Hi All,
Looking at getting solar, before the whole COVID thing had a couple of quotes which were confusing to say the least (micro-inverters, strings, different panels etc)
Now that Ikea has come in https://www.ikea.com/au/en/customer-service/product-support/… just wanted to know what the experts think of the package?
I'm really just after something easy to use with minimal hassle, whole house is on electricity, monthly bill is around 150-200.
Thanks in advance!
Makes sense for countries with midnight sun.
"…easy to use with minimal hassle…"
I didn't think that you would need to do anything once installed?
That is where things started flying over my head - I would have thought it would be an install and forget type scenario.
Then came about the salesman with micro-inverters vs a normal inverter (less chance of power loss?), how the system was strung (whether a faulty solar panel would cause a large dip in generation or a small dip?), self cleaning panels and other stuff that I can't remember.
Might just all be sales mumbo jumbo to get me to commit to a pricier product? There was also talk about how the interface for different inverters and monitoring software could be overly complicated etc…
My (limited) understanding is that all of those things form part of the set-up.
As you say, once installed it should be forget about it?
Great thanks, shall keep that in mind. Didn't want to have a system where it needed constant attention.
I agree with you that solar is confusing.
I found the whirlpool forums helped a lot with working out what I should get.
Personally ended up with a Fronius Inverter and LG panels which haven't missed a beat and its been 6-7 years. I would head over to whirlpool and check the thread for solar installations in your state.
Thank you, shall do so!
Micro-Inverters are good for roofs that get partially shaded through the day. like a utility pole or tree.
If you have no obstructions like that, then just go for a regular inverter.
Pay extra for a quality Inverter and don't skimp on the panel quality either.
No matter what options you choose though, Panels will need to be cleaned periodically.
Birds shit and dust storms happen. Rain can wash them off to a certain extent, but you don't want to run panels with gobs of bird poo all over them for years and years. It's the only maintenance you'll need to do.
As for busted panels, I'm pretty sure all systems come with monitoring these days, just make sure you use that feature frequently to ensure everything is running as expected.
My recommendation is to get panels on East and West (if possible) as they will produce the most power at the times of day you use the most power.
Breakfast (Kettle and Toaster) and through the morning when you turn on dishwasher and washing machine, then Afternoon when you're cooking dinner and getting home from work turning on Air Conditioning.
North facing panels will produce more overall power, but you really want to produce the power at the times you use it.
Thank you, the orientation advice is much appreciated!
micro-inverters etc arent mumbo jumbo, its a viable alternative to a large single inverter, depending on how your house/roof looks.
Sydney one is same KW (6.6) but way cheaper, only $4860
https://www.ikea.com/au/en/customer-service/product-support/…
Microinverters are attached to individual panels, it is good for when you are installing in an area that a panel might get shaded (or you have a split array on difference directional facing side of roof). Reason is because panels are in a string and if one gets shaded it is like a clog on the freeway of electrons, everything slows down.
Trina panels at 370W are good. Most are using Jinko 330W at the moment. There is hardly a difference between how many watts panels are unless you are limited on roof space.
Growatt inverters are made in China and middle of the road along not cheap and nasty.
$800 - $1k per KW is what you can expect before rebates.
Difference between Melbourne and Sydney is probably state rebates + STC due to Sydney getting more STC because more sunny.
Thank you, the above is great info, not cheap and nasty is fine for me I think.
Good amount of roof space, hopefully all panels can fit on the north facing roof.
6600W will be 18 panels. Each panel size (simple google) 1960mm x 992mm (2m x 1m) therefore you would be looking at 2 rows of 9. If in portrait mode you'll be looking at about 4m height by 9m across. Good luck.
Thanks for that, huge amount of real estate, don't think it will be possible then!
Maybe combination of North and West…totally underestimated the size of the panels and overestimated my roof space.
Is there a minimum wattage system below which it wouldn't be economical to install a system at all?
My East and North facing parts of my roof are fairly small, and I don't my wife would go for panels on the front facing part of the roof.
@kiitos: 6Kw with 5Kw inverter is most common. You can ask for smaller systems or 5kw panels with 5kw inverter. Cost of install will remain about the same just less materials.
Having panels on front of the house isn't bad. It will be like driving a Prius. You just need to make sure it looks okay.
I came into this thread thinking it would be for solar garden lights or something…
Looks like they're reselling/agents for https://www.solargain.com.au/
IKEA make cheap mass produced stuff. I’d imagine the solar would be the same. Cookie cutter design, cheapest available parts.
Available to other states too https://www.ikea.com/au/en/customer-service/product-support/…
Solargain seems legit https://www.solarquotes.com.au/installer-review/solargain/
IKEA would just be the middle man.
Wouldn't it be cheaper just to go directly with Solargain, the installers?
I was thinking of going through Ikea in case there were any hassles, heard of too many cases of solar companies going belly up..
Having said that, will go have a look at Solargain now since Ughhh said they were legit.
just had a call from ikea after submitting my details thru the online forum and they said this promos was only for IKEA employees and no longer available however a new program is coming in June where similar product will be available to family and friends of ikea employees, I also have the confirmation that Ikea will provide solar to the general public after that period.
hope this helps.
Thanks Dev Gill, that is fantastic detail, you just saved me time submitting. Shall look out in the new financial year then.
Go with a supplier/installer, not a middleman that is just adding their profit margin.
If solar confuses you then go and read all the solar101 blogs at https://www.solarquotes.com.au/
there's likely nothing special about this Ikea deal. They're using other company's tech (it's not ikea panels or inverter), and probably not even their own installers, just being a middle-man.
I'd suggest getting a set of quotes for solar from this site - https://www.solarquotes.com.au/
They're a really great resource for aussie solar, and "while-list" good installers, so you wont get stung by a dodgy installer. Lots of installer reviews on there too.
I used https://www.solarquotes.com.au/ to get quotes from three local quality installers. I took the most expensive quote (9$600 from MC electrical), as on balance it gave the best performance, reliability, warranty. I have been very happy. one tp, make sure you get a full site inspection to avoid any installation surprises (get them on the roof).
I settled on a 6.9kw (Peak) system, with two sets of panels facing NE and NW, which gave me up to 6.8KW output even in March (I hooked up in Jan). I have a 6kw Fronius inverter. Output even now on the edge of winter is giving me 3.8kw (sun low in the sky). about 800w of that is feeding the pool pump, lights, fridge and electrical equipment on standbuy. Buy a reliable inverter that can handle a good 85% of the panel output. Most Power utilities will limit your feed in to 5kw for a residential site no matter how much you produce. I use AGL. Their electricity prices are more expensive than, say, Origin, but their feed in tarrif is much higher. For my last two power bills (monthly) my account balance was +$75 and +$227. This will drop as we go into winter, as we generate less power because of the low sun and short days, and use more power for heating and lighting. But by summer we'll be back in the black again.
When comparing this quote to others, this is entry-level gear with a solid, well-established installer.
For quotes: like everyone else I highly recommend solarquotes, but go to the installer reviews section and choose highly rated ones - the system gave me a bunch of 3.8/5 rated companies where there were plenty 4.2-4.5 on that list https://www.solarquotes.com.au/solar-installer-ratings.html. Initial quotes with the lower rated bunch were maybe $500-1000 cheaper.
The inverter (Growatt 5000TL-X) normally has a 5 year warranty but Growatt are offering a free 10 year extension now: http://oss.growatt.com/common/extendedWarranty
Growatt has an Australian office so support should be decent (https://www.solargain.com.au/brand/growatt) and Growatt seem to be getting quite big (good if you need help in 5-10 years). Solarquotes seems to think they're fine (https://www.solarquotes.com.au/inverters/growatt-review.html) as do others (https://www.cleanenergyreviews.info/blog/best-grid-connect-s…) but entry level. Consumption data for free is a nice add on, this is usually $200-500 extra with most other inverters.
Trina panels also seem to be on the entry level side of things https://www.solarquotes.com.au/solar-brands-trust.html.
Thanks OP, I was planning to make a solar decision this week!
Once upon a time… I noticed a significant dip in the cornice in a few places. Investigated and found there was a roof truss over each dip. Figured that the trusses were failing in some way, so went to a local truss manufacturer to get some more information.
The very first question he asked me was "Have you installed solar panels?".
Apparently the final roof weight is factored into the truss design - they are manufactured curved upwards and then the weight of the roof pushes them down to flat. Adding a lot more weight than they were designed for will cause them to bend even further. The trusses span from one side of the building to the other - they are not supported on the internal walls. There is often a clip attaching the internal walls to the truss - this is to hold the wall in place.
In my case it turned out that the stud that supported one end of the truss had failed. Replaced the stud and lived happily ever after.
Wtf.. I thought you were joking