Archive for October, 2009

Ingenero has just completed construction of over 40kW of solar panels at Windorah, in outback Queensland.

As part of the Barcoo Shire Council’s environmental strategy, the new solar power installations feature 30kW at the Windorah Cultural Centre and 10kW at the Windorah Sport Centre. With the abundant supply of sunlight within the region, they will generate at least 178kW hours per day on average.

This supply of renewable energy will save approximately 60 tonnes of CO₂-e emissions per year!

With another two PV systems installed at Jundah, Barcoo Shire Council now has over 70kW of solar power capacity generating power off their rooftops. How do they afford it? With an Ingenero PPA that’s how.

By signing a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Ingenero, Barcoo Shire Council have 4 world class solar systems on their facilities which have been designed, installed, maintained and are owned by Ingenero. The council simply buys the energy generated by the systems.

The Queensland Government Net Feed-in-Tariff sweetens the deal further by paying Barcoo Shire Council for any excess power they put back into the grid.

It is a great idea, obvious really – put solar panels on school rooftops and install rainwater tanks to supplement their water supply. The result is a reduction in school running costs, a shrinkage of their environmental footprints and some real-life sustainability education for the next generation.

However, while the National Solar Schools Program’s total budget of $480 million was not fully subscribed, the scheme was suspended without warning last week (15 October). It came with a government assurance the program would reopen for applications in mid 2010.

The solar industry has again been left to hurriedly redeploy its resources and revise its forecasts and expectations that were put together to fill the demand created by the government subsidy. Unfortunately, solar incentive schemes have a habit of being abruptly withdrawn: the Solar Homes and Communities Program and the Renewable Remote Power Generation Program both ended prematurely in June.

This is another lesson for would-be consumers of solar: incentives and subsidies are great but they can disappear overnight. So you’d better grab them while you can.

So you’ve done the research, selected your system, placed your order and now it’s time for your solar power system to be installed. The installation should create little disruption to the household but it is important to know how you will be affected.

Pre-Install Inspection

First off, the installer should do a pre-install inspection. This allows them to check the proposed location for the solar power system for any trees, buildings or other obstructions that may be shading the roof, as well as to ensure the roof is suitable and stable.

They will also use this opportunity to check that the switchboard doesn’t need upgrading. If they find it does, you may be required to have this completed prior to the installation. This could throw out the installation timeframe as well as cost you additional money. To avoid this inconvenience it is best that you establish when ordering your system whether or not your switchboard is suitable.

If the location and switchboard are suitable, the installation will then proceed.

Installation

While you don’t need to be home while the installation is taking place, the main power does need to be shut off for approximately 10 minutes. Given this, you need to notify the installer if you have a critical appliance that needs power.

Post Installation

The final step in the installation process in the changing of the meter. This will be carried out by the utility and again will mean the main power will be shut down for a short period of time, so it is important that you also let them know if you have something critically needing power.

If you have seen anything about solar energy in the news it is more than likely you have come across the term feed-in-tariff or FiT.

Feed-in-Tariffs

A feed-in tariff comes in two forms, gross and net. A gross feed-in-tariff means that homeowners will be paid for every kilowatt hour of energy generated off their solar power system, whereas a net feed-in tariff will see the homeowner only be paid for the surplus kilowatt hours it puts back onto the grid after household usage.

Increase Money Earned

Both of these methods can potentially mean cost savings for the home owners. While the gross FiT is by far the more attractive option, the net FiT can still help pay off the system and eventually make money for the home owner.

How? By decreasing your household usage, you will increase the amount available for you to feed back in the grid. This will work best if energy usage throughout the day (when the panels are producing their power) is kept to a minimum so maximum power is fed into the grid, then at night you buy from the grid at a cheaper rate. If you are subsidising some of your traditional power with solar power, then reducing your usage will decrease your reliance on the grid power and will again save you money.

Reducing Usage

Here are some tips on reducing your household energy consumption:

• Install Insulation. This will reduce your requirements for cooling and heating appliances, which can be big energy users.
• Section off rooms of your house when using cooling/heating to ensure you are not wasting energy trying to heat/cool unused rooms.
• Install energy efficient lighting.
• Consider having an energy audit conducted. This can identify appliances that are draining your power.
• Unplug/switch off appliances when not in use.
• Ensure new appliances have high efficiency energy ratings.
• Replace electric hot water system with solar hot water or a heat pump.

There are two factors that determine the size of solar systems: the number of panels and the watt capacity of each panel.

Output

The maximum output of the panel per hour is calculated by multiplying the number of panels by their watt capacity. For example, a system with nine 175 watt panels will produce 1.5kW per hour in sunlight.  In order to determine what size system would be best for your home, it is crucial you first identify how much electricity you are currently consuming and secondly what your energy goals are. Your current electricity usage will be found on your most recent utility statement.

Your Goals

If you are looking to only substitute some of your traditional energy with solar energy, you will need to establish how much you wish to substitute and select a system that will produce the required amount of energy.

If your goal is for your home to be 100% powered by solar, you will need to select a system that will produce enough energy to cover your entire usage.

Those who are motivated by environmental benefits as a core reason for going solar, often aim to produce enough energy to feed the surplus back onto the grid. Governments make this an attractive option through feed-in-tariffs (FiT). The use of feed-in tariffs varies across the states, (link to rebates) however most involve homeowners being paid for every kilowatt hour of surplus energy they put back onto the grid: this is called a net feed-in-tariff. The ACT, however, has a gross feed-in tariff which means homeowners will receive payment for every kilowatt hour produced off their system, regardless of whether or not it was used by that household or put back onto the grid. Both of these set-ups make the economics of a solar system more attractive, as it contributes to recouping the costs of the system.

Ability to Upgrade

It is important that your goals are considered early on in the decision making process as the size of your system may restrict your ability to reach your specific requirements, should they change down the track. If, for example, you start off just wanting to subsidise your traditional energy usage but later on want to be 100% solar sufficient, your inverter may not be large enough to convert the energy from any additional panels.

Given this, one of the most important factors to consider is the capacity of the inverter. If the inverter you choose is too small, it will need to be replaced if you decide to upgrade the system and add new panels.