Solar Power Blog

Does a solar panel with a “Max Power” rated at, say 190W, really produce a maximum power of 190W when it is on your roof in the blazing sun?

Short Answer: Not on your nellie!

The max power rating (in Watts) that your solar panels are rated at is the figure that everyone quotes when talking about “panel size”. If the installer or salesperson talks aout a “190W or 250W panel” they are talking about the “max power” rating of the panels. This rating is based on the power output measured from that panel under “Standard Test Conditions” (STC) that, unfortunately, are a long way from “Real World Operating Conditions”.

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I got this email today:

“Hi Finn,

I’ve got a quote for a 1.5kW solar system for $2500 and a 3kW system for  $6000. I want 3kW. Why don’t I just buy 2 x 1.5kW systems???

Cheers, Bob”

Bloody good question Sir!

In fact I can’t believe more people don’t ask this question. But, as always, if something seems too good to be true…

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Fascinating article this. The UK’s only Green MP, Caroline Lucas, takes to the pages of The Guardian to launch a broadside against the UK Government’s investment policy in relation to solar energy.

The UK Government this week lost an appeal in the High Court against a lower court’s ruling that its retrospective attempt to change the solar feed-in tariff rates imposed by the previous Labour Government was “legally flawed”. The Cameron Government had tried to reduce the rates before the agreed consultation period had expired.

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In my last blog post I explained how to find an inverter’s real-world efficiency instead of relying on the inverter manufacturer’s  numbers.

The CEC or European Efficiency numbers that I talked about are a much better number to use when comparing solar inverters. And for most people they will be all you need. However if you really want to understand how your solar system is going to perform then you should also look at the inverter’s “efficiency curve”.

Your inverter does not simply have one efficiency that it always operates at. The efficiency of your inverter will depend on two minor factors and one major factor.

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Solar inverter efficiency is a critical specification that directly affects the efficiency of your entire solar system. It is almost always a much more important consideration than solar panel efficiency.

All the power generated by your solar panels has to go through your inverter before you can either use the power in your home or export it to the grid (and get paid) so every percent of extra efficiency that you can squeeze out of your inverter will directly improve the performance and payback of your solar system.

So do you just need to pick the inverter with the highest “efficiency” number on the specification sheet? Well I’m afraid it isn’t quite that simple. (You guessed I was gonna say that didn’t you?!) (more…)

Thinking of buying a solar power system to kill your electricity bill?

Then this one simple action could shave a whole kW off the size of solar system that you need to buy to get that magical zero dollar electricity bill.

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photo credit: Nokero : The conventional way to charge your phone in Africa – Solar Aid are tying a different approach.

The British-based solar energy charity organisation SolarAid has teamed up with Cambridge-based solar technology company Eight19 to provide solar energy at affordable prices to poorer people in rural parts of Africa.

SolarAid are a charity group working in rural areas throughout eastern and southern Africa with a bunch of great ideas. According to their website they believe jobs and business opportunities for poorer people in the rural areas of Africa is important.

Excellent…but here’s the solar twist. The latest innovation within the group’s aim to bring clean energy to Africa is the project with Eight19. The group describes it as a “pay-as-you-go, personal solar electricity system” known as the IndiGo system.

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Your Solar Panel Warranty and Solar Inverter Warranty have tough new minimum standards by law. Changes to the Australian Consumer Law came into effect on 1 January 2012. These are good changes which help protect you as a solar consumer from toothless warranties when buying a solar system.

One of my big bugbears last year was  a small number of solar companies hawking a warranty that looked great on the surface. But if you were to dig a little deeper into the small print (you always read the small print right?) the warranties were full of holes.

For example, I saw a few inverter and panel warranties that made it your responsibility to get the inverter removed from the wall or the panel removed from the roof and ship it off to the manufacturer. Ever seen how much a 10kg parcel to Beijing (or Berlin) costs?

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If, like me, you get turned on by Solar Inverters, then here are three companies doing very cool stuff that I think you should look out for in 2012:

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photo credit: mcmees24

The announcement last month from R&D company Silex Systems that construction on Australia’s largest solar power station at Mildura, VIC, has begun gladdens the heart. And the hip pocket nerve. After all Victorian and federal taxpayers are helping to fund this venture to the tune of around $120 million.

So, what can we expect for our hard-earned dosh? How much “bang for our buck” in other words?

Well the expectations are impressive if you listen to Silex’s CEO Dr Michael Goldsworthy. The site is expected to be built in two phases. The first is a demonstration facility with a capacity of 2MW. This initial capacity, which will allow for tweaking of the system (as well as an opportunity for the public to have a bit of a squiz one hopes) is scheduled to be completed in late 2012.

But wait there’s more folks…

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