Solar Panel with credit Scheme

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  stewartedin on 22/06/2010 - 11:47

  Lots of good advice and information here:

  http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/138

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  h4lcyon on 22/06/2010 - 12:15

  Hi,

  I have been looking around for a while, I was checking out eko-kinetics, energy matters, and origin. Of all the suppliers I decided to go with Origin because ;

  1. They are using quality hardware that with a company that will be around for 25 years
  2. Origin will likely be around for 25 years
  3. Payment plan means you will be saving money on your power, before you've paid it off
  4. They are offering a slightly higher amount for their feed in tariff (well in QLD)

  I also used a spreadsheet to estimate the return based upon how much energy I use during the day (baseload), this also calculates the pay-back and savings over the 25 years.

  If you are on gross metering you savings will be realised earlier as you get paid for all the energy you produce.

  Here is a link to the spreadsheet, feel free to update with your own details. If you need help let me know.

  Lastly, check out the whirlpool forums.. certainly worth a read.

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  cocomelon on 22/06/2010 - 12:44

  Thanks a lot H4lcyon,
  really appreciate it, i will go with origin, people only complaining how long it takes to get them installed..

  i just dont get it about gross meter i though origin on gross,
  which is better, feed in tariff?

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    h4lcyon on 22/06/2010 - 13:51

    Your welcome.

    They do take a while, I haven't had mine installed yet. I was told the wait was about 8 weeks, but I'm planning on 12.

    Gross is always better for your wallet, because you get paid for all the energy your solar generates. With net metering you only get paid on the excess power from the solar AFTER your appliances have used what they need.

    There is a debate on sustainability though, as people some do not change their usage habits with gross metering and may even use more energy (because it is now cheaper). Net metering forces you to be more accountable for the energy you use, and when you use it in order to get maximum benefit from the solar energy generated during the day.

    I would recommend reading the Solar PV systems explained & Solar Credits Scheme documents listed on the Origin site. Having a basic understanding gives you a more realistic expectation.

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      ash on 24/06/2010 - 23:50

      hi mate

      Interesting comment about gross metering. I was under the impression that all system must be feed-in tarrif under the government rebate scheme? At least I wasn't given a choice at the time, when I had my system installed September last year.

      I had to wait over 16 months from the time of initial application to the time it was installed. I used freesolar (QLD based only) but I won't recommend then apart form the fact it was cheap because I didn't need to pay for anything after the rebate.

      With the 1kw system, I am generating about 3-5kwh per day. And as I mentioned before, the system is connected to a feed-in tariff, but I am still getting about $25 credit per quota on my electricity bill.

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        h4lcyon on 25/06/2010 - 07:59

        Hi Ash,
        Yes you are correct, all solar panels must be connected by the govt feed in tariff.

        However you cannot choose between the gross or net metering feed in tariff yourself, this is decided by the relevant state govt.

        Here in QLD we have net, whereas NSW operates on gross metering.

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  cocomelon on 22/06/2010 - 15:10

  that is great.. thank you once again…

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  h4lcyon on 26/07/2010 - 10:12

  I had my 1.5kW system installed on Friday.

  Install took 4 hours, system is up and running now. Waiting on the new meter to be installed but in the meantime it's cool to see the meter going backwards ;)

  7 Weeks from the time I signed up to install, which is not too bad. I did have to call them and have a whinge about not contacting me, so I'm not sure if that factored into it.