Rooftop Solar PV is now very affordable, reducing your energy bills and lowering your carbon emissions
However, for many people wanting to install solar, they often face difficulty in deciding the type and size of solar rooftop installation or finding a reputable supplier.
Get up to date at the Electrify Boroondara on 8th September
Visit the Electrify Boroondara Expo on Sunday 8th September, 10am-4pm, at the Hawthorn Arts Centre – over 50 stalls so you can make direct comparisons on solar, heat pumps and more, there will be many except speakers, EFVs, e-bikes and supporters including Dr Monique Ryan MP and The Hon Lily D’Ambrosio.
Generating your own energy
‘I have been keen on solar since my first installation in 2010’ says Rob Brown, Camberwell resident. “Reducing climate impact and household costs were our reasons for installing. It also gives the feeling of taking back some control. More recently, for our second solar installation, we went for a 5 kW system with 6 kWh of batteries. If we ever do another one it will be as big as possible with as much battery size as we can afford.”
‘We have tried to do our bit for tackling climate change by installing solar panels’ says Peter Hartley, North Balwyn resident. ‘The results were so pleasing, that a few years ago we installed more panels and ”maxed out” our roof. The new panels have more than twice the output of the original panels. We now have hot water, heating and electrical cooking, mostly powered by the sun’.
Carolyn Ingvarson has continued move towards an all electric home with a larger solar system
Carolyn Ingvarson recently upgraded her solar system and is moving the whole house away from gas, with induction cooking and new heat pumps. She sees the additional solar and energy self sufficiency as adding the value of a period home, and as an important family contribution to climate action.
Orientation
This raises a couple of other questions that often arise. If my roof faces east-west rather than north-south will solar work for me?
Mick Nolan – solar for household energy
Mick Nolan explains, “I agonised a bit about whether to put the panels flat on the roof or put them on frames facing north-east on an east pitched section of our roof. In the end I went for frames but there is a lot more technical advice available these days about how to optimise panel orientation and any shading issues”.
Rob Brown also has a comment on orientation: I would also go east-west with the panels rather than north facing”.
Maintenance
We spoke to East Kew resident, John Gare about whether he had any ongoing maintenance issues. “Our 1.7 KW array installed in 2008 was the first in the street. In 2016 we had to have one panel replaced due to electrical shorting where water had seeped under a seal at the edge of the solar rooftop panel. This was done without too much trouble, and we found a recycling depot to accept the unserviceable panel.
A few years ago we then we added another array of 11 x 300 watt panels on the flat roof of an extension to the west, giving us a total of 5 kW, each array with its own inverter”.
First time for many years – Russell Williams is cleaning his solar system
Russell Williams thinks he should have probably cleaned his panels a little bit sooner (its been closer to ten years than five), but says its not really a big deal!
Reducing emissions for a safer climate – panels make other actions even better!
Russell Williams enjoys the convenience of his electric car, and feels good that by charging during the day he is maximising his solar usage!
Russell Williams is able to power his electric vehicle with cleaner energy during the day through his solar system
Mick Nolan says “Putting solar panels on our roof a few years ago was one of the best decisions we’ve made. It still amazes me that this group of panels on our roof can make electricity which powers our refrigerator and dishwasher during most days. Installing solar is great local climate action. I’d much prefer to convert sunshine to electricity and reduce our electricity created by burning brown coal”.
Payback periods, and solar positives
Some people worry about how many years it will take to payback the expenditure on solar panels. The general consensus is somewhere between 3 to 6 years, obviously depending on whether you are in Hobart or Tennant Creek, the size of your system, and your usage patterns.
Many look at it another way and say that solar panels actually add to a house’s re-sale value. So while there is upfront cost, there are immediate, significant reduction in your energy bills as well as your carbon footprint.
So there are many positives.
Perhaps Lynn Frankes sums it up, “We put a 2kw solar system on our roof in 2008. I can remember a great feeling of relief when the panels were installed – we were now part of the solution. We had done quite a bit to reduce our consumption, including a home energy audit, but generating your own electricity takes you to the next level.”
Another way of looking at solar is energy security, rather than as strictly as energy bill reduction
Lynn Frankes says “I think some people think putting solar on will eliminate their electricity bills. That hasn’t been the case for us. We get credits in the summer and small bills in the winter. I think of it as an investment that reduces our ongoing expenses as we enter the age of retirement”.
A final question – batteries or battery ready?
Many people have upgraded their systems given current reductions in PV system prices, or are considering adding solar right now. At that point the question of batteries inevitably arises, particularly if the household has a reasonable evening usage profile, and the system is of a medium or larger size.
Lynn Frankes has extended her households solar system
Lynn Frankes says “We upgraded our system a few years ago when the roof needed replacing with colour-bond. We chose a 10kw solar system in anticipation of putting in a battery when the price comes down a bit more. Who knows, maybe a community battery will be a better option, or I am quite interested in the idea of using an electric vehicle (EV) to act as the home battery. Having solar does make me think more about how we use electricity. We don’t run the washing machine or dishwasher at night, for example.”
Independent advice and trusted providers
For many people, it would take many hours to research these issues.
This is where access to trusted information, for instance from Solar Victoria, Yarra Energy Foundation or more locally Electrify Boroondara can be helpful.
Further Information
Solar Victoria
- Solar Victoria information page with links to solar panel information and solar hot water, news, case studies, rebates and more
- Solar rebate page – up to $1400 per household, – combined incomes under $210,000 per year
- Savings page – average household saves over $1000 per year on energy bills
Clean Energy Council
- Finding an approved solar retailer through the NETCC scheme
Yarra Energy Foundation
Electrify Boroondara
- Solar information page
- How to get started on your electrification journey resource with useful links
- Electrification information master page leading to info pages on heat pump hot water, induction cooking, EVs, e-bikes, batteries, energy efficiency and more
- Going electric slideset with detailed information and justifying links – all you need to know on electric appliances, saving money on energy bills, saving carbon and why gas is seriously bad for your health.
- Solar experts panel at the Electrify Boroondara Expo with John Grimes, Smart Energy Council and Ric Brazzale, Green Energy Markets
Lighter Footprints
- Solar information page
- Check out our entertaining short video on going electric with home energy expert Tim Forcey or pick up a copy of his new handbook here, full of tips on the electrification process, including solar PV.
- Webinar on solar from Peter Mercurio, YEF, with slideset here, Although the MCPH program has finished, the slideset has particularly useful details on installation, orientation, shading and mounting.
- Webinar on solar and heat pumps from Lachlan Hensey MCPH via YEF
- Blog on benefits of solar