In The Market for a Solar System - Help with Choosing

shroomish on 20/07/2022 - 12:02
Last edited 20/07/2022 - 12:17 by 1 other user

Im rural, so no up-front advertised deals for me where you can see what you get, and quotes come with numerous configurations and costs - Its very confusing as to what is the "best deal" in terms of brands and models of the stuff you're buying.

I nearly pulled the plug once before but upon arrival the installer announced that they would have to revise the quote because my roof would require different dimension solar panels - at the time this felt like a pressure tactic to up-sell so I sent them home.

How do people ascertain what package to buy? I feel like im floundering in the dark.

Home & Garden Solar Energy System

Comments

  • FireRunner on 20/07/2022 - 12:16
    +16

    Read the title, thought you wanted to buy out the sun and all it's orbiting planets

    • jv on 20/07/2022 - 12:23
      +3

      They'll need to get in line behind Elon Musk…

    • shroomish on 20/07/2022 - 12:40

      Successful Mormons are rewarded with deification and and the opportunity to enact their own creation.

    • havebeerbelywillsumo on 20/07/2022 - 17:21

      Ditto - I would have asked "does it include light speed or better transportation?"

    • chrisn26 on 20/07/2022 - 21:25

      This is bonkers! There can only be one solar system, which is an example of a more general "planetary system". The name "solar" comes from the fact that the star is our sun (name derived from sol and hence solar).

  • jv on 20/07/2022 - 12:22
    +2

    In The Market for a Solar System - Help with Choosing

    I recommend something nearby, in the Milky Way…

    • havebeerbelywillsumo on 20/07/2022 - 17:23

      even "nearby" is pointless with current tech…look at the Voyager timeframes

  • Drakesy on 20/07/2022 - 12:44
    +1

    I nearly pulled the plug once before but upon arrival the installer announced that they would have to revise the quote because my roof would require different dimension solar panels - at the time this felt like a pressure tactic to up-sell so I sent them home.

    So you did pull the plug?

    I'd head to here first and read up on everything.

    As for me i had mine installed 6.6kw installed for $2250 off a deal on here about a year ago to the day, best decision i ever made. Summer you can run aircon effectively for free.
    Mine was literally a knee jerk reaction and haven't looked back. Given the warranties offered you can't really got wrong (unless your installer goes under). But then everyone has to take on some risk.

    • yoquierotaco on 20/07/2022 - 15:40
      +2

      I second solarquotes, I used this site to read up on everything before buying. My conclusion was to buy the biggest system you can afford and that your roof can handle using medium-grade parts. If you can't decide, a 6.6kW panel with a 5kW inverter is fairly safe.

      The type and configuration really depend on your setup (shade, the direction of the roof, etc) so definitely good to read up before a salesperson comes.

  • Eatslikeacat on 20/07/2022 - 12:58
    +1

    On my roof I have 2 solar strings totaling about 13kW. The system max output is 10kW as required by law. The 13kW is to overprovision to capture more light on rainy days and through winter. I have 2 Huawei solar inverters (one for each string) plus an LG Chem RESU 10kWh 400V battery. Originally I was waiting in line for the Tesla battery. They took so long that I cancelled the order. Turned out that Huawei had a killer deal. For about $13,000 I got the LG battery plus 1 solar string of 6.5kW. So for the price of a single Tesla battery I got solar panels, inverter, plus battery. I added an extra string and inverter to my order.

    Huawei has the technology embargo which has affected their phone sales. However, I don't care if Huawei spies on my boring solar panels. Huawei are actually the biggest manufacturers of inverters in the world but in the commercial space. They took their expertise to the retail market and it shows. The Huawei inverters are all metal construction and are built like tanks. They include the inverter plus battery charger in the one unit. It annoyed me that other companies were selling inverters and making me buy a separate battery charging unit, or making me pay for a more expensive 'hybrid' inverter/charger.

    I compared the Huawei inverters to the highly regarded Fronius inverters and I think Huawei ones are better. The Huawei ones have no displays or fans. Less parts to fail. All controlled on a convenient and informative app plus a web portal. The service was great too. The LG Chem batteries are market leaders and have no fans (again less parts to fail) and are rock solid. I read that the Tesla batteries have liquid cooling and make more noise. I also didn't like that the Tesla batteries had an internal DC to AC conversion which results in 5% power loss. With the LG Chem direct 400V DC charging there is no power conversion loss. All the solar power goes directly into the battery.

    • rooster on 20/07/2022 - 13:57

      Just a question - when the grid goes down, does the Huawei inverter provide power to the house during that outage ?

      Can you use the battery and inverter to generate power whilst the rest of the street are without power ?

      • Eatslikeacat on 20/07/2022 - 14:03
        +1

        Yes, the new SUN2000-L1 V.2 inverters have blackout protection. See: https://pswenergy.com.au/huawei-sun2000-l1-m1/

        The Tesla blackout protection box is HUGE. The Huawei one is small.

        Few points to note:
        1. When there is a blackout the solar system can keep sending electricity into the grid which poses a safety risk for electricity workers. Normally with a blackout the entire solar system shuts off as required by law. The blackout protection boxes detect a blackout and then isolate the house from the grid. The house becomes an island and the solar power and battery continue to power the house off grid.
        2. The blackout protection is not always instantaneous. I think with Huawei's solution the power goes out for 3 seconds and then the blackout protection kicks in. That means that if you're playing XBOX or watching TV then there will be an interruption.
        3. The warranty on the Huawei blackout protection box is very short, 12 months I read, which is unusual but in any event it's not expensive.

    • Eatslikeacat on 20/07/2022 - 14:24

      OMG, I'm going to check my battery tonight. Thanks for letting me know.

    • Eatslikeacat on 20/07/2022 - 15:41
      +1

      OK, so don't buy an LG Chem battery. Checked the serial number on their website, my battery is subject to recall. I submitted my information and called their line. They were courteous and explained that replacement batteries are coming in as a trickle due to supply constraints and how many batteries were sold. They had no ETA and said I was in the wait list. As I turned off my battery they will compensate me from today for extra electricity used. They said they had not finalised the firmware to cap the battery at 75% and asked that I leave the battery off.

  • netjock on 20/07/2022 - 15:34
    +1

    Not sure how rural you are. You might only have limited option of solar installers and pay the regional premium.

    Had 12kw 10kw of inverters (2 inverters because it is 2 phase on the farm). $10k after STC. (Vic government rebate + interest free loan made it 8k). Jinko + Growatt. There is already a 10 year old Growatt 4kw system on the farm house so I am pretty sure Growatt isn't a dud.

    In Melbourne at the moment I got one bunch quoting $3000 (Jinko + Growatt) this is after $1400 from VIC gov before the $1400 interest free loan. So really it is a $5k system. The break down is $2k to install, $1k for the inverter, $3.6k fro the panels and -$3k for STC plus probably $500 for electrical certificate and racking for the kit.

    Then I got solar quotes recommended list of people who are doing Trina + Huawei or Sungrow asking $4k - $5k after rebate ($1400) and interest free loan ($1400). If the first mob's costing are right then these guys are pretty much asking $4k to do half a day's job for 2 people.

    Huawei is biggest inverter company followed by Sungrow apparently. These two plus growatt all offer 10 year warranty. Jinko, Trina and Logi panels are the budget end with 12 - 15 year warranty but you can pay up for longer warranties.

    Meanwhile the cheapie Eko2000 (2kw) inverter and cheapie panels (all 6 of them) from 20 years ago is still producing 5-6kwh in winter and 8-10kwh in summer.

  • Euphemistic on 20/07/2022 - 15:42
    +2

    First questions are at important.

    how much power do you use? When do you use most of it? How big is your roof? How much is it shaded? What do you want to power? Etc.

    No point ordering a system and, as you say, finding out the roof is wrong for it. Or that it’s too big or small for your needs etc. Eg there’s no point getting a 10kw system if the majority of it’s going into the grid at low rates because you don’t use enough power when the sun shines. No point getting a 5kw system if you’re home all day and want to run AC and a pool pump.

    When we got or system I got a few quotes. The people that turned up with fancy clothes and brochures in a flash car didn’t get my business, the looked at the bill only and didn’t even consider the roof space. The guy that turned up in workboots and a company ute really had a look at the roof and asked what I wanted out of it got the job.

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