Author Archives: admin

Australia’s so-called “Sun Tax” is a new export tariff that charges solar owners for solar electricity they send to the grid.  The new rules regarding the export charge will take effect on 1 July 2022, but electricity retailers won’t be allowed to put solar owners onto export pricing until 2025 at the earliest.

Is this something you should be concerned about if you’re a solar owner, or thinking of going solar?

In our opinion, the answer is no – and most industry commentators concur with this view.

Here’s why:

1. The solar export tariff will only be introduced in jurisdictions that form part of the National Electricity Market, or NEM. Both Western Australia and the Northern Territory are not part of the NEM. If that’s where you live, you will be unaffected.
2. It’s up to each state government to decide whether they will authorize implementation of solar export tariffs. Already the Victorian and Queensland Governments have indicated they will not allow export tariffs to be charged to solar owners.
3. But even if the export tariff gets the go-ahead in your state, the downside for solar owners is small and there are lots of upsides.

In this post, we’ll explain:

• What the “sun tax” is
• When it comes into effect
• How much the “sun tax” might cost you
• Upsides of the “sun tax”
• Why it’s not worth worrying about

What is the “sun tax”?

The so-called “sun tax” form parts of the rule changes by the Australian Energy Market Commission. The AEMC makes the rules for the electricity system covered by the National Electricity Market.

The original rules for how the National Electricity Market works were written 25 years ago. This was at a time when electricity flows were just one way, from centralized power stations to our homes and businesses.

The rules have now been updated to reflect the importance of solar electricity and other renewables in the national energy mix.

The new rules reward solar owners for sending clean energy into the grid. They also put in place pricing structures to discourage solar owners from sending solar electricity to the grid when the grid is under stress. These rules give network providers and electricity retailers the power to charge households who export solar electricity to the grid at times when it isn’t needed, for example 2pm on a sunny afternoon.

Advocates of the new rules have argued that the export charges are required to help fund upgrades to electricity networks. Opponents call the export charges “a tax on the sun” saying that people who have invested in solar should not be penalized for creating clean renewable energy.

When does the “sun tax” come into effect?

First, it’s worth reiterating that it is up to state governments to authorise the implementation of these new rules – including the solar export tariff or “sun tax” – in their state.

If they do, the earliest that you could be put onto a tariff which includes charges for exports is 2025.  However, distributors will have to offer a basic solar export service up to a defined export threshold (to be determined according to circumstances), at no charge.

How much will the “sun tax” cost you?

The answer is not a lot, if anything at all. The Australian Energy Market Commission says that the average solar home with 4kW or 6kW of solar will be $70 a year worse off under the new rules; still saving around $900 a year on power bills.

In addition, the average solar home will only be worse off if they choose not to take advantage of any of the pricing incentives that will be made available. These will include higher feed-in tariffs for sending power to the grid when the network isn’t under strain.

In a nutshell, there are likely to be many more opportunities to make money from your solar exports under the new regime than is the case now.

We reckon that’s a good thing!

Upsides of the “sun tax”

Other upsides of the new rule changes for solar owners are:

• Distribution networks will no longer be able to impose zero export limits.
• Networks will not be able to automatically introduce export tariffs; they will first have to prove the benefit to households and benefits.
• Battery owners will be rewarded for exporting power from their batteries during evening peaks.
• Electric vehicle owners with vehicle to grid charging capability will be able to export power from their EV battery to the grid and be rewarded for it. (If this is of interest, get in touch as we supply and install vehicle to grid charging solutions).

Why it’s not worth worrying about

What’s clear is that the “sun tax” isn’t the terrible thing that some commentators make it out to be.  In fact, the AEMC rule changes have more advantages than disadvantages for solar and battery owners.  It’s also worth noting that the changes will be rolled out slowly and only if state governments authorise them.

However, if you are determined to avoid any charges for exporting electricity to the grid, you can use your surplus solar to power your air conditioning, an electric pool heat pump and a hot water heat pump.  These energy efficient systems not only use very little electricity, but you can run them for free with your self-generated solar electricity.

And it gets even better.

The latest air conditioning units are Wi-Fi enabled.  Use the app to switch on your aircon when you’re in the office and come home to a nice cool home that hasn’t cost you anything in power bills.

It’s not just air conditioning systems that provide this feature.  It’s where all modern electrical appliances are heading.  And for solar and battery owners, that’s great news because it means you can make the most of every kilowatt hour of electricity that your panels produce.

It also makes the “sun tax” a non-issue.  Looking back on it in a few years’ time, you’ll wonder why you even gave it the time of day!

Keen to talk solar?

If you’re thinking solar panels or a battery for your home, get in touch.  We’ve got a team of solar experts ready to discuss your requirements and design the right solar system for your home and budget.

With over 300 solar panel brands worldwide, consumers are spoilt for choice. But sometimes too much choice creates confusion. How do you choose a good solar panel brand for your home? Which panel will stand the test of time and deliver the solar power you need for years to come?

Help it at hand!

In this article, we’ll identify the best solar panels for your home in 2022 based on the following criteria:

• Solar panel efficiency
• Warranties
• Bloomberg Tier 1 rating
• Degradation rate
• Performance in extreme heat
• Price
• Australian support office

Best Solar Panel Brands in Australia for 2022

Note: this ranking reflects the opinion of SolarRun based on the criteria listed below.

Criteria for shortlisting the best solar panels in Australia for 2022

Most people want solar panels that are going to produce as much electricity as possible, for as long as possible – and at a reasonable price.

That means that the most important selection criteria will include panel efficiency, warranties and value for money. Also important is the ability of the manufacturer to honour the warranty over the longer term as well as panel durability, given the harshness of the Australian climate.

We’ll go through each of the selection criteria in turn to explain why it’s important.  Keep reading to get a good understanding of what to look for in a quality solar panel.

1. Solar panel efficiency

Some industry pundits are dismissive of the importance of panel efficiency as a measure of quality. We disagree. Solar panel efficiency is important. It measures the amount of sunlight that solar panels absorb and convert to electricity. Given that the sole purpose of solar panels is to produce electricity, what could be more important than the rate at which they convert sunlight to power?

A few years ago, the typical efficiency rate for solar power was around 15 per cent. Now, better quality panels are 20 per cent efficient or more. Who wouldn’t prefer to have a panel that produces the higher amount of power?  It’s a no brainer!

Higher efficiency panels produce more free solar electricity per square meter of roof space.  With the trend towards the all-electric home, battery storage and electric vehicles, it makes economic sense to maximize the power generation potential of your rooftop by purchasing the highest efficiency panels you can afford.

Of course, high efficiency panels tend to come at a higher cost. It’s worth working out the difference in power generation output over a 25-year period. The extra power may well be worth the extra money.  Get in touch as this is something we can advise on.

2. Warranties

Whilst the most important warranty with any solar panels system is the inverter warranty, it still pays to get the best solar panels warranty your money can buy.  Solar panels come with two different types of warranty from the manufacturer:

• Solar panel product warranty

  • This warranty protects you from manufacturing defects. The industry minimum you should expect is 10 years; the best solar panels now have 25 years product warranty.

• Solar panel performance warranty

  • This guarantees the amount of solar power that the panel will produce after 25 years, compared to its original output. Whilst this warranty is notoriously tricky to claim on, it provides a useful measure of the durability of the panel. The industry average is a minimum of 80% performance after 25 years. The best solar panels will have a performance warranty of 90% or more.

3. Bloomberg Tier 1 rating

Warranties are only worth their salt if the manufacturer is still in business. That’s where the Bloomberg Tier 1 rating helps.  It provides a measure of the bankability and financial strength of the solar panel manufacturer. Given that solar panel warranties are for up to 25 years, it makes sense to choose panels from a manufacturer who’s likely to be around for the long-term to honour their warranties.

4. Degradation rate

Degradation rate is the statistic you’ll find in the performance warranty section of the panels datasheet.  As mentioned above, the degradation rate states the percentage loss in power output from the solar panels at the end of 25 years compared to their day 1 output.

The best solar panels will have the lowest degradation rate. Whilst the percentage point difference between panel brands may be quite small, over a 25-year period the difference in power generation can add up. It pays to choose a panel with the lowest degradation rate you can afford.

5. Performance in extreme heat

A lot of people think that hot sunny days are ideal for solar panels.  The truth is that solar panels need sunlight to work and the optimal operating temperature for panels is 25 degrees Celsius.

When temperatures soar, the rate at which solar panels generate electricity drops.  The question is by how much.

All solar panels will have a datasheet statistic called ‘a temperature coefficient of Pmax rating’. This tells you how much the panel’s efficiency is reduced by for each degree increase in the panel’s temperature over 25 degrees Celcius.

It’s important to note that this statistic relates to the temperature of the panel, not the surrounding air temperature. On hot days, the panel temperature will almost always be higher than the ambient air temperature making it quite possible for a panel to heat up to 50 degrees Celsius or more. In fact, a solar panel is usually 25 degrees hotter than the ambient temperature.

The bottom line is you want a panel with a Pmax rating that’s as close to zero as possible. Getting a panel with a low Pmax rating is particularly important if you live in one of the hotter climate zones in Australia.

6. Price

The highest efficiency solar panels such as Sunpower or LG come at a price premium which is reflected in their extended warranties and impressive performance statistics.  If you’ve got the budget, purchasing Sunpower panels or another premium panel brand with a 25-year product warranty is well worthwhile. You’ll get fabulous solar power production with zero hassle for at least 25 years.

However, if budget is a consideration, there are excellent lower price panels – like Jinko – which will generate plenty of reliable solar power for your home over the warrantied period. These panels are produced to a high level of quality by manufacturers with customer support offices in Australia.

7. Australian support office

This criterion is an absolute ‘must’ for anyone buying solar panels.  Whilst your solar retailer should be your first of call for a warranty claim on your solar panels system, you want a back-up plan in case they go out of business.  And that back-up plan should be to select a solar panel manufacturer that has a well-established customer support office in Australia – not some mickey-mouse office address that’s just for tax purposes.  This can be tricky to evaluate, so talk to us to get the lowdown on the quality of customer service provided by the different solar panel manufacturers on your shortlist.

Other criteria

Depending on your property and requirements, you may have other criteria for solar panel selection.  Probably one of the most common is finding a system that can handle partial shading. If that’s the case, it’s worth considering a SolarEdge optimizer with the Sunpower Performance 3 panels.   Sunpower Performance 3 panels use patented shingle technology; this means only the affected area of the solar panel stops working – not the whole panel.  It’s cool technology and worth a look!

Get in touch for a quote

Now’s a great time to install solar panels on your home, with government rebates offsetting the upfront cost by 30 percent or more.

Contact us if you’d like expert advice on solar panels and a quote.  We operate Australia wide and install thousands of solar panel systems on homes each year. Because we operate at scale, we have impressive buying power with the major manufacturers.  That’s why we can offer the best prices for quality solar panels for your home.

The warranty on your solar inverter is the most important of all the warranties for your solar panels system. Both the brains and workhorse of your solar system, the inverter is also the part that’s most likely to fail.

At SolarRun, we strongly advise customers to purchase solar inverters that come with a minimum 10-year full warranty for parts and labour. If budget allows, spending a bit more to get an inverter with a 12-year warranty is well worth it.

Anything less than a 10-year parts and labour warranty for a solar inverter is a risk, in our opinion.

What’s fascinating is that one of the so-called premium European solar inverter brands hasn’t woken up to the importance of providing a no-quibbles full 10-year warranty.  Why this is the case, we can’t even begin to imagine!

This post describes a particular type of solar inverter warranty which you need to watch out for.  It’s called the 5 + 5 years warranty – and it’s one we strongly advise you avoid.

In the real world, 5 + 5 equals 10.  So why is it that some solar inverters with a 5 + 5-year warranty are not offering 10 years of equivalent value?

We’ll explain:

• What the 5 + 5-year solar inverter warranty includes – and what it excludes
• Costs you could be up for
• Examples of better solar inverter warranties

What’s included and excluded in the 5 + 5-year solar inverter warranty

Before we get started on what’s included and – more importantly – what’s excluded in the 5 + 5-year solar inverter warranty, here’s something else to watch out for….

You don’t even get this (very basic) warranty unless you register the inverter on the manufacturer’s website. What’s more, you need to provide the exact documentation they’ve requested, or you’ll be back down to a bare-bones 5-year warranty.

It’s one of those admin tasks that we all want to avoid.  So, when you pay a premium price, why does the inverter manufacturer make you do this?

We have no idea.

We reckon that asking customers who’ve paid a premium to do boring paperwork isn’t providing premium customer service.  Much better is to provide a comprehensive product warranty upfront, without requiring any further effort from the customer.

Now we’ve got that out of the way, here’s a comparison table showing what’s included and excluded in the typical 5 + 5-year solar inverter warranty.

The 5 + 5-year solar inverter warranty: what’s included and what’s excluded

As you can see, the second five years of a 5 + 5 solar inverter warranty don’t cover you for labour costs or transport.  This can easily mount up to several hundred dollars, with the biggest cost likely to be labour.  That’s because you’ll need a CEC Accredited Installer to fix or replace an inverter – and they have a high charge-out rate!

Whilst you can hope that your premium inverter won’t go wrong, this is a high-risk strategy.  Much safer is to select a quality inverter that has all this covered as standard within their warranty terms and conditions.

Costs you could be up for

What costs could you be up for if your inverter stops working?  Under the 5 + 5-year warranty, the costs are approximately as follows:

• Average repair fee: $200 + GST (this doesn’t reflect the fee for exchanging an inverter)
• Average transport fee: $210 + GST
• Average costs for on-site repairs / replacement: this will depend on your solar installer, whether they provide a system guarantee which covers you for this cost and whether they also charge travel and how much this is (typically per kilometre)

As you can seem there are several unknowns in these cost estimates. This leaves you exposed to bigger-than-expected bills to get the inverter working again.

Factor in the higher electricity bills you’ll receive when your inverters being repaired, and the financial loss from a malfunctioning inverter that’s not covered by a comprehensive warranty is even higher.

Fortunately, there are better alternatives on the market – and they don’t necessarily cost more!

Examples of better solar inverter warranties

The best solar inverter warranties on the market will cover you for 10 years parts and labour – sometimes even 12 years.  Depending on the damage, the inverter will either be shipped back to the manufacturer to repair, or a replacement will be shipped to the customer’s premises.

SolarEdge provide one of the best solar inverter warranties on the market with the following features:

• 12-year parts and labor
• Either send a replacement inverter, repair the damaged inverter or issue a credit note for the value of the inverter
• Shipping costs to the customer’s property paid by SolarEdge

As one of the top four Clean Energy Council Accredited Solar Retailers in Australia, SolarRun has a direct purchasing relationship with SolarEdge and other leading inverter manufacturers.  The benefit of this to you is, that when we make a claim on your behalf, the response time is very fast.  With SolarEdge, replacement products are normally shipped within 48 hours to our customers in Australia.  This is quite extraordinary in the world of solar!

Get in touch for a quote

If solar energy is on your to-do list, get in touch with us today for expert advice and an obligation-free quote.

SolarRun is a CEC accredited Solar Retailer.  We only sell the leading brands, and we know which inverters and panels have the best warranties. Plus, we can help you with the various government solar rebates that are currently available.

The solar feed-in tariff – the amount you get paid for sending your excess solar electricity to the grid – is one of the most talked-about aspects of solar.

A lot of people believe that solar panels systems aren’t worth it anymore because the feed-in tariff has dropped so much. They reckon solar is now a bit of a rip off.  How can you make money from solar panels if you get peanuts for your solar feed-in?

Whilst we understand the sentiment, when you take a close look at the payback on rooftop solar it’s clear that the solar feed-in tariff no longer matters. Even with the feed-in tariff at the all-time low of around 7 cents per kilowatt hour, the payback on a well-designed solar panels system is around 3-5 years.

Valid reasons for low feed-in – but it still seems unfair!

Of course, it doesn’t seem fair that you get such a low feed-in rate for your solar electricity – particularly when your electricity retailer charges around 4x more for grid power!

Whilst there are valid economic reasons for this massive price discrepancy – like wholesale rates and the lower market value of solar exports during the middle of the day – it still doesn’t seem right.

That perceived lack of fairness is what’s driving many people to invest in home battery storage . With a solar battery, you store your excess solar energy and use it at night to power your home, avoiding paying for expensive grid electricity.

It’s also why new ways of trading electricity with your neighbours  and Virtual Power Plants  are starting to take off.

Why can’t I get a high feed-in tariff anymore?

No matter how hard you look on the various energy comparison websites, you won’t be able to find a feed-in tariff paying 40 cents or more per kilowatt hour. And that’s regardless of where you live in Australia.

That’s because the days of the premium feed-in tariff in Australia are over for new solar households.  Anyone still lucky enough to be on a premium feed-in will have it for a few more years yet – depending on which state they live in.  Then, they’ll be back down to the lower feed-in tariff like the rest of us!

Premium feed-in tariffs were introduced just over 10 years ago to stimulate uptake of solar. Back then, solar panels systems cost around five times more than they do now and only a tiny percentage of Australian homes had a solar system.

The Australian solar industry was tiny, the market was mostly early adopters getting solar for green reasons – and solar panels were relatively inefficient compared to now.

The premium feed-in was needed to encourage households to splash out the $10,000-plus for a tiny 1.5kW solar panels system. It was a way of rewarding households with a financial carrot that would go on paying for 10 or more years.

But now, the cost of solar panels has fallen by around 80% compared to back then.  Solar systems pay for themselves within 3-5 years – sometimes even quicker, thanks to the generous federal and state government solar panels currently available.

In a nutshell, there’s no longer any need for a premium feed-in tariff to make a solar panels system financially worthwhile.

How do you make money from solar with a low feed-in tariff?

These days, the way to get a fast payback on your solar panels system is to use as much of your solar power during the daytime as possible. In solar tech-speak, this is called maximising your solar self-consumption rate .

If you have friends on the premium feed-in tariff, they are likely to be saving their clothes washing and vacuum cleaning to the evening – but you’ll be wanting to do the opposite.  That’s because using your solar power during the daytime is free, plus it saves you from having to buy expensive grid electricity.

With the average rate for electricity in Australia at around 27-30 cents per kilowatt hour, it’s better to use your own solar electricity and avoid paying that cost.

Also, you only get around 7 cents per kilowatt hour for your solar exports. That means you’re around 4 times better off if you use what you generate instead of exporting it.

How to use as much of your solar power as possible

There are several ways you can increase the percentage of solar power used in your home – ranging from simple, low-cost ideas to bigger investments that can get you to 100% energy self-sufficiency.

Advanced solar monitoring

Whilst most solar inverters come with built-in monitoring, with some notable exceptions – like Fronius and SolarEdge – the data can be a bit basic.

Standard monitoring shows you how much solar power is being generated both in real-time and over any period you select.  This is useful as far as it goes – but what you really need to maximise your solar self-consumption is advanced solar monitoring that shows you how much of that self-generated solar electricity you’re using in your home. Without this information, you’re going to be guessing.

A better approach is to invest in Solar Analytics, one of the best solar monitoring systems , which provides real-time data on how much solar energy you’re using in your home, what you’re sending to the grid and lots more besides.  Solar Analytics can be retrofitted to any solar power system.  Get in touch if you’d like to find out more.

Change habits

If you aren’t home much during weekdays, it’s worth saving some of those energy-intensive chores like washing to the weekend.  Whilst this might sound like an inconvenience, this small change in your household routine could save hundreds off your electricity bill.

Timers

Most modern appliances – like split systems, dishwashers – come with timers that can be set to start during peak sun-producing hours.  It’s worth spending a few minutes working out how to set these timers, as it’s a sure-fire way to increase usage of your daytime solar energy.

Get a battery

OK, this is a bigger ticket item.  But if you really want to get your solar self-consumption rate a whole lot higher – maybe even to 100% – then battery storage is a great way to go.  Plus, there are other advantages that come with the right battery system, such as protection from power outages.  With battery rebates available in parts of Australia, prices are looking increasingly affordable.  Get in touch if you’d like a battery quote – you may be pleasantly surprised at the price tag!

Go electric

Electrifying all aspects of your home is the way of the future according to industry experts.  For example, inefficient heating can make up as much as 40% of your energy billand an inefficient gas hot water system can chew up 20% or more of a household’s total power.

It’s a good idea to gradually replace old gas appliances with new electric ones over time.  That way, those energy-hungry items – like heating, cooling, hot water, cooking – can be powered during the daytime with free solar power.

Down the track, it’s worth thinking about switching to an electric vehicle.  If that’s the way you’re thinking, you aren’t alone. Electric vehicles are predicted to comprise 80% of new vehicle sales by 2030 according to the Reliable Affordable Clean Energy for 2030 Cooperative Research Centre (RACE 2030).

One thing for sure, the last thing you’ll want is to send your excess solar power to the grid when you have an EV.  You’d probably be wishing you’d invested in an even bigger solar system!

Keen to save with solar?

Get in touch if you’d like a quote for the best solar system for your property.  We’re happy to crunch the numbers and let you know exactly what size and type of system will best meet your needs.

Did you know that there are 5,465 solar panel brands from 99 solar manufacturers on the Australian Clean Energy Council approved solar panels list?

We are spoilt for choice in Australia when it comes to solar panels. Whilst choice is a generally a good thing, the downside is that too much choice can be confusing!

How do you know what’s a good solar panel?  How do you sort out the wheat from the chaff?

At Solar Run, we’ve done the research into the best solar panels – and we’re ready to help you get the best solar panels for your home.

This article takes a close look at a term that’s bandied around a lot in the solar industry – Tier 1 solar panels.  A lot of solar retailers claim that they are selling Tier 1 solar panels. It sounds good but are really Tier 1 panels?  And does it even matter?

This article explains what the Tier 1 solar panels rating means and how it is useful when evaluating solar panels.  It covers:

• What is a Tier 1 solar panel?
• How many Tier 1 solar panel manufacturers are there?
• How does the Tier 1 solar panel ranking help me?
• Should I buy a Tier 1 solar panel?

What is a Tier 1 solar panel?

The Tier 1 solar panel ranking created by Bloomberg New Energy Finance Corporation is what most solar companies refer to when they say a solar panel is ‘Tier 1’.

The Bloomberg Tier 1 ranking is used to rate solar panel manufacturers by their financial stability or – as they call it – their ‘bank-ability’.

Yes, that’s right, the Tier 1 ranking is a measure of the financial strength of solar panel manufacturers – nothing more, nothing less!  It is not a measure of panel quality.

Even Bloomberg makes a point of this saying:

• “We strongly recommend that module [i.e. solar panel] purchasers and banks do not use this list as a measure of quality.”

So, what does the Bloomberg Tier 1 ranking mean?

• Bloomberg defines Tier 1 solar manufacturers as “those which have provided own-brand, own-manufacture products to at least six different projects which have been financed non-recourse by six different commercial banks in the last two years.”

They also state that

• “We only tier manufacturers which actually own their own production facilities and sell under their own brands. Companies that outsource production under brand names are not tiered.”
• “Manufacturers which have filed for bankruptcy or a form of insolvency protection … are removed from the tier 1 list until further notice.”

How many Tier 1 solar panel manufacturers are there?

There are around 35 solar panel manufacturers on the Bloomberg Tier 1 list.

To put that number in context, there are more than 350 solar panel manufacturers worldwide. This means that Bloomberg lists the world’s top 10 per cent solar PV manufacturers (give or take) based on financial stability.

The Bloomberg Tier 1 list is updated every quarter so the number of solar panel manufacturers can vary, with new ones coming on board and others dropping off.

It’s important to know that the Bloomberg Tier 1 rating is only available on subscription; it is not published publicly on the internet.  If you do see a Bloomberg Tier 1 solar panels list on the internet, question its reliability – and ask to see the original Bloomberg report.

How does the Tier 1 solar panel ranking help me?

Whilst the Bloomberg Tier 1 ranking doesn’t help you judge the quality of a solar panel brand, it does help in other ways.

Basically, it’s an indicator as to whether the solar manufacturer is going to be around to honour its warranties.

The thing is, with solar panels you aren’t just buying a panel – you’re also buying a 25-year performance warranty.  That’s why you want to be confident – or as confident as you can be – that the manufacturer behind the warranty will still be in business over the mid to long term in case you need to claim on the warranty.

And this is exactly where the Tier 1 ranking is useful!

The Tier 1 ranking provides an indication as to whether the solar panel manufacturer has the financial strength to weather the ups and downs of the solar industry. Most importantly, it gives you – the buyer – some degree of confidence that the solar panel company will be able to support you in the event of a warranty claim at some point down the track.

How does the Tier 1 ranking tell us that?

1. Financial strength

Bloomberg tracks thousands of megawatt solar farm deals to evaluate how they are financed.  They also check that the solar panel manufacturer hasn’t gone bankrupt or filed for insolvency. This provides an important indicator that the solar module manufacturer is financially viable as evaluated by commercial banks who will no doubt have had a good close look at their books!

With solar panel manufacturers entering and exiting the market all the time, it’s important to be confident that the company you’re buying your panels from is financially solvent and big enough to last the distance.

Size and economies of scale are important in solar panel manufacturing.  It’s a low margin business and extremely competitive.  That’s why the biggest solar panel manufacturers are generally the safest bets – and certainly the ones that figure most prominently on the Bloomberg Tier 1 solar panels list.

2. Own manufacturing facilities

Many so-called solar panel manufacturers are just assemblers. There are literally hundreds of solar panel assemblers who are not vertically integrated and don’t manufacturer the various components that comprise a solar panel.

Tier 1 solar panel manufacturers, on the other hand, don’t outsource production. They are more likely to have their own factories, invest in R&D, and have strict quality control processes. That means Tier 1 panels are likely to be more reliable and generate more electricity over their 25-year lifetime than non-Tier 1 panels.

3. Market under their own brand

Tier 1 manufacturers market their panels under their own brand and invest in their brand.  That’s a fair indicator that they will be keen to maintain their brand reputation. Compared to no-name solar manufacturers, Tier 1 solar panel manufacturers are likely to be more quality focussed as any shortfall in panel quality will damage their brand.

4. Selected for 1.5MW-plus solar farms

Whilst the purchasing criteria for panels for mega-scale solar farms is likely to be somewhat different from that of residential solar customers, it is a reasonable indication of the reliability of the panel. What solar farm investor would want a solar panel brand that wasn’t going to generate the required power over the 25-year life of the solar farm?

Should I buy a Tier 1 solar panel?

In our view, the answer is YES!  Tier 1 ranking is a good way of identifying financially reliable solar panel manufacturers.

It’s the first thing to check when you are looking for solar panels, assuming you want to purchase panels from a solar company that’s likely to be around to honour the warranties!

But Tier 1 ranking is just a starting point. There are other important criteria you need to check when it comes to the performance of the solar panels.  For example, Tier 1 doesn’t tell you how efficient the solar panels are at converting sunlight to electricity, neither does it what power output you can expect from the panels at the end of the 25 years.

Solar Run only sell the best Tier 1 solar panels

At Solar Run, we only supply the best Tier 1 solar panels based on lifetime power output, efficiency and reliability including household brands like LG, SunPower, Jinko, Trina and Risen

What’s more, we encourage our customers to purchase solar panels from a manufacturer that’s got a solid presence in Australia.  By that, we mean an Australian office staffed with a tech support team who are both phone-based and in the field.  No international numbers to dial, Australian only!

Buying from a solar manufacturer with a genuine Australian office gives you protection under Australian Consumer Law in the case of a faulty product or underperformance.

In our opinion, it’s not worth settling for less!

If you’d like to find out what panels we’d recommend for your property, give us a call on 13 000 765 27 or fill in our enquiry form.

Victorian homeowners can now join a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) pilot program through the Victorian Government’s Solar Homes scheme.  The benefits of signing up for a Solar Homes approved VPP include a higher battery rebate and VPP financial incentives designed to reduce your electricity bills.

Joining a Solar Homes VPP means you get a boosted battery rebate of $4,174.  If you decided against joining a Solar Homes VPP, the highest battery rebate you could get is $3,500.  Both rebates are treated as a point-of-sale discount, reducing the upfront cost of your battery.

This post answers your questions on the Solar Homes VPP Pilot Program:

• What is a Virtual Power Plant, or VPP?
• What are the pros and cons of joining a VPP
• Am I eligible to join a Solar Homes VPP Program?
• What choice do I have with Solar VPP programs?
• Which Solar Homes VPP program is best for me?

What is a Virtual Power Plant?

A Virtual Power Plant (VPP) is a network of homes with solar panels and batteries that are connected using smart software.

The purpose of a VPP is to:

• share renewable energy
• reduce participants’ energy bills
• improve the resilience of the grid

VPPs draw on the power in your battery at times of peak demand when the electricity grid is under stress.  This is also the time when wholesale rates for electricity are at their highest.  In return for using power from your battery, the VPP will compensate you with credits to reduce your electricity bill.

VPPs are a great way to make the most of solar energy and solar battery storage.  Expect to see more and more VPPs in coming years.  VPPs will help reduce our reliance on centralised fossil fuel generators and fast-track the transition to greater use of renewable energy in our homes and communities.

Pros and cons of joining a VPP

VPPs have their pluses and minuses. 

If you’re getting a battery with energy independence as your #1 goal, a VPP may not be for you. That’s because with any VPP program, you’re giving the VPP operator the right to access the power in your battery, within the T&Cs of the agreement.

And that’s the catch!  Some VPPs programs will draw more power from your battery than others.  Reading the fine print is important.

For example, if you want guaranteed blackout protection, check whether that’s going to be compromised in anyway by your VPP operator.  The last thing you’ll want is your household plunged into darkness when there’s a power outage because the VPP has taken all the power out of your battery at that exact point in time.

On the other hand, VPPs provide several advantages, the main one being credits that reduce your ongoing electricity bills.  Some VPPs offer other incentives such as an upfront discount on your battery or a longer battery warranty.  Some even guarantee zero-cost electricity bills for a certain number of years.

Am I eligible to join the Solar Homes VPP Program?

To be eligible for the higher battery rebate, households must meet criteria including:

• The property must already have a solar power system with a capacity of 5kW or greater. Alternatively, the property owner will install a solar power system of 5kW or greater at the same time as the battery.
• The applicant is the owner-occupier of the property where the system is to be installed.
• The applicant(s) have not already received a rebate as an owner-occupier under the Solar Homes Program – nor has the property.
• The battery is on Solar Victoria’s approved battery list.
• Distributed Network Service Provider (DNSP) approval has been received to connect a battery to the grid.
• The combined household taxable income is less than $180,000 a year.
• The property is valued at under $3 million.

In addition to Solar Homes criteria for the battery rebate, each of the Solar Homes approved VPP Programs have their own eligibility criteria.

If you’d like advice on the application process and eligibility, we’re happy to help.  Feel free to get in touch!

What choice do I have with Solar Homes VPP programs?

There are six VPP Pilot Programs currently approved by Solar Homes.  The main features of each of the programs is shown below:

Solar Homes Virtual Power Plant Pilot Programs, February 2022

Which Solar Homes VPP program is best for me?

Before answering this question, the key questions to ask yourself are:

• Does my home need complete blackout protection during a blackout event?
• Would I be prepared to share any of the power in my battery if there’s a power outage?
• How many times a year am I prepared to let the VPP charge and discharge my battery? (Note: with some batteries this can reduce the warranty period).
• Would I be OK with the VPP changing my feed-in tariff or usage rates?
• Am I happy to let them charge my battery from the grid whenever they want, at my cost?
• Do I have specific brand preferences for a battery, or am I happy to accept whatever battery brand that’s provided by the VPP?
• Am I prepared to relinquish control over the choice of Solar Retailer and Installer to a VPP? Or would I prefer to choose my own solar provider and find a VPP that’s OK with that?
• How much financial benefit do I want in return for my battery being part of a VPP? Or is the wider environmental benefit more important to me?

There are no right and wrong answers to any of these questions.  That’s why there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all VPP.

If you’re wanting a guarantee of no electricity bills for 5 years, the Reposit VPP is worth looking at. The Mondo Plans offer an enticing upfront discount on your battery, but it’s not clear from the available information what brand of battery they’re offering.

Sonnen is a great battery and the company has a lot of experience in VPPs in Europe.  Their system works well, but you’d probably need more than one battery to power your home overnight.

If you’re a fan of the Tesla Powerwall battery, the Tesla Energy Plan is a great option.  The Tesla Energy Plan is Australia’s largest Virtual Power Plant and provides regular monthly credits as well as an extra 5-years warranty on the Powerwall battery bringing it to 15 years in total.  The plan also ensures you have a minimum 20% back-up reserve in your battery in the event of a grid outage.

With the Tesla Energy Plan, you can purchase the battery – and your solar panels – from the Solar Retailer of your choice.  And that’s a bonus if you’re shopping around for the best prices, best service and best warranty support.

Talking of which….

Get in touch for a quote and VPP advice

If battery storage and VPPs are on your to-do list, get in touch with us today!

SolarRun is a fully accredited Solar Battery Installer, a CEC accredited Solar Retailer and CEC accredited Solar Installer.  We only sell the leading battery brands, and we know which batteries work best for different homes.  Plus, we can help you decide whether joining a VPP is the right way forward for you!

South Australian households can now apply for a home battery subsidy worth up to $2,000 through the South Australian Home Battery Scheme.  Low interest loans are also available to help pay for the home battery and a new solar panels system too, if required.

Funding for the Home Battery Scheme is provided by the South Australian Government who has committed to $100 million in state subsidies.

The subsidy is available to all grid-connected South Australian households, regardless of income, as long as they are connected to the South Australian electricity grid (i.e. SA Power Networks).  This includes rental properties as well as owner-occupied homes.

Act now before the subsidy is reduced

It’s a good idea to act now to get the battery subsidy.  That’s because the subsidy will continue to reduce as uptake of the South Australian Home Battery scheme increases.  When the South Australian Home Battery Scheme was launched in 2018, the battery subsidy was worth up to $6,000.  Now, it’s $2,000 and it is likely to reduce still further.

Whilst the value has reduced, this battery subsidy is a great way to reduce the cost of home battery storage and – as a bonus – generate passive income through participation in virtual power plants.

This article answers all the frequently asked questions about the South Australian Home Battery Scheme.

• How much is the Home Battery subsidy worth?
• Who is eligible?
• What batteries are approved – and how much subsidy do they qualify for?
• Do I need solar panels installed first in order to get the subsidy?
• How is the subsidy paid?
• How will I benefit?
• What low interest loans are available?
• How do I apply?
• Are there any catches?
• I’m interested! What’s the next step

How much is the Home Battery subsidy worth?

• Whether or not you are an energy concession holder
• The size of the battery you purchase

Current Home Battery Scheme subsidy levels as of 1st January 2022:

Who is eligible?

The South Australian battery subsidy is available to all South Australian households that are connected to the South Australian electricity grid – that’s around 40,000 homes in total!

This chart gives a quick overview of who’s eligible – and some important points to be aware of.

Eligibility for the South Australian Home Battery Scheme

What batteries are approved – and how much subsidy do they qualify for?

As an example, one of the approved home battery systems Solar Run offers South Australian households is the AlphaESS battery system.  With 10 kilowatt hours of battery storage, this system is large enough to power a good-size family home through the night and on overcast days.

The AlphaESS battery would qualify for the maximum subsidy – of $2,000 – for both energy concession holders and all other households.

The AlphaESS one of the best value batteries on the market – as well as being one of the most powerful.  It’s also VPP-ready (meaning that you can join a Virtual Power Plant and generate extra income).

We supply and install other approved batteries under the South Australian Home Battery Scheme, including the Tesla Powerwall 2.  Get in touch for expert battery advice and a quote for an approved battery under the South Australian Home Battery Scheme.

Do I need solar panels installed first in order to get the subsidy?

No, you don’t need solar panels installed first before qualifying for the South Australian Home Battery subsidy.

Here’s a quick overview of the eligibility criteria when it comes to the status of your solar power system:

Solar panels and the South Australian Home Battery subsidy

Just be aware that the subsidy is only for the battery – not for the solar panels system.

How is the subsidy paid?

The battery subsidy is paid directly to your Solar Retailer, who deducts that amount from your quote.

You can only get the subsidy if you purchase through a Solar Retailer that’s approved as a Provider under the South Australian Home Battery Scheme.  Solar Run is an approved Provider.

The good news is that you don’t get involved in the transfer of the subsidy payments – that’s all handled between the South Australian Government, the agency appointed by the Government to administer the scheme (Plenti), and the approved Solar Provider (e.g. Solar Run).

How will I benefit?

The benefits for households participating in the South Australian Home Battery scheme are:

• Cost of battery reduced by up to $2,000
• You own the battery
• Entitles you to join an approved Virtual Power Plant (VPP) and generate passive income from your battery
• Quality installation. Only vetted solar retailers – like Solar Run – are on the approved list of Solar Providers.
• Virtual Power Plant (VPP) ready battery. Only high quality VPP-ready batteries like the AlphaESS and Tesla Powerwall 2 are on the approved product list.
• Plus all the other battery storage benefits (link to article) such as greater energy independence and lower electricity bills.

Are low interest loans available?

Yes, subject to credit approval, additional low interest finance is available to participating households to help pay for the balance of their battery storage system, as well as new or additional solar panels if required.  You simply apply for the finance option at the same time – and on the same website – as when you are applying for the battery subsidy.

Alternatively, get in touch with us for competitive low interest finance.

How do I apply?

The first step is to get a quote for an approved battery from an approved Solar Provider for the Home Battery Scheme, such as Solar Run.  Should you accept the quote, you’ll be sent a link to the Plenti website (Plenti administer the subsidy on behalf of the South Australian Government).  This is where you apply for the battery subsidy and low interest finance as well, if required.

Are there any catches?

There are a couple of important things to watch out for if you’re considering home battery storage through the South Australian Home Battery Scheme:

• First check with your electricity retailer whether your existing solar feed-in tariff will drop, as a result of participating in the Scheme (relevant if you are on a premium feed-in tariff). Do this before you order a battery.
• If blackout protection is of value to you, make sure you get a battery with this feature (not all batteries provide protection from outages).

I’m interested! What’s the next step?

If you’d like more information and a quote for a South Australian approved battery – with or without solar panels – get in touch!  Battery prices are falling – and we have some great deals on approved home batteries through the South Australian Home Battery Scheme.  Get in quick before the subsidy reduces in value.

Solar self-consumption is a term that’s bandied around a lot in the solar industry. To be honest, the term – solar self-consumption – sounds a bit boring and techie

But knowing about solar self-consumption is important. That’s because understanding solar self-consumption is the key to understanding how to save more off your electricity bill with solar panels systems.

This article explains the essential concepts you need to know about solar self-consumption to maximise your solar savings.  It covers:

• What solar self-consumption is
• How solar self-consumption works
• Why solar self-consumption is important now
• Financial benefits of maximising solar self-consumption

What is solar self-consumption?

Solar self-consumption means using the solar electricity produced by your solar panels to power your home (with any surplus exported to the electricity grid).

Solar self-consumption is often expressed as a percentage, known as the solar self-consumption ratio. Maximising your solar self-consumption means using the highest possible percentage of solar energy in your home.

Achieving 100% solar self-consumption means you’re not using any power from the main electricity grid. It’s the way to get a near-zero electricity bill although, in practice, extremely hard to achieve without battery storage.

Solar self-consumption ratios: what they mean

How solar self-consumption works

Solar electricity produced by your solar system will go first into your home to power any appliances that are running. This reduces the amount of energy you need to buy from your electricity retailer.  Any extra will be sent to the electricity grid earning you a feed-in credit.

For example, it’s 1.05pm and your solar power system is producing three kilowatts of electricity per hour. You have your dishwasher on and laptop charging; together that’s using two kilowatts of electricity an hour.

The way it works is:

• Your solar power system will first send solar electricity to your home meet your power usage (i.e. for your dishwasher and laptop).
• The extra electricity will be exported to the grid.
• In return for exporting your surplus solar electricity, you’ll be paid a solar feed-in tariff.

The name of the game is to use the extra electricity in your home instead of exporting it to the grid.

Why do that? Why miss out on the feed-in tariff?

It boils down to the difference between what you pay for grid electricity versus how much you get paid for your solar exports.

As you can see from the table below, the difference is around 20 to 23 cents per kilowatt hour. That means you are 20-23 cents per kilowatt hour better off – in net terms – if you use the solar energy generated by your solar panels rather than export it to the grid.

Average Australian rates for electricity and solar feed-in tariffs

Why solar self-consumption is important now?

The reason why maximising your solar self-consumption is important now is because the value of solar feed-in tariffs have dropped, whilst electricity prices continue to rise.

Around ten years ago, solar feed-in tariffs were as high as 66 cents per kilowatt hour. This was more than what you’d pay for grid electricity. As a result, it made perfect sense to export as much solar energy as possible and minimise daytime electricity usage. For example, a lot of people would try to save their clothes washing, running the dishwasher etc to the evening.

But that’s all changed now.  When you buy a solar power system, you’ll get the current feed-in tariff offered by your electricity retailer (as a side note, it’s always worth shopping around to find the best electricity deal.

Unfortunately, there’s not a single electricity retailer in Australia offering a solar feed-in rate of 66 cents per kilowatt hour – or even close.  That’s because the legislation about feed-in tariffs has changed – we can’t blame the retailers!

The average Australian solar feed-in tariff is now around 7 cents per kilowatt hour.  Whereas the average Australian electricity tariff is around 27-30 cents per kilowatt – sometimes as high as 40 cents per kilowatt hour, depending on where you live and the tariff you’re on.

At the end of the day, it’s just question of maths – you save around 3x times more by using the solar energy when it is being produced than you’d make by exporting it to the grid.

Financial benefits of maximising solar self-consumption

The two main financial benefits of maximising solar self-consumption are:

• Higher electricity bill savings
• Faster payback on your solar system

Let’s take each in turn

1. Electricity bill savings and solar self-consumption

As the table below shows, when you maximise your solar self-consumption you also maximise your electricity bill savings.  At 20 per cent solar self-consumption, annual bill savings on a 10kW solar power system installed in Melbourne are around $1,543. That’s assuming a solar feed-in of 7 cents per kilowatt hour and a grid electricity buy rate of 27 cents per kilowatt hour.

Whereas, at 80 per cent solar self-consumption the electricity bill savings more than double to $3,227.

10kW solar system. Difference that maximising solar self-consumption makes on electricity bill savings

2. Solar system payback and self-consumption

Taking the above example for a Melbourne home with the estimated bill savings as shown above, we’ll assume that they’ve picked up one of the great solar deals from Solar Run and bought a 10kW solar panels system costing $7,800 before any Solar Victoria rebate.

Here’s what the payback is on their 10kW solar system, based on the different solar self-consumption ratios – and also factoring in what the payback would be if they’re eligible for the solar panels rebate from Solar Victoria.

10kW solar system. Payback based on different rates of solar self-consumption

As you can see, the payback improves as the solar self-consumption ratio increases.  The best payback in this table is two years – based on 80 per cent self-consumption and the household being eligible for a $1,400 solar panels rebate from Solar Victoria.  Plus of course the competitive price for the 10kW solar system from Solar Run!

Keen to know more?

If you’d like to chat to a solar expert to find out what bill savings you could get from going solar, get in touch.

We’ll model your electricity usage and estimate the solar self-consumption ratios you could achieve.  We’ll work out the best solar system to achieve your goals – whether that’s bill savings, energy independence or the environment.

Don’t delay – contact us today!

Choosing the right solar company for your solar panels or battery installation is the most important decision you’ll make when you’re buying solar.  But how do you pick the right one from the thousands of solar installation companies in the market?

In this post, we’ll explain the reasons why SolarRun is the best solar company for your solar installation.  We’ve whittled it down to the ten top reasons, which are:

1. Fully accredited
2. You deal with local business owners
3. Backed by the 4^th largest Solar Retailer in Australia
4. You get a fully customized solution
5. Excellent prices
6. Leading brands
7. Quality installation
8. Industry-leading warranties
9. Strong track record
10. Great after-sales service

1. Fully accredited

SolarRun is fully accredited by the Clean Energy Council (CEC) as a Solar Retailer.

Within the business we have teams of installers who are accredited by the Clean Energy Council for solar PV installations, battery installations and off-grid systems installations.

SolarRun isn’t only staffed with experts; we’re run by experts too!  Our Managing Director, Anthony Kurta, is also fully accredited by the Clean Energy Council as a solar PV installer, battery installer and off-grid installer.

What are the benefits of these accreditations to you?

CEC Accredited Solar Retailer: This means SolarRun has signed up to the CEC Solar Retailer Code of Conduct demonstrating our commitment to responsible sales and marketing activities and industry best practices. Whilst this is a voluntary level of accreditation, some government solar rebate programs stipulate that you must purchase from a CEC Accredited Solar Retailer.

CEC Accredited Solar Installer: To install a solar panels system on your roof, the solar company you choose must have the CEC Solar Installer Accreditation.  Without that, your system will not be compliant, it may not be safe – and it certainly won’t qualify for any government rebates.

CEC Accredited Battery Installer: This accreditation is proof that the installer has the skills and expertise to design and install grid-connect battery storage systems.  If you intend to apply for a government battery rebate, you must purchase from a solar company that’s a CEC Accredited Battery Installer.

To sum up, when you’re investing in solar, you want to be sure that:

• you’re getting the best advice
• you aren’t pushed into buying something that’s not right
• your system will be eligible for all available government rebates
• the system will be installed correctly, meet all relevant standards, and be supported for the full duration of the warranty period. Also, that it will work properly with a battery if you decide to install one now, or down the track.

The only way to be 100% confident that you’re ticking all these boxes is to choose SolarRun, a CEC Accredited Solar Retailer that uses CEC Accredited Solar Installers and CEC Accredited Battery Installers. That way, you know you’ve got the experts on the job!

2. You deal with local business owners

There’s nothing like dealing with a local business when you’re installing solar.  With SolarRun, you’ll deal with local business owners who are part of the SolarRun franchise, working to the high standards we require from all franchisees.  If you have a support issue or need to make a claim, they will be your first port of call.

3. Backed by 4^th largest Solar Retailer in Australia

SolarRun is ranked as Australia’s 4^th largest Solar Retailer by industry experts, SunWiz.  In Victoria, SolarRun is as the #1 Solar Retailer. In NSW we are the 6^th largest Solar Retailer.

Whichever way you look at it, SolarRun is a major player in the Australian solar industry.

And size matters when it comes to solar.  That’s because with size, comes the ability to deal directly with the major solar manufacturers.

For you, the benefits are:

• fast responsive on warranty claims
• better product supply
• better prices

4. Customised solution

Every solar and battery system we sell at SolarRun is completely customized for each customer.  A SolarRun consultant will visit your home, discuss your requirements, review your electricity bill, and assess the suitability of your roof for solar.  They will then send you a fixed quote that shows:

• An image of your roof and exactly where the panels will be positioned
• System size and full details of all system components
• The system price, itemizing all rebates applicable
• Warranties for each component and their duration
• Estimated performance showing estimated daily output in kilowatt hours and solar savings
• Datasheets for key components, i.e. panels, inverter, etc

At SolarRun, we don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to solar.  Every property is unique, and every customer uses electricity differently.

That’s why we go the extra mile to provide expert advice and a detailed proposal so you have the information you need to make the right decision.

5. Excellent prices

With scale comes buying power.  At SolarRun, we have plenty of both – and we use it to get the best possible prices for our customers.  Compare the prices of our systems with those of our competitors and we’re confident you’ll agree!

6. Leading brands

At SolarRun, we only sell leading brands.  No matter where you are in Australia, when you buy from SolarRun you’ll be getting the best solar panels, solar inverters and batteries on the market.

All the products we install meet relevant Australian standards, are on the Clean Energy Council accredited product lists and qualify for all applicable government rebates.

When it comes to solar panels, we only sell those manufactured by Tier 1 solar panels manufacturers with an Australian customer support office.  Our panel brands include the world’s most efficient solar panel as well as those with the best warranties you can find.

We’re rigorous in our choice of solar inverters, using our technical expertise to select the best inverters for our customers.  No matter how stringent your requirements – or how tricky your roof – we’ll have an inverter that’s right for you.

We’re also ahead of the game when it comes to batteries.  Solar battery storage technology is moving ahead in leaps and bounds. New batteries are being released in Australia that challenge some of the major battery brands.  It’s exciting times!

We thoroughly check any new battery for its suitability for our customers and ability to withstand the harsh demands of the Australian climate.  If it meets the grade – and offers greater value than existing batteries – we make it a priority to get it into our warehouses and tell you about it!

7. Quality installation

No matter which SolarRun franchise installs your system, we have the same quality checks for all systems we install.  This is regardless of where you live in Australia or what type of solar or battery system you have installed.

Our two installation quality checks are:

Before installation: the design of all solar panels and battery systems are quality checked by an accredited solar engineer who will review panel layout, position of inverter, cabling, distance to the switchboard and compliance of switchboard in terms of electricity safety standards.

Post installation: Once your system is installed, one of our accredited solar engineers will review your installation checking it is compliant and has been installed to the highest safety standards.  This quality check exceeds the requirements set out by the Clean Energy Council and demonstrates our commitment to the highest standards of workmanship.

8. Industry-leading warranties

One of the most important warranties to watch out for when buying solar is whether the solar company provides a full system warranty.  This is over and above industry standards and not often provided by solar companies.

With SolarRun, we provide a 5-year full system warranty on every solar and battery system we sell.  This is a no-quibbles warranty that guarantees that if anything goes wrong, we will fix it at our cost.

In addition, there are several other warranties provide with solar systems we install:

• Solar panels product warranty: The industry standard is 10 years. Any panel we install has a product warranty of 12-25 years.
• Solar inverter warranty: The industry standard is 5 years. Any inverter we install will have a solar inverter product warranty of at least 10 years.
• Solar panels performance warranty: The industry standards is 25-years with 80% solar generation at the end of the period compared to day 1 performance. The panels we install all have much higher generation after 25-years than the industry standard, with the top panel – SunPower – having an astounding 92% performance after 25 years!
• Battery warranty: We only install batteries that have a minimum 10-year product warranty; this is the industry standard.

9. Strong track record

Established in 2016, SolarRun is one of Australia’s largest Solar Retailers and Installers.

Our franchise model has proven hugely successful at driving down costs for our customers whilst raising the industry bar for quality.

Every year we install thousands of solar panels and battery storage systems for homes and businesses in every state of Australia, except for the Northern Territory.

In 2021, we were the 4^th largest Solar Retailer in Australia by volume according to industry expert SunWiz.  The ranking is based on number of STCs (Small-scale Technology Certificates) submitted to the Clean Energy Regulator. It is the most reliable source of information on the size of Australian solar companies by volume of installations.

10. Great after-sales service

Great post-installation service at SolarRun starts with a comprehensive handover pack on day of installation providing you with details on:

• All warranties for your system
• Contact details for any warranty claim
• WiFi system monitoring (this will be set up for you on day of installation)
• Recommended maintenance and system checks

If you have any problems with your system whatsoever in the first five years, just call your local SolarRun branch and they’ll fix it at no cost to you.

After the first five years, if you have an issue with the system once again contact your local SolarRun branch and they’ll check it out and, where required, contact the product manufacturer on your behalf to instigate the warranty claim.  Due to our direct relationships with all the major solar panel and solar inverter manufacturers whose products we supply, we can get the product fixed or replaced much quicker than most other solar companies.  For you, this means less downtime for your solar system and a lot less hassle!

What our customers say….

At the end of the day, what counts the most is what our customers have to say about us.  Feel free to check out our online customer reviews or ask your local SolarRun franchise for customers you can speak to directly.  In the meantime, here’s a small sample of quotes from SolarRun customers:

“Thanks to the awesome team at SolarRun! The process was super easy, from the initial quote to the final installation. They answered all our questions & were not only super knowledgeable, but incredibly friendly & kind, too. Thanks team! Highly recommend!” – Georgia, Vic

“These guys know what they are doing. Matt’s team treated our home with care and left our place in perfect order. Post install service has been wonderful and a couple of issues have been resolved very quickly. Great team!” – Beth, NSW

“Very easy to organise and the installer did really tidy work. The system is fantastic and has cut our bill to a third of what it was.” – James, Vic

Keen to find out more? 

Contact us if you’d like expert advice on solar panels and/or a solar battery as well as an obligation-free quote.  Solar Run is bringing homeowners a simple, affordable way to power their homes with the sun, and to get control back of their energy.  Let us help you take the step towards greater energy independence, lower electricity bills and a more environmentally friendly home.

A solar inverter is the most critical aspect of your solar power system. It’s also the component within your solar panels system that’s most likely to fail, that’s why selecting the right inverter is vital.

This article:

• Explains the main functions of a solar inverter
• Describes the three main types of solar inverters
• Provides a list of the best solar inverters in 2022 that are available in Australia
• Explains each of the key selection criteria used in compiling this list

Main functions of a solar inverter

The purpose of a solar inverter is to convert DC electricity to AC electricity. The solar inverter converts high voltage DC (direct current) electricity to lower voltage AC (alternating current) electricity which can be used in your home, or exported to the grid.

In addition, most modern solar inverters will have built-in Wi-Fi monitoring that provides you with real-time information on your solar power generation. The best solar inverters go a step further and provide consumption monitoring, so you can see how much solar power you’re using in your home.

Four main types of solar inverters

The four main types of solar inverters are:

1. String inverters
2. Optimiser systems
3. Microinverters
4. Hybrid inverters

String inverters are the most common type of solar inverter and the most cost-effective. They are suitable for roofs that are exposed to sunlight for most of the day, and where the roof layout is straightforward. Most solar panel systems use string inverters because of these advantages.

Optimiser systems are a highly effective, affordable way to optimise the power output from each panel independently. DC power optimisers attached to the back of each panel optimising the performance of that panel and ensuring that if one panel is partially shaded or compromised in any way, it doesn’t affect the performance of any other panels.

Microinverters have a small inverter (the size of your hand) on the back of each panel.  This makes the solar system more robust as there is no single point of failure.  If one microinverter fails, the rest of the system will continue to work.  Microinverters provide panel-level optimisation and monitoring.  Because of the sophistication of the technology, microinverters are more expensive than string inverters.

Hybrid inverters, sometimes referred to as battery-ready inverters, are like string solar inverters but enable the direction connection of a battery storage system. Whilst this sounds like a good idea, many of the top battery brands include a built-in battery inverter that serves this purpose.  We don’t recommend a Hybrid inverter unless you are looking to purchase a battery within 9 months as the communication between inverter and battery may change. We may recommend Hybrid inverter if you buy a battery at the same time; if not we can still supply you with a battery ready system.

Best solar inverters in 2022 in Australia

All solar inverters on this list meet relevant Australian standards and are on the Clean Energy Council approved list of solar inverters.

Note: This list of solar inverters reflects the views of Solar Run and is based on data provided in the solar inverter manufacturers’ datasheets.   

Criteria used to select best solar inverters

The most important criteria for selecting a good quality inverter are described below. But before we dive in, a quick note about Australian support:

Australian support

Every solar inverter on our list is produced by a manufacturer with a customer support office in Australia. This is extremely important.  If you need to make a warranty claim on your solar inverter, your first port of call should always be your solar installer.  But if they are no longer in business, you’ll need to go direct to the manufacturer.  If that happens, you’ll want a manufacturer that has an Australian office with phone and email customer support.

You should also select a manufacturer with a strong field-service team who’ll come and fix the inverter at your premises, rather than require you to ship it to them.

We know what type of customer support each solar inverter manufacturer provides in Australia.  Talk to us to find out more.

Standard warranty

The standard out-of-the-box warranty that comes with an inverter is one of the best indicators of the durability of the inverter and the confidence that the manufacturer has in supporting it.

SolarEdge provides the best standard solar inverter warranty in the industry at 12 years. This warranty can be extended up to 25 years at a modest extra cost; making it one of the best extendable warranties on the market. With warranties this good, it’s no wonder that SolarEdge is the world’s most installed residential inverter!

Interestingly, some other premium solar inverter brands fall short when it comes to warranties. Fronius is one example. Their out-of-the-box standard warranty is 5 + 5 years.

With the Fronius 5+5 year warranty, you get the first 5 years covered for parts and labour, but the second 5 years are only covered for parts.  You would have to pay for labour.  For a premium priced solar inverter, this is a big minus and one of the reasons why we recommend SolarEdge over Fronius.

Warranty extension at extra cost

It’s good to know that with any of the solar inverters on our recommended list, you can increase the duration of the warranty by paying a bit extra.  Given that solar inverters are main point of weakness in any solar power system, it pays to get an inverter with a long warranty that covers parts and labour.

Cheaper solar inverters sometimes require that you ship the inverter back to the manufacturer to be fixed.  This can be costly for you in terms of higher electricity bills.  It’s much better to pay a bit more for an inverter from a manufacturer who will arrange for your inverter to be fixed at your property or ship a replacement to you.

Efficiency

As the prime purpose of a solar inverter is to convert DC electricity to AC electricity, the key statistic to check out is inverter efficiency.  The higher the efficiency rating the better.  For our comparison, we’ve used the maximum efficiency rating in each manufacturer’s product datasheet to give a like-for-like comparison.  These efficiency ratings are independently verified. They are one of the most important selection criterion as even a small drop in efficiency can cost you a lot of money in higher electricity bills over the lifespan of your solar system.

SolarEdge’s HD-Wave Genesis inverter has the highest maximum efficiency rating of all solar inverters available in Australia.  At a staggering 99.2% efficiency, they lead the field in terms of solar energy production.

Panel-level optimisation

Panel-level optimisation means that each individual solar panel in an array generates the maximum possible power and is not affected by the performance of other solar panels.  This is a great feature if you have a roof that’s partially shaded as only the affected panels will drop in performance.

There are two main manufacturers who offer panel-level optimisation: Enphase and SolarEdge.  But they do it in different ways.

Enphase uses microinverters, small inverters attached to the back of each solar panel, to convert DC electricity to AC electricity at panel level. SolarEdge, on the other hand, attach DC optimisers to each panel which optimises energy production at individual panel-level.  If one panel underperforms (due to shading, dirt, ageing etc), the other panels will continue to work at maximum production.

Both SolarEdge and Enphase provide panel-level monitoring via your laptop or mobile phone.  At SolarRun, we provide full consumption and solar generation monitoring as part of the SolarEdge solution.  With Enphase, consumption monitoring is an extra cost.  Consumption monitoring shows you how much of your self-generated solar is being used in your home at any time – it’s invaluable information to help you get the most from your solar!

Operating temperature range

Solar inverters don’t like the heat.  So, to prolong the life of your solar inverter we recommend getting it installed in your carport or on an external wall that doesn’t get a lot of direct sunlight.

If it is going on an outside wall, it’s a good idea to get a shade cover for it even if there’s only a few hours of sunlight hitting the inverter every day.  The extra cost is marginal, and it means you’ll get more out of your inverter.

All the solar inverters on our recommended list are rating to perform in temperatures up to 60ºC and to temperatures well below zero.

Panel layout flexibility

If you have a complex roof with lots of angles, or limited roof space, panel layout flexibility will be an important selection criterion.  With 10kW solar panels systems becoming the new norm, finding space for around 25-30 panels can be a challenge.  That’s where both SolarEdge and Enphase have the advantage over string inverters.

SolarEdge and Enphase offer complete flexibility with panel layout; you can have panels arrange portrait or landscape, on multiple arrays (e.g., 3 or more rows) and facing any direction.

Noise

Most solar inverters these days have a natural cooling system and don’t use a fan.  However, checking out the decibel rating is important if your inverter needs to be positioned near a living area or bedroom.  Whilst inverters only work when the sun’s shining, it’s preferable to choose an inverter that’s going to be as quiet as possible.

Head office location

Most solar inverters are either European, American or Asian.  Some people prefer European or US brands. But even European brands like SMA and Fronius have major production plants in China.

Whilst not all Chinese solar inverters are in the top league, many are.  The leading Chinese inverters – which you’ll find on our list – compare favourably with the best inverters from Europe and the USA in terms of price and performance.

Price

The most expensive solar inverter is Enphase, costing up to $800 more than it’s rival SolarEdge.  Fronius and SMA are on a par with SolarEdge but offer less in terms of warranties and panel optimisation.

The budget options – like Sungrow and Goodwe – offer excellent performance at a highly competitive price.  For anyone on a budget wanting a reliable inverter from a well-proven manufacturer, these are great options.

Get in touch for a quote

Everyone’s needs are different when it comes to choice of solar panels system and solar inverter.  Every year, we help thousands of Australian homeowners select the best solar inverter and solar panels for their property and budget.

Contact us if you’d like expert advice on solar inverters and a quote for a solar panels system.  We operate Australia wide and install thousands of solar power systems on homes each year. Because we operate at scale, we have impressive buying power with the major manufacturers.  That’s why we can offer the best prices for quality solar inverters and panels for your home.