{"id":48187,"date":"2021-03-08T06:10:04","date_gmt":"2021-03-07T19:40:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=48187"},"modified":"2021-03-08T06:10:04","modified_gmt":"2021-03-07T19:40:04","slug":"aussii-solar-march-21-mb1905","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/aussii-solar-march-21-mb1905\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian Solar Systems Interest Index \u2013 March 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"auSSII<\/p>\n

What were Australians wanting when considering buying a solar power system last month? Find out in the latest auSSII report.<\/p>\n

Solar System Capacity Selection<\/h2>\n

Where a desired system size was already known, 85% of Australians using SQ’s solar quote service<\/a> were after pricing and details on systems 6kW capacity and higher – up on January’s 83%. Less than 2% were interested in a 3kW system, and there was around the same level of interest for 4kW.<\/p>\n

\"Solar<\/p>\n

Solar Purchase Timeframe<\/h2>\n

21% were ready to buy a solar power system immediately, down from 23% in January. While the desire to get solar right now dropped off a little, the vast majority still want to have panels installed quite soon. In February, 96% were considering a PV system purchase within 3 months, compared to 97% in January.<\/p>\n

\"Solar<\/p>\n

Quality vs. Cost Priorities<\/h2>\n

In February, 11% of enquiries expressed interest in a \u201ctop quality\u201d (most expensive) solar system, backing off from a little under 12% in January and generally around 12% before that. Interest in a system that offered a good mix of quality and cost was around 81% (80% in January) and a good quality budget system was nudging towards 8%, same as January.<\/p>\n

\"Cost<\/p>\n

Microinverters\/Power Optimisers<\/h2>\n

Around 12% of those using SQ’s service were interested in learning more about optimisers and microinverters in February. While adding to system cost, these devices – forms of\u00a0 Panel Level Optimisation (PLO)<\/a> – can be particularly beneficial in some installation scenarios.<\/p>\n

\"Microinverters<\/p>\n

Advanced Solar Monitoring Option<\/h2>\n

Interest in advanced solar monitoring<\/a> – another very useful option – crept up again in February; with 43% interested in learning more about it. In January, the level of interest was 41%, and in December, 39%.<\/p>\n

\"Advanced<\/p>\n

Battery Ready Solar Systems<\/h2>\n

Installing battery storage<\/a> may not be desired immediately, but indicating it could be integrated down the track can help with system design. But essentially, any existing solar power system is battery compatible. Interest in battery-ready systems was again around 5% in February.<\/p>\n

\"Battery-ready<\/p>\n

Concurrent Solar + Battery Installation<\/h2>\n

Interest during February in having a battery installed at the same time as solar panels dropped back a little from January’s 15% to just under 14%. It was still far greater than early last year when it sat at 6% in both January and February 2020.<\/p>\n

Given the cost of solar batteries<\/a> is still very high, it’s a decision that needs to be carefully weighed against priorities. If the main priority is to save money, then solar-only continues to provide the best bang for buck. You can see this for yourself using SQ’s solar and battery calculator<\/a>, which will show the savings from the two aspects separately.<\/p>\n

\"Solar<\/p>\n

Battery Storage Capacity Preference<\/h2>\n

Where a battery capacity choice was already in mind for a concurrent solar + battery installation, here’s what people were wanting.<\/p>\n