 1st of july every year.

IMO i would get a system that is sufficient for your home because maybe one day the feed in tarriff could be gone...

prydey · 12-09-2012, 10:22 AM

i think the import export meter isn't 100% fair the way it works. i think if they made it work similar to the current meter it would be much better.

currently, my meter turns backwards when i'm generating more than i'm using. i've been recording the readings and its currently reading the same as it was when the panels were installed. it has risen as much as 15kwh above that at various times, but the last couple of days has been nice and sunny and the meter is now back where it started. this to me isn't a bad system as i'm not selling and buying at different prices and when they come to read the meter that will determine whether i'm due for a rebate or a bill. winding back the meter is almost like storing the power on your property as on cloudy days or during the night, if you have wound it back by 10kwh during the day its like you have that 'stored' to use.

with the import export meter, i'm not 100% how it works but i think the it works more on a monetary system rather than a power system. this is where the tariff comes in but maybe they should have kept it as a power system. ie, instead of being paid for the power, you just get credited the amount of power you feed back in.

Flickxr6fg · 12-09-2012, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAD

What's the point if you're not home during the day to make use of all that power, and only get a measly 8c for it.

It's a fed in tariff so you get paid for the power your unit puts back into the grid, when the cheque comes in the mail you use that money to help pay your power bill. Our last power bill was $425 and we produced $375 of solor power so all we had to pay out of our pocket was $50. That was on 66c per kw, 8c per kw is just wrong and a ripoff they should atleast pay what they charge you per kw which is 23c or there abouts.

davenl5l · 12-09-2012, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flickxr6fg

It's a fed in tariff so you get paid for the power your unit puts back into the grid, when the cheque comes in the mail you use that money to help pay your power bill. Our last power bill was $425 and we produced $375 of solor power so all we had to pay out of our pocket was $50. That was on 66c per kw, 8c per kw is just wrong and a ripoff they should atleast pay what they charge you per kw which is 23c or there abouts.

yep in sa i get .23c kwh feed in tariff & 5% discount on what i buy back this should cover me i hope. also just so people know i started turning everything off at the power points 3 yrs ago including the stove as this has a switch on the wall this saved us $50 a quarter before all the over the top price rises here in sa

mickyyyy · 12-09-2012, 11:21 AM

Flickxr6fg & davenl5l

Totally agree they should at least pay back what we are charged per kwh but sadly they dont!!!

That why i just want a system to cover day usuage costs... and like davenl5l find ways of saving power during the hours the appliance is not being used...

xisled · 12-09-2012, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prydey

i think the import export meter isn't 100% fair the way it works. i think if they made it work similar to the current meter it would be much better.

currently, my meter turns backwards when i'm generating more than i'm using. i've been recording the readings and its currently reading the same as it was when the panels were installed. it has risen as much as 15kwh above that at various times, but the last couple of days has been nice and sunny and the meter is now back where it started. this to me isn't a bad system as i'm not selling and buying at different prices and when they come to read the meter that will determine whether i'm due for a rebate or a bill. winding back the meter is almost like storing the power on your property as on cloudy days or during the night, if you have wound it back by 10kwh during the day its like you have that 'stored' to use.

with the import export meter, i'm not 100% how it works but i think the it works more on a monetary system rather than a power system. this is where the tariff comes in but maybe they should have kept it as a power system. ie, instead of being paid for the power, you just get credited the amount of power you feed back in.

Over time with your meter going backwards it will not work correctly and you run the risk of the meter becoming faulty. If it becomes faulty then your meter may spin quicker than it should and you will be charged for more power than you are using.

xisled · 12-09-2012, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickyyyy

IMO i would get a system that is sufficient for your home because maybe one day the feed in tarriff could be gone...

The feed in tariffs will be gone soon. In NSW there is no buy back currently.

The reason I said get the biggest system possible is that I work for a company, who has the contract for 4 power retailers call centres, billing and operations and 2 distributors.

Now if you used your current useage to buy a system, when the next price increase happens, you will get a bill. If you get the biggest system possbile at the time and it will generate more than you use, this will cover your cost for a couple years plus.

I know from firsthand experience what the price increase does and how it can change someone's power bill. I have also seen across VIC, NSW and QLD the drop in the feed in tariff and how that has changed people's bill also.

I will give you an example. I had a look at a person’s bill from the same time last year. The usage was very similar, but the bill had increased by $100 for the quarter.

My self personally I have worked for 2 retailers. In the NSW, VIC and QLD market. I currently do not work in the call center side of things, but have for over a year.

Stagg · 12-09-2012, 02:37 PM

Industry news is any one is interested.

Trina Solar to be further streamlining their manufacturing process, Price of Trina to reduce for Australia in the near future:

http://www.pv-tech.org/news/trina_so..._and_headcount

Watching the large manufacturers over time (Suntech, Trina, Renesola, First Solar, Bosch, Schott), what the cost of Trina modules are compared to other big name brands is incredibly competitive at the moment, particularly Trina Honey modules. Their polycrystalline build is the most efficient poly panel available and is more efficient than most monocrystalline modules as of today, they are certainly becoming very popular.

It's been crunch time here in VIC with the FiT ending very soon, about an hour ago we ran out of installation and inspection slots for the month of February, everyone is just having a quick break. Everyone has been rushing at the last minute again to have solar installed... Looks like it's going to be a quiet few more months here again in the solar world, until next June when the STCs drop again.

On another interesting side note that I will look into, one of our photovoltaic engineers (Used to work for Applied Materials) had said he found a report which states that in Victoria due to industry changes that 40% of solar companies will be going into administration in the next two months, with the longest standing and most bankable staying afloat. Nonetheless it's a wild industry to work in

mickyyyy · 12-09-2012, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xisled

The feed in tariffs will be gone soon. In NSW there is no buy back currently.

The reason I said get the biggest system possible is that I work for a company, who has the contract for 4 power retailers call centres, billing and operations and 2 distributors.

Now if you used your current useage to buy a system, when the next price increase happens, you will get a bill. If you get the biggest system possbile at the time and it will generate more than you use, this will cover your cost for a couple years plus.

I know from firsthand experience what the price increase does and how it can change someone's power bill. I have also seen across VIC, NSW and QLD the drop in the feed in tariff and how that has changed people's bill also.

I will give you an example. I had a look at a person’s bill from the same time last year. The usage was very similar, but the bill had increased by $100 for the quarter.

My self personally I have worked for 2 retailers. In the NSW, VIC and QLD market. I currently do not work in the call center side of things, but have for over a year.

I dont get the point going a bigger system if the usuage stay's the same!!!

E.G 15kw a day and 7 of that during the day so a 2kw system can cover day costs. If i go 3kw ill just be feeding more kw into the grid and i have to fork out an extra $1500.00 to get the extra 1kw and longer payback period...