{"id":64068,"date":"2022-08-11T11:15:31","date_gmt":"2022-08-11T00:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=64068"},"modified":"2024-07-02T15:04:01","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T05:34:01","slug":"challenging-solar-installation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/challenging-solar-installation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Most Challenging Solar Installation I Ever Did"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/p>\n

(trigger warning for solar nerds – this story has a very sad ending)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finn asked me to write a post on the worst solar installation I ever had to do. The worst? Ah, let me count the ways I could interpret that\u2026 this could become a series.<\/p>\n

To pick one that comes to mind, I need to set a scene:<\/p>\n

\"Childcare<\/p>\n

A fairly substantial 1930\u2019s(?) bungalow on the main road of a prominent well-to-do suburb. Broad verandahs, detailed eaves and timber fretwork made this place quite pretty. It must have been expensive to build and had recently been given much more expensive reconfiguration as an up-to-date childcare centre.<\/p>\n

The brittle terracotta tiles, complex roofline, three orientations, chimneys, exhaust fans and blithe<\/a> solar panel placement (x 109 modules) by the satellite-enabled and visually-challenged sales consultant meant this was always going to be an arse <\/i>to complete.<\/p>\n

\"Complex

The detailed solar panel layout was developed using an aerial photo, martini shaker and glitter.<\/p><\/div>\n

I was most heavily involved in wiring the two inverters via a dozen or more conduits through the roof, and getting 10 pairs of DC cables marshalled together …<\/p>\n

\"roof

Count ’em, there are five<\/strong> conduits into that junction box and another passing by.<\/p><\/div>\n

.. while also running two AC feeds and putting everything down the wall cavity away from prying little fingers.<\/p>\n

\"roof

Take the drill, climb over and down there…<\/p><\/div>\n

\"roof

Watch where you step…<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Cabling

From the switchboard…<\/p><\/div>\n

\"cabling

Thread cables down here… mind the brick ties.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"cable

Viola! AC cables are hidden.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Whole. Job. Was. A. Mission.<\/h2>\n

However, it was a successful mission. It gave the team something to curse about, a yardstick for madness, a reason to punish the sales staff so they would buy pies and drinks, and it offered a sense of achievement.<\/p>\n

The Worst Thing About This Solar Installation<\/h2>\n

Well, the street view camera didn\u2019t quite catch us in the act, but we were there in July 2019.<\/p>\n

Fast forward 13 months and the next available image in August 2020 doesn\u2019t show any solar panels on the roof. Even weirder, there was a temporary fence and a 20-ton excavator.<\/p>\n

And by December 2020, the entire place had been erased<\/em>.<\/p>\n

At the time of writing, this is the most recent aerial photograph available:<\/p>\n

\"The

There used to be a heritage building and a much-loved solar-powered childcare centre here.<\/p><\/div>\n

So $98 million later, we have a bigger intersection for more snarling traffic<\/a>\u00a0(as promoted by a dude who can\u2019t even afford a tie or kerning on his website) and a big patch of dirt.<\/p>\n

While the former government wasn\u2019t sharp enough to understand\u00a0induced demand<\/a>, at least the current office holders, renewable champions that they are, will use the freshly cleared urban space for a new ambulance station.<\/p>\n

Hopefully, that will have a better roof for solar panels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(trigger warning for solar nerds – this story has a very sad ending) Finn asked me to write a post on the worst solar installation I ever had to do. The worst? Ah, let me count the ways I could interpret that\u2026 this could become a series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":64207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solar-installation","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Most Challenging Solar Installation I Ever Did<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The most challenging solar installation I ever had to do. 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I understand the anger - I'm paying it too - but I have to reiterate the answer isn't going off grid. For everyone who's invested in solar, and now\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Electricity Prices"","block_context":{"text":"Electricity Prices","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/electricity-prices\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A man chopping down power poles to go off-grid.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cutting-grid-off-header.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cutting-grid-off-header.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cutting-grid-off-header.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cutting-grid-off-header.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cutting-grid-off-header.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":100403,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/dont-let-an-uber-driver-install-your-solar\/","url_meta":{"origin":64068,"position":5},"title":"Don\u2019t Let An Uber Driver Install Your Solar","author":"Finn Peacock","date":"July 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"My son asked me the other day how he should get to the airport for a 5am flight. 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