SMART SOLAR POWER SYSTEMS

Standard, basic solar power systems started in large numbers around 2007 and increased in popularity when government incentives, including 60 cent feed-in tariffs were introduced.  They were typically small systems comprising a 1.5kW string inverter with 6 or 8 solar panels.  People made money from them, largely because of the way the feed-in tarif was structured.

In 2009, SolarEdge optimised systems entered the Australian market with improvements over basic string systems that enabled up to 25% more power generation.  By 2016 SolarEdge had introduced appliance control devices which enable the maximum amount of power to be used in the home as possible.  This created the ‘Smart’ Solar Home concept which has become increasingly important as self-consumption rather than export to the electricity grid is now the best way to save money with solar.

Basic solar is when an installer puts a solar panel array on your roof connected to a standard string inverter and you then try to use as much of the solar electricity as possible during the day.

While this type of renewable energy is able to create a saving for you and allow you to achieve a lower bill, it puts all responsibility to achieve the best  financial outcome on to your daily behaviour.

The issue is that the electricity generation of a system in the morning hours is usually only 20 or 30% of what the system can generate in the middle of the day. So the generation is following a curve and peaks in the middle of the day, which means that your consumption, which isn’t always in the middle of the day, doesn’t necessarily match the generation of electricity from your solar system.

To understand the difference between this solar application and smart solar is very useful. Solarpro has been finessing solar systems to make them ‘smart’ for many years and is generally considered an expert.  An area of focus on ‘smart’ solar now,  is finding other ways to utilize the solar energy peak which is generated from 11am to roughly 3pm in Sydney.

There is usually some excess electricity when the system generation peaks. The way to be clever with this excess solar power is in finding ways it can be stored for later use with or without a solar storage battery.  This includes diversion into a hot water tank where it is stored as thermal energy and used to heat your water.  Solarpro has a variety of smart energy storage options that enable heat to be used later in the day to warm the air in your home or for underfloor heating or if you have a pool to run a pool heat pump.

So ‘smart’ solar is basically utilising the excess solar capacity that has been generated during peak production periods. It puts your solar power to work  and avoids sending it back into the grid for a low feed in tariff value.

Of course, the well known way to store solar power for use whenever you require it is in a solar storage battery.  However, batteries can be expensive and Solarpro has developed alternatives to achieve a similar outcome, for a lower outlay.  Call us, so we can develop a customised smart solar proposal for you.

The key advantage of a smart solar system is that it simply allows you to reduce your electricity bill further because instead of exporting the electricity at roughly six or seven cents per kWh in Sydney, you are now able to keep  the electricity in the house and utilize it, therefore creating a higher value.

For example, you would be able to use the excess renewable energy to divert it into a hot water tank, which would mean that you wouldn’t have to pay the grid electricity price per kWh to heat your water. Therefore, overall, you would have a better financial result.

A smart solar system, depending on how many components you have connected to the smart programming infrastructure will be able to get you closer to a $0 bill than just a standard solar system.

You will always have to pay for the electricity that you’re getting from the grid in the evening and at night, as well as for the energy retailer charge that is called the supply charge. With ‘smart’ solar, Solarpro can set your system up so you can be clever by minimising the times you have to buy from the grid at a peak rate. The supply charge is the money one pays for the right to be connected to the grid and this charge, which in Sydney is around $100 for a three month period is supposed to go towards grid maintenance.

So in order to get a $0 bill, you would have to export enough solar at 6 to 10cents per kWh to offset all your night’s use as well as the supply charge, which is very rare.

On the other hand, if you have a smart solar system and you have for example a battery, this would mean not many kWh of electricity would come from the grid at night, as you would utilise your battery power first.

So, the only cost you have to offset for your solar system is the supply charge of about $100 per quarter. This means that if you export a hundred dollars’ worth of electricity in the quarter via the feed in tariff,  you could have close to a $0 bill.

We now have technologies that when integrated with a solar system enable energy to be diverted and stored in appliances like a hot water tank, a swimming pool heat pump, home heating and underfloor heating.  Gas is becoming a thing of the past. We’re now recommending people install an electric hot water tank, instead of a gas hot water system. We’re now heating swimming pools with electricity rather than gas, because we can now control the costs and the energy that goes into it by coupling these devices with solar power.

The problem with gas is, we’re stuck with a company that’s going to dictate how much you’re paying for your energy. With the sun, that energy is yours. And once you put those solar panels on, it’s costing you nothing. So as time moves on, we’re now recommending to people to keep away from gas. We’re putting electric appliances in like electric hot water; we’re heating swimming pools with electric heat pumps. We’re now driving cars that use electricity. So, you want to be setting your home up correctly now, to have as little running costs as possible, so the future is Smart Solar.

A Feed-in Tariff (FiT) is a payment made to a renewable energy source, such as wind or solar panels, for electricity fed into the supply grid. FiTs can be mandated by the government or voluntarily offered by an electricity retailer.

FITs’ primary objective is to motivate the use of renewable power. FiTs end up making the installation of renewable energy systems more reasonably priced for the system’s holder. They accomplish this by lowering repayment times through energy fee savings.   Using a FiT to stimulate demand, governments not only financially assist early adopters, but also start driving the industry to make new and efficient systems.

FITs also motivate energy consumers to use less energy. Some users directly benefit by being credited for electricity generated in excess of their own needs. Others become much more aware of their energy consumption as a result of installing their own electricity system, and this may lead to a change in behaviour to reduce their energy consumption. Individual users can save money on their electricity bills thanks to these two factors.

Following installation, the user can apply for a FiT with the relevant state authority and/or electricity distributor. They can enter into a contract to receive the FiT for the electricity they export to the grid if their system meets certain criteria.

You can begin your new journey once your installation is complete and your metre has been reconfigured by your electricity supplier. It’s time to switch to clean energy in your daily life. If you follow certain guidelines, you will ensure you get the most out of your solar investment.

Solar panels only generate electricity during the day, therefore, if you want to maximise your energy usage, you should try to use as much free electricity as possible while the sun is shining. While the amount of energy required varies from household to household, there are some simple ways to ensure you are getting the most out of your solar investment

Also, the number of appliances you can use during the day is defined by the type of solar system you have or the amount of power your household requires. However, as a general rule of thumb, using one appliance at a time can save you a significant amount of electricity. This can be intimidating for those who aren’t used to limiting their appliance usage. However, by following simple suggestions, the practise can be made extremely simple such as only turn on lights in the rooms you are using.

Secondly, in most cases, you will not need to climb on your roof on a routine basis to wash your solar panels. However, it is a good practice that you clean them every few years. The number of times they will need cleaning is determined by a variety of factors, including where you live. Dirt, mould, sea salt, and animal droppings all reduce the amount of sunlight that your solar panels can absorb. This can have some impact on the output as it can reduce your panel’s ability to absorb light.

Nevertheless, we are talking in the vicinity of 5 to 8% loss on some panels that have not been washed for some years, not 30 or 40%, so if you do not clean the panels and have a sufficiently large capacity system, you will generate a lot of solar anyway.

Thirdly, monitoring your solar system and your home’s energy demand will assist you in keeping your solar experience as rewarding as possible. Apps that track your energy consumption can be linked to your solar inverter and panels, in the case of SolarEdge and they can show your daily household electricity consumption and system generation.

Finally, remember it is the inverter that is the brains of the system not the solar panels.  A SolarEdge optimised inverter is Solarpro’s recommendation.  It costs more than a basic string inverter but is better value for money as it can generate up to 25% more power.  It also opens up options to use device control technology on your appliances and for us to look at ‘smart’ solar storage options for you other than solar batteries.