Poll: Do you have solar panels?

[Jason]

Our latest Workshop poll asks whether you have solar panels on the roof of your house. 

Whether used for electricity generation or hot water, a growing number of Australian households are turning to solar to help reduce their energy bills. Interest is also being fuelled by affordable battery storage options and a desire to reduce the environmental impact of energy consumption. 

Let us know whether you have solar panels on your roof by adding your vote to the poll on the Workshop front page.

It would be great if Workshop members who have installed solar panels can also share their experiences by replying below. 

And if you don't currently have solar panels, you might like to tell us some of the reasons why you haven't yet taken the plunge. 

Thanks for joining in the discussion. 

Jason

[Dal]

(Sydney, Australia) Yes, installed a solar PV (Photo Voltaic) panel system (NO batteries) some 2-3 years ago. 10kW (kilo watts) of panels with 8kW of micro inverters. (Micro-inverters are individual DC (Direct Current) to AC (Alternating Current) converters, that mount under each and every solar panel. Each PV panel produces approx 35 volts DC (Direct Current) at up to 10 amps, which is then fed to the micro-inverter that converts this DC to mains AC voltage (nominally 230Vac) which is the usual household mains power that comes from the street in usual residential situations.
In my case the system is a "premium" system that cost around $18,000.00 Currently on track to have the system pay for itself around year six. Previous annual electricity bill was around $3,500.00 Now around $500.00
The house is all electric (no gas) with off-peak hot water service. Most usage during the day. Tariff is flat rate/all-time at ~30cents/kWh and off-peak (HWS Hot Water Service) at ~13cents/kWh. Solar FIT (Feed In Tariff) at 21 cents/kWh. (Origin Energy is my retailer.)
Batteries are (still) way too expensive (for me) and are NOT economic! On my current tariff values the payback period for a Tesla Power Wall 2 is well in excess of 20-25 years.
The battery warranty period is (at best) 10 years. The life of the battery will be expended long before it pays for itself with most current tariff structures.
Sure, in a small number of situations batteries may be attractive... backup power etc.
It is worth mentioning that most solar PV systems (including mine) that being locked/tied to the grid supply, MUST automatically shut down/turn-off during a blackout.
Among other reasons, this is to protect line-workers from "exported" electricity during repairs/maintenance etc.
There is a manufacturer of micro-inverters that expect to be releasing a "grid-independent" product sometime in 2020. This system will have a "disconnect-device" that will isolate the house from the street supply (during a blackout) and then allow the solar panels to keep producing power (sun shinning, of course) just for the house.
In summary, if it's possible to make the investment in a 5-10kW solar system, it is a good dollar investment with double digit % (tax-free) return.
As always, do the research, get lots of quotes/opinions and advice!

[recliner1066]

Had a 2kw system on our old house in Green Valley (Sydney, NSW). Had them installed just as the high feedback tariff terminated. We were on 66c/per KW. System cost app $6000, system paid for itself in 3 years and for a number of years we never got a bill for electricity and on a number of occasions, they sent us a cheque. We had gas hot water and stove top. Just before we sold last year we put on another 2KW system, also about $6000.
We are building a new house in Thirlmere and are having a 5KW system installed during the build. This system is costing us $4500. I am not interested in battery storage as they are extremely expensive and will be so for many years.
The government should be doing much more to encourage people to fit solar systems. Unfortunately the "green flavour" is wind. We would all love a giant wind vane in our backyard wouldn't we ???
Solar is the way to go.

[Aussie-Garden]

We are in the approval stage of the Victorian Solar Rebate scheme and are one of the lucky ones to have made it this far.
We'll be having a 32 panel, 10.08kw system installed once the rebate is approved and that reduces the price by just over $2300.00 by an approve installer.

Looking forward to any savings it brings as there are 8 of us in this house.
We also have solar hot water system with a gas booster.

Oh, if any of you are getting solar at the moment, Commonwealth Bank are possibly giving $500.00 to approved home loan customers installing solar 5kw and above.
Off the top of my head, I believe the offer runs out on the 13th and you have to have a home lone with them of $50,000.00 and above. There are other terms and conditions, but I haven't read up on it as I won't be applying.
As I said, it's all off the top of my head, so please don't quote me and do the proper research.

[ikaney]

i installed a 10.5 Kw system in June with a LG Chem Battery, I just love it, with the current feed in tariff They owe me in the order of $400 per quarter (non Summer) I plan to use that credit to run my Air Con in summer and expect a zero energy bill. Payback period less that 4 years. Very happy with our investment. I did a lot of research and have an extensive Electronic/electrical background. Happy to answer any questions.

[TheSaltyreefer]

We are 2 weeks away from getting a large system put on, we will use it for the air cons (as we keep large fishtanks) and general stuff.
Tony the fella fitting it, lives about 5 minutes away and did the house we bought 10 years ago and some other work for us, and he specializes in Solar
cant wait,
great investment

[Jason]

Many thanks for joining in the discussion @ikaney and sharing your experience. With your experience and knowledge I'm sure there is a lot of valuable information and advice that you can share with the community on a wide variety of topics. We are looking forward to seeing more of your posts soon. I'm sure you can also get plenty of helpful advice and inspiration for your own projects from other members, too. Please let me know if you ever need a hand getting the most from the site. 

Welcome to Workshop,

Jason