Hello everyone,
I am looking to install a 13 KW solar system in north west Sydney. Any recommendations for installers or any installers I should stay away from? The quotes are all over the place. The cheapest quote I got is from Solarpowernation for seraphim panels and solis inverter for 6k.
Anyone installed with this mob? I have been reading reviews on Solar quotes and product reviews etc, but I would trust getting feedback from this community over those sites.
Also, open for recommendations on panels and inverters. I hear Fronius has been a favourite but it looks very similar expensive. I want to be somewhere in the middle - not too cheap and not very expensive either. What would be a good price? Would 6.5-7k be a reasonable budget for a decent system? What configuration should I be looking at?
I am in a double storey home with tiled roof, 3-phase connection.
Thanks in advance!
Solar Installer and System Recommendations in Sydney
Comments
Thanks! Do you mind sharing how much it costs and the installer/ quotes you have been getting? How did you decide on one installer over other?
It is going to cost me close to $20,000, after rebates are applied. We are going with LJW Solar. Yes, they are slightly more expensive, but my builder has worked with them before, therefore has an excellent working relationship with them. I did not get formal quotes in writing, but did call a few companies to get a ballpark. Costs varied depending upon the inverter and solar panels brands they supplied. My observation is that while Fronius inverters are expensive, but they seem to be the best inverters in the market.
Thanks! Congratulations on your new house! That is definitely way over my budget. I guess I will have to keep looking.
I would say 6.5k is definitely on the cheap side for that size system, especially because you're double storey which normally adds a bit of cost. We're paying just shy of 5k for 6.6kw system
Do you mind sharing your config - panels/ inverter brands? And which installer did you end up going with?
Just wondering if I invested in a good inverter up front is it possible to add more panels at a later date? I assume so?
(hand wavey as I'm not a solar installer/electrician) generally no (but of course it depends)
unless you have spare inputs to the inverter, the panels have the same output (suppose you install 350w panels today and 600w panels come out tomorrow, sucks to be you, you're stuck with more 350w panels)
however the bigger reason you would be unlikely to upgrade is changing rules/regulations. Your system is compliant with the rules of the day, a like for like replacement is fine but if you wanted to amend the system, the entire thing would have to be upgraded to any newer standards. It's generally cheaper and easier to add a separate standalone system.
Ok cheers. :)
You're better off getting the biggest system in one go. Down the track you'll have trouble finding matching panels and the cost to install will be huge compared to doing it now.
The other option is to install a second system down the track if you have the roof space.
I used https://solaray.com.au/ via Solar Quotes a few years back. Very happy with the professionalism and service at that point. I went for LG panels and SolarEdge inverter at the time given we have shade affecting the arrays at different times and have been very happy with the output over the last 5 years.
+1 for solaray. Happy with my enphase system.
How many kWh electricity can this system generate in average per year? Normally how many years will it break even?
here is my rough calculation - 10 KW inverter, even @ 60% efficiency, should generate 6 KW per hour and say if it averages 6 hrs a day generation then it makes it 36 KW a day( I feel that’s a very conservative estimate)
My average daily consumption is around 10KW
Currently the best feed in Tariff is 15c per KW, but if we average it out to 12c then the math should be :
26x30x12 = $93 per month.
I am currently paying about 30c a KW, or $3 a day.
So, total saving per month = 93 + 90 = 183
If this is true, then the break even for a 6k system will be 32 months.
Of course, it will vary depending on a lot of factors but mainly the feed in tariff and the total production of the unit (but I feel I have been very conservative with the production numbers).
Hope this helps and hope I got it right 😃
I am opting for a much larger system than what I need with a hope that in the near future, when the battery costs decline or govt provides some rebates on batteries, I could then plug in a battery and even use my own power at night times, giving me greater savings. And I am not keen to get people up my roof multiple times, so just want to get it done once and for all.Great calculation. Thank you!
With the battery, I've heard currently the break even time will be 15 years?There is a range of batteries available in the market from $6k to $20k - so the battery ROI will depend on how much you spend and how much you can use. But I am hoping that these costs will come down significantly in the coming years, so just getting ready for it.
Forgot to mention one thing in my calculation above, higher the usage, quicker the break even time. My usage is only 10KW a day, but if someone has 20KW usage, then they will pay off the system much faster as they will save more on the energy bill than just earning the feed-in tariff.
Your calculation is flaw in that you assume you'll import nothing from the grid which is impossible. With 10kwh a day, if that's the actual figure then at best you will use half of that from the panel (aka stay at home during the day), rest will still import from the grid so the savings would be 3050.3 + 30310.12
But that is quite conservative, a 6.6kw system can easily generate 8000kwh annually in Melb so 13kw in Sydney shouldn't sweat to much to pump out more than double that or 50kwh a day.Yes - fair point. I will still have to pay for my night time usage from grid. So that will push out the break even a bit further.
Also, like you said the production numbers I used are very conservative, so hope it balances out the calculations.@Dealking: Daily Generation: 40kWh (say more than the 36kWh you assume)
Daily Self Consumption: 7kWh (assume you use more during daytime than night)
Daily Export: 40-7=33kWhDaily benefit: 33kWh x 12c + 7kWh x 30c = $6.06
Payback period: 6.5-7k/ $6.06 = ~3 years
Which is still good for a budget of ~7k
I used Hills solar just before Xmas to remove my old 1.5kW system from 2011 and install a new ~8kW system.
Good service and workmanship.
We are installing solar as part of a new build. We are going with an 8.5kW Hrid Interactive System. It includes Trina Vertex S 425w solar panels and a Fronius Hybrid Symo Gen24+ inverter. The system once installed will be battery-ready. I will install batteries depending upon usage levels down the track. Our electric supply in the new house is also 3 phase.