Posts By SolarQuotes Founder Finn Peacock

Hybrid Solar Systems Part 3: Costs and Payback

April 27, 2012 2023-12-21T16:59:47 by 13 Comments
solar panels and a dollar sign

What’s the payback?

Note: This post was written in 2012 and is way out of date. For the latest payback figures  please read this page which is kept up to date >>> Are Solar Batteries Worth It

In my previous 2 posts I looked at the concept and design of Hybrid Solar systems.

The main conclusion of those 2 articles was that

a) Hybrid solar rocks!

b) But you gotta pay for it!

So the question this post will try to answer is:

How Much Extra Does Hybrid Solar Cost?

and bearing in mind the extra costs:

What is the payback of Hybrid Solar Compared To Regular Grid Connect Solar?

So let’s look at the cost of a quality 5kW system and then see what it costs to upgrade it to “Hybrid”. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Installation Tagged With: , ,

Discover How Australia Could Be Powered By 100% Renewables

April 25, 2012 2017-05-02T10:38:32 by Leave a Comment
Auses LogoIf you live in Adelaide and would like to hear about a 100% renewable powered future then come along and say hi next Wednesday At UniSA:
Australian Solar Energy Society SA Meeting

Towards electricity without fossil fuels: finding the best mix of renewables, demand management and storage
 [Read more…]
Filed Under: Solar Policy Tagged With:

Hybrid Solar Part 2: How To Future Proof Your Solar System

April 19, 2012 2023-12-21T17:03:17 by 42 Comments
Hybrid badge

Hybrid Solar Too?

Please note: this post was written in 2012 and is way out of date.

>>> Please visit this page on solar batteries, which is constantly updated. <<<

In my previous blog post on hybrid solar systems (aka grid connect with battery backup) I promised to follow up with a post that went into more detail on the costs and give examples of inverter hardware that can be used to make such a beast.

I’ve realised that if I go into the costs and paybacks then this blog post may be longer than War and Peace. So in this post I’ll cover the hardware and I’ll save the financials for next time.

As I said in the previous post, your motivation for spending more on a hybrid solar system will likely be either: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Installation Tagged With: , ,

The inflated STC Price Scam : The Solar Cowboy’s Favourite Trick?

April 12, 2012 2017-05-02T10:39:51 by 27 Comments
a cowboy

Don’t fall for it!

I’m angry.

I get a lot of emails asking for me to look over quotes. I try to answer every one. Sometimes it takes a couple of weeks to reply, but generally I manage to reply.

Tonight I got 3 emails in a row with quotes from 3 separate companies which all appeared to be trying the same trick. They appear to be deceiving the customer into thinking they are getting a great deal and then hitting them with a bill for thousands more than the quoted price when the system is installed.

I love the solar industry, and to see these guys operating like this makes me so freaking angry I want to scream! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Installation Tagged With: , ,

Grid Connected Solar Panels with Battery Backup (aka Hybrid Solar)

April 8, 2012 2023-12-21T17:05:25 by 38 Comments
A solar panel charging a battery

Batteries + Solar?

Note: This post was written in 2012 and is way out of date.

>>> Please read this post on solar batteries for the latest information. <<<

A few weeks ago I blogged about my mate who really hates his electricity company. In fact he hates them so much he wanted his new house to have an expensive off grid solar system with battery backup, diesel genset, the works.

I blogged how the cost of going off grid with solar would be over $50,000 compared to about $12,000 for a standard, grid connect 5kW system and that it would be economically barmy to go completely off grid if your home already has a connection to the grid which you can use.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Installation Tagged With: ,

Q-Cells file for bankruptcy but are saved by Korean Hanwha Solar

April 3, 2012 2017-05-02T10:42:53 by 5 Comments

The German press has just announced that one of my favourite solar companies plans to file for insolvency tomorrow (April 4th).

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Panels Tagged With:

Why Your 5kW Solar System Output Is Lower Than You Expected

March 29, 2012 2023-07-13T14:02:41 by 109 Comments
Cleaning a dirty sold panel

Dirt is one of 5 losses

Is your new solar system producing the power output it should? 

A very common question I get from people who have just got a new solar power system is: “Now the solar panels are on my roof, how do I know what the solar system output should be?”.

The solar power system owners are usually a bit concerned because they have bought, for example, a  5kW system but their inverter is telling them that they only got 4kW of peak power  yesterday! Where’s the missing 1kW? Most people expect a 5kW solar system output!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Panels Tagged With:

kW, kWh and kilowatt/hour : What do they stand for?

March 24, 2012 2023-05-27T15:20:18 by 92 Comments
An electricity meter reading kWh

Don’t confuse kW and kWh. It matters!

One of the most common sources of confusion I encounter when talking to non-electrical people about solar power is related to the terms kW and kWh. What do they stand for? What do they mean? And what’s the difference between the two? Watch the video, or read below to find out…

Folks who are really confused also throw the term “kilowatt/hour” into the mix. I’ll deal with that doozy in this footnote1.

Starting with the absolute basics

Please excuse this post if you think I am explaining the bleeding obvious! But I think it is vital to write a post that describes these key units of electricity in a way that requires zero prior knowledge of anything electricity-related.

So here is my humble attempt to answer the question:

What is the difference between a kW and kWh?

[Read more…]

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SunGrow Inverter beats SMA in Latest Inverter Reviews

March 15, 2012 2016-06-23T00:31:23 by 75 Comments
sungrow and sma inverter

Chinese Sungrow Vs German SMA Inverters: Which ones are best?

Note: This post is just one opinion on Sungrow Inverters. Click here for lots of Customer Reviews of Sungrow Inverters to see how they have performed in Australian homes over the last few years.

If you are considering buying a Sungrow Inverter over an SMA inverter – then you should also check out customers’ SMA reviews. You’ll see that, in practice, SMA inverters are more reliable. This is to be expected, since SMA are double the price of a Sungrow!

Now back to the post…

Yesterday I received my latest issue of the solar industry bible, Photon International  via airmail all the way from Germany. Whilst many people may get excited by the latest issue of Top Gear Australia magazine or Better Homes & Gardens, I’m one of those odd people that gets my kicks looking through the latest solar panel and inverter specs.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Inverters Tagged With: ,

Samil Inverter Review: German magazine gives top marks

March 13, 2012 2017-05-02T10:48:08 by 20 Comments
Samil Power Solar River Inverter

The Samil Inverter got a great review in the German Photon Magazine in August 2011

Samil Inverters are very popular in Australia. They are great value, and have great specifications on paper. However I get a lot of emails asking me if this Chinese made solar inverter is any good.

It is a fair question. The inverters are a lot cheaper than their German made competition (like SMA), and are a relatively new player in the market. Plus there are a lot of solar salespeople out there that are peddling the (somewhat xenophobic) line that all Chinese made solar components are crap.

So what’s the truth? Are Samil Inverters any good? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Inverters Tagged With: ,
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