I have been in the solar industry for 15 years. Throughout that time, I've designed and installed for residential and commercial customers alike. I love saving people money, adding real value to peoples homes and helping create a greener future.
Victorians can now apply for a battery rebate worth up to $3,500 when they install solar panels at the same time as a battery.
Before 8 October 2021, homeowners had to have solar panels installed first. Only then could they apply for the state government’s battery rebate.
Now, if you get a new solar + battery system you can have it installed at the same time and claim the battery rebate without delay.
“We have listened to industry and Victorians. Increasingly, people want to bundle a new solar PV system with a battery or upgrade their solar to maximise the return from their battery,” said Minister for Solar Homes Lily D’Ambrosio.
This announcement is a good thing for battery storage customers. It saves you time and money. And you get the rebate faster.
It’s worth knowing that there’s also a Victorian Government rebate for solar panels worth up to $1,400. The catch is that you can only apply for the battery rebate or the solar panels rebate – not both.
It’s really a no-brainer. If you’re getting a battery, it makes total sense to apply for the $3,500 battery rebate. You’re $2,100 better off.
Are you eligible for the battery rebate?
There are a few – fairly straightforward – eligibility criteria for the Victorian battery rebate:
Your solar panels system must be over 5kW (we’d recommend at least 10kW to properly future-proof your home)
You are the owner-occupier of the property where the system is to be installed
Your household taxable income is less than $180,000 a year
Your property is valued at less than $3 million
You have not already received a rebate under the Victorian Government’s Solar Homes program (i.e. no rebate for solar panels or a solar hot water system)
Pre-approval is provided by your Distributed Network Service Provider to connect a battery to the grid (we’ll handle that approval process for you)
Talk to us today to run through the complete list of eligibility criteria. We’re expert at navigating the rebate application process and ready to help you with your application.
What will a battery cost if I get the $3,500 rebate?
That’s still a tidy sum. But when you factor in the benefits you can get from a correctly sized solar power system combined with a top battery brand, you’ll see the attraction.
$0 power bills (this is possible depending on your energy consumption profile – we can assess that for you)
EV charging capability (= no more fuel bills)
Virtual power plant ready (so you can sell your surplus electricity to your electricity retailer for a whole lot more than you’d get for the feed-in tariff)
Protection from blackouts
With the trend towards fully electric homes – not to mention electric vehicles – the economics of battery storage can really stack up. The key thing is to get the right size system that’s going to work for you not just today – but in 10 years time. That’s what we do, day in and day out. So get in touch to start your battery journey!
You still get a solar subsidy
The good news is that you don’t miss out on a solar panels rebate by applying for a battery rebate. There’s a Federal Government solar panels subsidy – called Small-scale Technology Certificates – which cuts the upfront cost of solar by around 30 percent. It’s a terrific financial incentive and available on eligible solar panels systems up to 100kW.
Just be aware that the Federal Government solar subsidy is reducing by around $550 on a 10kW solar system from 1st of January 2023. To beat this rebate cut, you must get your solar installed by the end of December. Get in touch with us today if this is of interest.
Battery storage is hugely popular in Australia. Ask anyone who’s got solar panels whether they’d like a battery and the answer will most likely be YES! But chances are they’ll also say: “when prices become more reasonable.”
Fair enough too.
When grid-connect battery storage hit mainstream consciousness in 2016 with the launch of the Tesla Powerwall, the installed price was around $16,000. Early adopters jumped on board and a Powerwall battery became the next ‘must-have purchase’ for solar energy enthusiasts.
That was all very well for those with deep pockets, but for most households that kind of money was out of the question.
Since then, many of the other leading solar energy manufacturers have launched competing batteries. This has been a positive development for Australian customers, bringing greater choice and a reduction in prices.
With several states in Australia currently offering battery rebates and incentives, the cost of home battery storage is now within reach of many homeowners.
This article describes the main benefits of home battery storage. Read it to gain an insight into the economic, environmental and energy security advantages of getting a solar battery for your home.
Top benefits of home battery storage
By adding battery storage to your solar panels system, you’ll be realizing a whole host of benefits, both immediate and longer term.
Run your home on solar power – day and night
Solar panels are great as far as they go. But of course, most of us use electricity in the evenings and at night, when the solar panels aren’t producing any electricity. That’s why solar battery storage is the perfect solution. By storing your excess solar energy to use when the sun goes down, you’ll be running your home on your self-generated free solar power into the evening and through the night.
Buy less power from your electricity retailer
By becoming more energy self-sufficient, you’re not just reducing your energy costs right now; you’re also protecting yourself from future electricity price hikes. With a battery you’re less exposed to the vagaries of pricing from the big energy retailers and changes in the national electricity market.
Less dependent on the grid
In many parts of Australia, the quality of power from the grid can be variable. This can result in voltage variances which can reduce the lifespan of household appliances. By investing in battery storage, you will avoid many of the issues with irregular voltage and prolong the life of your appliances and electrical systems.
Protection from power outages
Blackouts and brownouts are becoming increasingly prevalent across Australia, not just in rural areas but also in our cities. If you want your lights to stay on and your beer to remain cold, choose a battery that comes with blackout protection. Be aware that not all batteries have blackout protection as standard.
A good installer will be able to back-up the most important circuits, so you have guaranteed power for lights, internet, fridge, air conditioning – whatever you choose. Get a battery with complete blackout protection teamed with the right solar panels system, and your home can be operating in standalone off-grid mode for several days.
Supports transition to an all-electric home
With gas prices projected to rise, making your home all-electric is a smart move. As an example, take hot water heating. Did you know that almost half of all Australian homes have gas water heating, which accounts for around 21 per cent of total household energy costs. Switching over from gas water heating to an electric hot water heat pump will cut your hot water heating costs by around half. Connect your heat pump to your solar panels system and get zero cost hot water for much of the year. Other examples of energy efficient systems that can run off solar power include electric pool heat pumps and reverse cycle air conditioners.
Quiet back-up power
Battery storage systems are extremely quiet and won’t keep you or the neighbours awake at night. In comparison, diesel back-up generators are noisy and create pollution. They are less convenient as you need to remember to keep the diesel topped up. A modern grid-connect battery, on the other hand, works away quietly in the background and is virtually maintenance free.
Reduces your household’s carbon footprint
Whenever you draw power from the grid, you are using electricity that’s sourced in large part from fossil fuel power stations. As of beginning of 2022, approximately 75 per cent of the Australian national grid is powered by fossil fuels, predominantly coal. By using the clean solar energy stored in your battery in the evenings, you avoid having to use power from the grid. That means less use of dirty power to run your home and a better outcome for the environment.
Future proofing the energy needs of your home
Having your own guaranteed source of clean energy – day and night – provides you with a reliable source of power in coming years. No matter what happens in the electricity market, or environmentally in terms of weather events, you’ve got your own resilient source of power on tap.
Ideal for EV charging
The Federal Government has stated that it projects battery-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to make up 30 per cent of new car sales by 2030. The Labour Government, on the other hand, has stated in their climate and energy policy that nine out of ten new car sales in Australia will be electric by 2030. To put these figures into context, electric cars – including plug in hybrids –make up just 2 per cent of new car sales in Australia as of December 2021.
No matter which statistic you choose – or which party you support – it’s clear that electric vehicles are going to be increasingly common in the next few years. Chances are that you’ll be weighing up the pros and cons of an EV for your next car purchase . And as part of the mix, if you can charge your EV overnight for free using the solar power stored in your battery that’s going to be a big point in favour of switching to an electric car.
Earn extra income by joining a VPP
Virtual Power Plants, or VPPs, are becoming increasingly common in Australia. They act as a distributed energy system and comprise of hundreds – or even thousands – of individual rooftop solar panel systems and batteries connected together. Battery owners are incentivized to join a VPP through an upfront discount for purchasing a battery, electricity bill credits or a combination of the two. These incentives are in return for allowing the VPP to draw on energy stored in your battery to support the grid at times of peak demand. By joining a VPP, you are helping to stabilize the grid and earning passive income at the same time. Just make sure you talk to an expert before selecting a VPP as some will use your battery more than others, which can have negative implications for battery lifespan and blackout protection.
Why now is a great time to install a battery
With several active battery rebate and incentive programs in Australia, you may qualify for a generous subsidy to offset the cost of your battery. With government policies changing all the time, it pays to get in quick whilst the battery rebates are at a high level.
Get in touch with us today for free advice and a battery quote. We’ll can also advise you on the battery subsidies and incentives that may be available in your state.
With COP26, the 26th UN Climate Change conference starting on 31 October, climate change is rarely out of the news.
Australia will be going to the talks in the unenviable position of being one of the world’s worst emitters of CO2 on a per person basis.
Whilst China and the USA are the largest total emitters of CO2 – together accounting for around 42% of global CO2 emissions – it’s startling to know that our CO2 emissions per person are 16.31 tonnes, more than double China’s per capita emissions and slightly higher than the US.
Why does Australia score poorly on per capita emissions?
Australia’s high level of emissions per person reflects our reliance on fossil fuels, despite rapid growth in solar and other forms of renewable energy.
Around three-quarters of Australia’s total energy comes from fossil fuels, with most of that from coal.
Other reasons for Australia’s high emissions include heavy use of fuel-based vehicles, an energy-intensive agricultural sector – and lots of air-conditioning!
Our carbon footprint matters
What we do as individuals matters when it comes to climate change.
Did you know that Australian households generate at least one-fifth of Australia’s greenhouse gases?
Switching to renewables to power our homes – and our cars – makes a huge contribution towards emissions reduction.
Electricity accounts for almost two-thirds of the average Australian household’s emissions. Given that the electricity we buy from the grid is mostly from coal-fired power stations, replacing it with electricity from renewable sources is good for the environment.
If, for example, you lived in Scotland this wouldn’t be an issue as wind power accounts for 98% of the country’s electricity needs. Putting solar on your home in Scotland wouldn’t make a big contribution to CO2 reduction as the energy you’d buy from the grid is already from renewable sources.
But that’s not the case in Australia.
Using 100% grid electricity will do nothing to cut your carbon footprint. Whereas putting solar panels on your roof will make a huge difference – and help with green energy for Australia
What are the CO2 savings for a family home?
An average 4-person Australian home uses around 20 kilowatt hours per day, but this can easily shoot up to 40 kilowatt hours if you’re running a pool pump, split systems or an electric vehicle.
Each kilowatt hour of solar power that’s generated means one less kilowatt hour of grid electricity. A coal-fired power station produces 1.18 kilograms of CO2 per kilowatt hour of electricity generated. Not using grid electricity saves these emissions from being released into the atmosphere.
Our Aussie family who are generating 40 kilowatt hours a day would save around 47.2kg of CO2 emissions a day. Over the period of a year, this is a reduction of 17 tonnes of CO2 – the equivalent of 3.5 fewer cars on the road.
Any surplus solar power that’s not used in the home is exported to the grid. This further reduces the amount of power required from coal-fired power stations. That’s why solar is a win for the environment, as well as for households keen to cut their emissions.
Is solar power CO2 free?
Critics of solar power will point to negative effects of solar energy on the environment. What are these environmental impacts? Do the green benefits of solar panels outweigh the negative ones?
The three most talked-about environmental issues relating to solar panels are the high energy required in the manufacturing process, chemicals and recycling.
We’ll tackle these one-by-one:
Energy required in manufacturing
Significant amounts of energy are required to produce solar panels. Raw materials must be mined, with the predominant material being quartz which is processed into silicon to make solar cells. Other key materials are aluminium, copper and silver which must also be mined, processed and transported.
The energy required to make a solar panel from basic raw materials to finished panel is called the ‘embedded energy’. In most cases, it only takes two years from when the solar panels are installed to recover this energy. After that, the panels are generating clean energy with zero environmental cost.
Quality solar panels are designed to perform effectively for at least 25 years – more often 30 years or longer. This means that for at least 23 years, your solar panels will be contributing positively to greenhouse gas emissions reduction.
Chemicals
Hazardous chemicals are used to process silicon. The way in which these chemicals are handled depends on the manufacturer and the country of origin.
Whilst leading solar panels manufacturers have strict controls to ensure proper handling of chemical waste residues, this isn’t the case for all manufacturers.
Independent third parties – such as Silicon Valley Toxic Coalition – publish an annual scorecard that shows “how companies perform on sustainability and social justice benchmarks to ensure that solar panel manufacturers protect workers, communities and the environment.”
Manufacturers like Jinko Solar have performed well in this scorecard in recent years.
Do your research and choose quality solar panels from manufacturers who take their environmental responsibilities seriously.
Recycling
Until recently, recycling solar panels wasn’t a big issue as most panels were still in operation. However, this is changing rapidly as systems age and customers demand environmentally-friendly solutions for their disposal.
Currently, in Australia, solar panels can be disposed of with standard e-waste. There are also new solutions coming on-stream that offer good alternatives for solar panel recycling such as Reclaim PV Recycling, who aim “to ensure 100% recycling of materials and that no material is dumped in landfill.”
Why is NOW the perfect time to take action?
There are heaps of reasons why now is a great time to get a rooftop solar panels system. Here are just a few:
Government solar rebates are strong but they are scheduled to reduce for all systems installed from 1 January 2022. Get your order placed with Solar Run by 15 November to beat the rebate cut.
Electricity prices are rising every year. With solar you’re on the road to energy independence and greater protection from electricity price hikes.
Emissions reduction is now everyone’s responsibility. With solar, you are doing the right thing by the environment and helping Australia play its part in global emissions reduction.
Get in touch with us today to find out about the financial and environmental savings you could get with solar.
If you’re interested in home battery storage, chances are you’ve come across the term ‘virtual power plant’. That’s because in the last few years, virtual power plants have been cropping up all over Australia – and indeed the world.
VPPs have captured news headlines as a revolutionary new way of generating and distributing renewable energy. They also capitalize on the increasing popularity of home battery storage systems across Australia.
Now, with VPP credits as well as government battery rebates, the economics of home energy storage are stacking up. If you’re keen to talk to a battery expert, get in touch. We’ve got a comprehensive range of leading battery brands to fit all budgets.
What is a Virtual Power Plant?
A virtual power plant is like a power station but, instead of being situated in one location, a VPP is made up of thousands of home batteries, connected by software. In return for participating in a virtual power plant, householders are rewarded with a premium solar feed-in tariff or bill credits.
The purpose of a virtual power plant is to provide power to the electricity grid at times of peak demand – for instance, during a heatwave. By aggregating thousands of individual home batteries, renewable energy can instantly flow into the grid to provide more power when needed as well as smooth out voltage imbalances. This provides greater grid stability and reduces the requirement for the network operators to upgrade grid infrastructure.
Virtual power plants have tremendous potential to help Australia move to greater use of renewable energy within the electricity grid. In a nutshell, VPPs harness the power generation capacity of millions of individual household solar power systems across Australia to provide a massive new source of clean energy.
Right now, to be part of a virtual power plant you need to have your own solar battery, such as a Powerwall, AlphaESS or other quality battery that is accredited as VPP-ready. If you haven’t got a battery and keen to find out more, get in touch with us for a free quote.
In time, industry experts expect that households with other forms of renewable energy storage – like an electric vehicle or electric hot water system – will also be able to participate in a VPP.
How do batteries connect to a VPP?
The cool thing is that you don’t need any special software installed on your solar power system or your battery to connect to a virtual power plant. All the VPP will require is the code from your battery (for example, with the Powerwall battery this is called the Gateway ID).
Your virtual power plant provider uses this ID to connect your battery to their cloud-based software platform. This software aggregates the data from thousands of individual batteries enabling the VPP to respond – in an instant – and provide power from those batteries to the grid.
Can any battery be part of a VPP?
No. You must have an accredited VPP-ready battery if you want to join a virtual power plant.
To be VPP-ready, your battery needs to do able to do three things:
Respond to remote requests to charge/discharge power
Communicate the state of charge and voltage
Help with network security and reliability
Batteries need to meet the Australian Energy Market Operator’s (AEMO) minimum specifications. They also need to be on the approved products list for the Clean Energy Council and relevant state bodies, such as the Solar Victoria’s Approved Product List.
If you’re wondering which batteries are VPP-ready, give us a call on 1300076527 or send us a message. It’s a fast-changing area… you don’t want to choose the wrong battery and miss out.
How often would a virtual power plant use my battery?
Each virtual power plant differs in terms of how often they might call on the power in your battery to support the grid. Whilst there is no set ‘rule of thumb’, you can expect power from your battery to be used by the virtual power plant on average once or twice a week across the year – with a skew towards greater usage during heatwaves and extreme weather events.
As an example, electricity retailer Simply Energy have a virtual power plant offering for households in South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Queensland. In their documentation, they state there is no set answer as it “depends on how much the grid needs the support”. They go on to say that in the last year they drew, on average, less energy from each battery “than is required to power your clothes dryer once a week for a year.”
Would I have enough power in my battery if there was a power outage?
That depends on which virtual power plant you opt for. If this is important, get in touch with us as we can advise on the virtual power plants in your state that guarantee to leave a reserve of power in your battery to tide you over in case there’s a blackout.
Interestingly, some virtual power plants have no cap on the amount of power they will take from your battery. It is worth checking the fine print particularly if one of the reasons you bought a battery is to have guaranteed protection from outages.
Does being part of a VPP shorten the life of my battery?
Some – but not all – virtual power plants retain the right to use as much power from your battery as they need. If they are running your battery down to empty on a regular basis, this will shorten the life of most batteries. .It may even void the warranty.
Giving a virtual power plant the right to use your battery without limitations could be recipe for disaster. Get in touch with us if you’d like unbiased advice on which virtual power plant is going to treat your battery right.
How do I get paid for the VPP’s use of my battery?
There are two ways you are paid for letting a virtual power plant use your battery.
A much higher solar feed-in tariff for the power drawn by the virtual power plant from your battery. This is in addition to the normal solar feed-in tariff. The VPP credit may be as high as 45 cents per kilowatt hour or more, whereas the average solar feed-in (for your everyday surplus solar power) is around 7 cents per kilowatt hour.
An upfront discount on the cost of a battery – ranging from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars – depending on the virtual power plant.
Don’t forget, that in some states there are also battery rebates which can substantially reduce the upfront cost of home battery storage
Summing up
Understanding the role your battery plays in a virtual power plant is useful when comparing the various VPP offers on the market. It’s important to consider the impact of the VPP on your battery, particularly in terms of battery life and warranty.
VPPs have the potential to provide an additional passive income stream, which can tip the balance in favour of home battery storage. Uptake of VPPs is gathering pace, particularly in states where attractive VPP offers run in parallel with generous state government battery rebates.
There’s a lot to consider when it comes to batteries and virtual power plants. At SolarRun, we’re here to help you find the best battery storage system and – if you choose – a virtual power plant offer that rewards you properly for helping make our national grid 100% renewable.
If you’d like advice on battery storage and VPPs, get in touch for a free consultation.
Most solar power monitoring systems are proprietary systems developed by solar inverter manufacturers. What these solar monitoring systems will do is show you how much solar energy your solar panel system is producing – and send an alert if the system shuts down.
Some like SolarEdge and other panel-level optimised solar power systems go further and show you things like how much electricity each panel is producing – definitely a useful feature.
Isn’t that enough? What other information could you possibly want from a solar power monitoring system?
A lot more, we reckon!
What to expect from the best solar monitoring system
You should be expecting a whole lot more from a solar power monitoring system than what comes as standard with your solar inverter.
The best solar power monitoring system will help save more money off your electricity and proactively alert you if there are system faults that need fixing. A good solar power monitoring system is the perfect add-on to your solar panel system, paying for itself many times over through increased electricity bill savings and better system performance.
The best solar power monitoring systems will tell you:
Whether your solar power system is working as it should – or better or worse.
How much self-generated solar power you are using in your home.
How much you are saving with your solar power system.
Whether there are any faults affecting your solar system’s performance.
What the best electricity deal for your home is – and exactly how much you’ll save by switching.
Whether it’s worth buying solar battery storage.
And if you think solar monitoring is just for geeks, read this article.
Why Solar Analytics is the best solar power monitoring system
Solar Analytics is the only solar power monitoring system that provides you with all the above benefits.
Best of all, their user-interface is super-easy to understand. Just a quick glance at one of their screens tells you the information you need – no engineering degree needed! Plus, you get email and SMS alerts if there’s an issue that needs addressing, as well as alerts if your system trips off.
It’s a fabulous tool, designed very much with the layperson in mind.
Solar Analytics – Australian owned and operated software company
Before diving deeper into the benefits of Solar Analytics software, it’s worth pointing out that Solar Analytics is an Australian software company that is 100% dedicated to developing the best solar power monitoring system for solar households and businesses. That’s all they do – and they do it extremely well!
Founded in 2013 and based in Sydney, Solar Analytics has been given a big tick by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) who found that Solar Analytics software increased household solar generation by 15 per cent. This was because of a feature within Solar Analytics that identifies system faults before they escalate. The benefit? Minimised solar production downtime, ultimately leading to increase bill savings.
Benefits of Solar Analytics
So how exactly does Solar Analytics help you save more money off your electricity bill and maximise system uptime? Here’s a quick run-down of the top benefits of this smart solar monitoring system.
Shows whether your solar system is performing as expected
Using smart algorithms, Solar Analytics takes the exact specifications of your solar panel system and matches it to local weather data to calculate the expected solar production for each day. Bar charts comparing what should have been produced with actual production instantly highlight any shortfalls. It also shows any loss due to shading.
You can select the time period you want to analyse:
Daily, by hour
Week
Month
Year
Total
Any time period you choose
Shows how much self-generated solar power you are using in your home
As you may be aware, the biggest solar savings are when you use the clean energy produced by your solar panels in your home rather than export it to the grid. That’s because when you use your self-generated solar power it’s free – you don’t need to buy electricity from the grid at 25-30 cents per kilowatt hour. It’s a much better financial use for your solar power than exporting it for a measly 7 cents (the Aussie average paid for solar exports).
So, the smart money is on maximising your solar self-consumption. In layperson’s speak that means using your solar power at the time it’s being produced, rather than sending it to the grid.
The good news is that Solar Analytics is a fabulous tool for helping you see – in real-time or for any time period you like – exactly how much solar power you are using in your home.
It shows on just one graph both the kilowatt hours of solar energy produced as well as the solar energy consumed. If the graph shows little overlap between solar production and solar consumption, you’ll know that there’s potential to shift your electricity usage to times when the solar system is producing power.
Helps you save more
One of the best reports on Solar Analytics is the solar savings screen. The reason why we like it so much is because it gives you the complete picture on where you’re saving with solar.
Lots of people mistakenly believe that you only save money with solar by exporting it to the grid. Wrong!
Solar Analytics shows how much money you are saving – in two different ways – as well as how much you are spending on grid power. It shows:
$ saved through solar consumed on site (this is the one most people forget about and isn’t shown on your electricity bill)
$ earned through solar exported to the grid
$ spent on electricity imported from the grid
You can select any time-period you want to investigate, for instance your current billing period. It’s a sure-fire way of never getting electricity bill shock again!
Identifies system faults before they become problems
With high voltage DC power running across your roof with a typical string inverter solar system, the last thing you’ll want is an electrical fault that may endanger the safety of your household.
Enter Solar Analytics!
Once again the team at Solar Analytics has put their patented smart algorithms to work to do some pretty amazing calculations to identify if there’s anything not working as it should. What’s more, Solar Analytics even goes as further as to suggest what’s not working.
It’s a great tool for you when you’re calling your solar installer about the issue. Better still, find a solar installer who’s a Solar Analytics partner with a direct login to the Solar Analytics reporting portal. They can do the diagnostic work for you – so you don’t need to worry about anything!
Finding the best electricity deal
We all know that we should check the market for the best electricity deals every so often. But how many of us get around to doing it? Let’s face it, it’s boring. We’ve got better things to do with our time!
The team at Solar Analytics have switched onto this opportunity. They’ve just launched a new feature called Plan Optimiser which uses your actual solar and household energy data to compare the available electricity plans in your area and automatically find the best electricity deal for you.
Pilot tests shows average bill savings of $400 a year – with one customer saving $2,000 annually!
Working out whether battery storage is financially worthwhile for you
There’s no doubt that solar batteries are popular but uptake is still quite low. That’s because the price is still relatively high and it’s not that straightforward to work out the financial payback.
Once again, Solar Analytics has solved this problem.
They’ve added a Battery Calculator that tells you what size battery would be suitable for your home based on your power usage. It also works out how much less grid power you’d need as a result of installing the size battery they’ve recommended. And, they give you an indicative costing for the battery.
It’s a great tool, as it’s based on real data on your electricity usage – no guesswork. For anyone thinking about battery storage, it’s invaluable.
Summing up
Solar Analytics goes way beyond what most solar power monitoring systems offer. It’s a massive step up. For a relatively small investment, Solar Analytics can save you hundreds, if not thousands off your electricity bills and optimise the performance of your solar system.
It’s also great insurance when it comes to safeguarding your home from the risk of malfunction of your solar system.
With electricity deal comparisons and battery calculators, Solar Analytics is a step ahead of the game when it comes to maximising the financial benefits from your solar system.
What’s more, Solar Analytics works with virtually all solar power systems – even older ones.
Get in touch if you’d like a Solar Analytics quote for your property.
Who doesn’t love a hot shower? But did you know that hot water heating accounts for around 21 per cent of the total energy bill for most Australian homes?
That’s a big chunk of your power bill. Fortunately, there’s a way to reduce it – and even get $0 hot water for your home.
The answer is a hot water heat pump system. Heat pumps are the most efficient way to heat hot water for Australian homes. They are also the most cost-effective hot water heating method.
Lowest running costs
With typical running costs of less than $200 a year, hot water heat pumps are the cheapest way of heating hot water in Australia. Compared with conventional electrical style hot water systems, they are around 4.5 times cheaper to run. When compared to gas hot water, the running costs are at least half.
Because heat pumps are environmentally friendly and super-efficient, they qualify for generous government rebates making them affordable for most Australian homes.
Heat pumps also combine perfectly with solar panels. Pair a hot water heat pump system with your rooftop solar system and you can get $0 hot water for some, if not all, of the year!
What you’ll learn in this post
This article provides a brief explanation of how hot water heat pump systems work. It also describes the benefits of hot water heat pumps versus conventional electric and gas hot water systems.
Get in touch if you’d like free expert advice on heat pumps and a quote.
How does a hot water heat pump work?
A heat pump hot water system comprises of a heat pump unit and a storage tank. The heat pump extracts ambient heat from the surrounding air and sends that heat – by pumping it – into the water in the storage tank.
Heat pumps concentrate heat, rather than creating it. They are highly energy efficient, generating around 3 to 4 times more energy than they consume.
Heat pump hot water systems work in all temperature zones across Australia. Even in the coldest climates, a quality heat pump will generate all the hot water that a typical family home will need.
Pick the right model, and you’ll find that the noise level from the pump is no louder than a modern electric fan, i.e., around 37-40 decibels.
Heat pumps can heat hot water quickly. Depending on the model some units can heat 50 litres within 15 minutes.
Talk to us to get a heat pump hot water system that’s correctly sized for your household, and you’ll have guaranteed hot water all year round.
Benefits of a hot water heat pump v. conventional electric hot water
Conventional electric hot water systems have traditionally been one of the cheapest hot water systems to buy. But these days, they are by far the most expensive hot water system to run.
Both federal and state governments in Australia are trying to phase out old-style electric hot water systems by offering attractive rebates for more energy efficient alternatives, such as heat pumps.
The main benefits of a hot water heat pump compared to an old-style electric hot water system are:
Cheaper to run
A resistive electric hot water system costs the average Australian home $820 a year to run. In comparison, hot water heat pump costs around $185 a year to run.
The difference is a saving of $635 a year, making a hot water heat pump around 80 per cent cheaper to operate than an electric resistive system.
Source: Sustainability Victoria’s Hot Water Running Costs
Lifetime cost comparison
Heat pumps have a lifespan of around 15 years. With annual running costs of $185 a year, over 15 years your heat pump will cost around $2,775 to run.
An older style electric hot water system will cost you around $12,300 in running costs over a 15-year period (assuming it lasts that long). That’s $9,525 more than a heat pump.
$0 running costs with solar
Power your heat pump with electricity from your solar panels and reduce your annual hot water bill even further. Set the timer on your hot water heat pump so it heats the water during solar-producing hours using your free solar electricity. It’s the smart way to use your excess solar power; a lot better financially than exporting it to the grid!
300% more efficient
A hot water heat pump is at least 300% efficient at converting electricity to hot water. In contrast electric-resistive hot water systems have an efficiency of less than 100%.
More environmentally friendly
Traditional electric hot water systems release 4.75 tonnes of greenhouse gases annually, making them the worst CO2 polluter out of all the hot water systems. In contrast, heat pumps release only 1.6 tonnes of greenhouse gases annually.
Federal government rebates
Federal government rebates – in the form of Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs) – are available for approved hot water heat pump systems. They are worth between $800 and $1,040 depending on where you live in Australia.
Conventional electric hot water systems don’t qualify for STCs.
State government rebates
States such as Victoria have rebates and financial incentives for switching from an old electric hot water system to a hot water heat pump.
In Victoria, the value of this rebate – available under the Victorian Energy Upgrades scheme – is worth between $1,500 and $1,600 and is on top of the federal government rebate.
Add the state and federal rebates together and the total financial incentive for Victorians to switch off old electric to heat pump hot water system is between $2,580 and $2,720.
Get in touch to find out whether there are additional state-level incentives for heat pumps in your part of Australia.
Benefits of a hot water heat pump v. gas hot water
Gas water heaters make up approximately 48 per cent of water heaters in Australia. They use either natural gas or LPG to heat water.
The two main types of gas water heaters are:
gas storage water heaters
instantaneous or continuous flow gas water heaters
The main benefits of a hot water heat pump compared to an old-style electric hot water system are:
Lower running costs
Heat pump hot water systems are around 50 per cent cheaper to run than gas hot water systems. The lower running costs of a heat pump can save the average homeowner up to $225 per year and an average of $3,375 over the 15-year lifetime, when compared to a gas hot water system.
Hot water system
Annual running cost
Gas storage
$410
Gas instantaneous
$365
Heat pump
$185
Source: Sustainability Victoria’s Hot Water Running Costs
$0 hot water with solar
Heat pump hot water systems can be set to run off free electricity from your solar panels. Gas hot water systems, on the other hand, can only run off gas. With gas prices expected to rise in coming years, gas hot water heating will become increasingly expensive.
Source: Sustainability Victoria’s Hot Water Running Costs
Last longer
Gas-powered hot water tanks usually breakdown after 8-10 years whereas hot water heaters have a useful life of around 15 years.
Safer
With heat pumps, you don’t need to worry about house fires or filling your home with dangerous fumes, unlike some gas hot water heaters.
Cleaner and greener
The greenhouse gas emissions from gas hot water systems and hot water heat pumps are virtually the same at around 1.6 tonnes per year. However, gas is inherently more environmentally damaging, given that in Australia it is mostly extracted through hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” which can poison groundwater and threaten wildlife.
Heat pumps are a better environmental choice, particularly when teamed with solar panels.
Government rebates
Hot water heat pumps qualify for the Federal Government rebate known as Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs) which are worth between $800 and $1,040 depending on where you live in Australia. Gas hot water systems do not qualify for the STC rebate.
Interested in a heat pump quote?
Get in touch if you’d like advice or a quote for switching over to a hot water heat pump system. It’s a great way to save on your power bills and help the environment at the same time.
A swimming pool in your back garden is a wonderful lifestyle asset – and we all know the health benefits that come from regular swimming. But most people use their pool only in the summer months. That’s because the cost of heating a pool using conventional gas or electric can be prohibitive.
Solar pool heaters are another option but of course their usefulness is limited to the warmer months of the year.
That’s why electric pool heat pumps are proving so popular. When teamed with solar panels, they provide low-cost water heating throughout the year and are the cheapest way of heating your pool over a 12-month period.
How do electric pool heat pumps work?
Electric pool heat pumps extract ambient heat from the air, intensify it, then transfer that heat to the water that’s pumped into the unit from your pool.
Because electric pool pumps use heat that’s already in the air, they require a lot less energy than traditional pool heaters. A good pool heat pump will generate 5 to 10 times more heat than the amount of energy required to create that heat.
Another plus for electric pool heat pumps is that they don’t require sunlight to work. The best pool heat pumps will operate effectively even when it’s zero degrees outside. Something that a solar pool heater will never achieve!
Top benefits of an electric pool heat pump
Cheapest way to heat your pool throughout the year
An electric pool heat pump, when connected to your solar panels system, is the cheapest way to heat your pool throughout the year.
Even without solar panels, electric pool heat pumps are around 50-80 percent more cost effective to run than propane or natural gas pumps. And when compared with conventional electric pool heaters, the cost difference is even greater.
The biggest cost savings kick in when you connect your electric pool heat pump with your solar panels system. With a smart timer controlling the flow of electricity from your solar PV system to your electric pool pump, you could be getting free pool heating for much of the year.
Guaranteed temperature – all year around
Pool heat pumps don’t rely on sunshine to work; instead, they use the ambient heat in the air. As this ambient heat is always present – even on cold winter days – your pool heat pump is guaranteed to get your swimming pool to the temperature you’d like no matter how cold it is outside.
Solar pool heaters, on the other hand, rely on the sunshine. That’s why they are only effective during the warmer months of the year.
If you want to enjoy your pool all year around, an electric pool heat pump will give you lovely warm water 365 days a year, at a fraction of the cost of other alternatives.
Better use of valuable roof space
Solar pool heating requires black tubes, called solar collectors, to be fixed to your roof. These solar collectors have just one purpose – to heat the water in your pool. That’s great for the six months of the year or so when the sun’s producing enough heat. But for the rest of the time, the collectors are sitting idle not creating any benefit for you or your family.
A much better use of your valuable roof space is to cover it with solar panels. That way, you get free solar power throughout the year which can be used by any electrical appliance in your home, as well as of course your electric pool heat pump!
Have a bigger pool without a skyrocketing heating bill
The bigger the pool, the more it costs to heat it. But if you heat it with an electric heat pump teamed with solar power, the incremental cost of heating more water is marginal. That means stepping up to a bigger size swimming pool is a realistic option and one that won’t break the bank in terms of ongoing running costs.
Environmentally friendly
Electric pool heat pumps are an environmentally friendly way to heat your pool. When they run off solar electricity, the greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to next to nothing. Plus, the most common refrigerant used in the heating process – known as R410A – is non-toxic and ozone-friendly. This means no nasty gaseous emissions near your pool, and the good feeling that comes from keeping your environmental impact to a minimum.
Advantages of electric pool heat pumps
Low running costs, due to their high efficiency (COP rating of approx. 10)
Uses ambient heat so works even on cold, cloudy days
Can be powered by a solar panel system, reducing costs still further
Can be installed on the ground, requiring little space
Low maintenance costs
Quick to heat – a well-sized electric pool heat pump should have your pool heated to your preferred temperature in 10 hours or less, even at the coldest times of the year
Environmentally friendly.
Get in touch for a quote
Find out what size electric pool pump will work best for your swimming pool, the costs and how much you stand to save compared with the alternatives. Get in touch for a free quote and expert advice on all aspects of heating your pool with an electric pool heat pump.
With our abundant Aussie sunshine, big rooftops and rapidly decreasing cost of solar power systems, 10kW can be an ideal size solar system for Australian homeowners looking to maximise their electricity bill savings.
The big question is – exactly how much can you save off your electricity bills with a 10kW solar system?
The quick answer is around $2,000 to $3,000 a year, with the exact amount depending on four main factors:
How much power your solar system generates
How much solar power you use in your home
What you pay for grid electricity
How much you get paid for the solar feed-in tariff
In this article, we’ll tackle each of these topics in turn and, in the process, demystify the way in which solar electricity bill savings are calculated!
How much power your solar system generates
As a rough rule of thumb, each kilowatt of solar panels installed on your roof generates 4 kilowatt hours of electricity on average throughout the year. That means that a 10kW solar panel system will generate around 40 kilowatt hours of solar electricity on average each day.
But….this is just a general guide. The exact amount of electricity your solar panels generate depends on:
Your geographic location
Orientation and tilt of your solar panels
Efficiency of your solar panels and solar inverter
Whether there’s any shading on your panels
Geographic location
The table below shows the average daily amount of solar energy a 10kW solar system generates in Australia’s major cities, throughout the year.
Melbourne
36 kWh
Sydney
39 kWh
Adelaide
42 kWh
Brisbane
42 kWh
Canberra
41 kWh
Newcastle
41 kWh
Perth
44 kWh
Darwin
46 kWh
Hobart
33 kWh
It’s important to remember that this is an average. In summer you’ll be getting more than the average – and in winter you’ll get less.
It’s a good idea to get a handle on how your electricity usage varies by season; you can see this on your electricity bills. Alternatively get in touch and we can work it out for you.
Orientation and tilt of your solar panels
The direction your solar panels face can make a difference to the amount of power generated. Whilst north facing can be best, this isn’t set on stone. Matching when your household uses electricity with the direction the panels face will result in higher self-consumption of your solar power. This is the best way to save most on your electricity bills.
The tilt angle of your panels in relation to the roof is also important. The tilt should be optimised for your location and take into account any constraints posed by your roof line.
Working out the optimal panel layout and tilt for your solar system is a specialist task – every home is different. Get in touch with a Solar Run expert today for the best solar advice for your home.
Efficiency of your solar panels and solar inverter
One of the most important quality measures is solar panel efficiency –the rate at which panels convert sunlight into electricity. The best solar panels like Risen, Jinko and Sunpower all perform at the top end of the ladder at 20 per cent plus efficiency.
The same goes for the best solar inverters. You want a solar inverter that’s got a good rating for the efficiency – i.e. the rate the inverter converts DC power (direct current) to AC power (alternating current) which can be used in your home.
Solar Run only stocks leading brand solar panels and solar inverters. We can advise on the best solar panels and inverters to optimise your power generation and fit your budget.
Solar panel shading
Whilst shading will reduce the efficiency of your solar panel system, the effects of shading can be minimised with clever solar technology – like half-cut solar panels and power optimisers which maximise power generation at panel-level.
A bit of shading doesn’t mean solar is out of the question. Find out about the best solar systems to address your shading issues.
How much solar power you use in your home
The way to save the most off your electricity bill with solar is to maximise the amount of solar power you use during the daytime. You’ll get the biggest electricity bill savings if you consume most – if not all – of the solar power your 10kW solar system generates at the time when it’s being generated.
The trick is to maximise solar self-consumption and minimise the amount of solar electricity you export to the grid. Getting a good solar monitoring system will help you achieve that goal.
What you pay for grid electricity
The more you pay for grid electricity, the greater your potential bill savings with solar. That’s because when you use your own self-generated solar power in your home, you don’t need to buy the expensive electricity from the grid.
On average, Australian households pay 25-30 cent per kilowatt hour for grid electricity but this can vary widely from state to state and between retailers.
How much you get paid for the solar feed-in tariff
Solar feed-in tariffs are now worth around 7 cent per kilowatt on average in Australia. If you shop around, you may be able to do a better. But watch out that an enticing looking feed-in tariff isn’t a ploy to get you to pay more for the daily supply charge or grid power.
Generally speaking, the amount you pay for grid electricity is around 4x what you’re paid for your solar exports. Solar exports only contribute a small amount to your total bill savings. Whilst trying to get a higher feed-in rate is not a bad idea, it’s not the main way to save on your electricity bill – maximising consumption of your solar power is where it’s at!
Here’s a worked example of the electricity bill savings you could get with a 10kW solar power system based on the following assumptions:
Standard rate for grid electricity: 27 cents per kilowatt hour
Solar feed-in tariff: 7 cents per kilowatt hour
Average daily solar production based on geographic location
The bill savings are modelled for two different usage profiles:
Household 1: uses 60% of the solar power generated in the home and exports the rest to the grid for the feed-in tariff
Household 2: uses 40% of the solar power generated and exports the rest to the grid for the feed-in tariff
Electricity bill savings with solar – Melbourne and Sydney
Estimated total annual bill savings in year 1
Melbourne
Sydney
Household 1: uses 60% of solar power in their home – exports rest to the grid
$2,566
$2,913
Household 2: uses 40% of solar power in their home – exports rest to grid
$2,026
$2,300
This table emphasises the message that the more solar power you use during the daytime, the bigger your bill savings. It also shows that even at the lower solar consumption level of 40 per cent, the bill savings are still worth having!
Payback on a 10kW solar system
With prices for high quality 10kW solar panel systems now more affordable than ever, many of our customers are getting a payback of between 3-5 years.
As this article has demonstrated, the best payback on a solar system is when you maximise the amount of solar power used in your home – ideally getting it to 60 per cent or higher.
Having said that, even if a 10kW solar system is a bit bigger than what you need right now it could be a smart move if you’re thinking of any of the following:
Adding battery storage in the future
Getting an electric vehicle in the future
Moving more of your appliances to electric’
Extending your home in the future
Using more electricity in the future
Talk to the experts
A 10kW solar system may be a lot less expensive than what you think. Factor in the bill savings and the future benefits and the sums may well stack up for you. Solar Run can help you with this process and we offer interest free options
Get in touch. We’ll work out whether 10kW is feasible for your roof – and accurately model the bill savings and payback of a 10kW solar system for your home.
Cutting out the middleman – i.e. electricity retailers – and selling your surplus solar power direct to your neighbours sounds appealing. It’s like Facebook Marketplace for your solar electricity!
Solar energy trading is set to become a great way to get more value out of your solar power system and battery, whilst reducing your reliance on the grid. By investing now in solar panels and home energy storage, you’ll be ready to get on board with electricity trading when it becomes widely available. Get in touch with our solar experts if you’d like a quote.
Solar energy trading benefits
Solar energy trading is the future of renewable energy. It unlocks the power of literally millions of residential and business solar systems allowing owners to:
Get paid more for solar exports
Buy solar power direct, for less
Choose where you buy your power from
Cut out the middleman – i.e. the electricity retailer
Help stabilise the electricity grid
Increase the amount of renewable energy flowing through the grid
It’s a win/win/win – for you, the environment and the reliability of the electricity grid. That’s why it’s starting to take off.
And the good news is that Aussie energy tech companies are carving out a reputation as world leaders in this fast-developing market.
Solar energy trading: the big questions
Some of the key questions customers ask us about solar energy trading are:
How does it work?
Can you do it now?
Is it worth it, financially?
Let’s answer these questions in turn.
How does it work?
Blockchain is the technology underpinning virtually all energy trading platforms in Australia and internationally. Essentially, blockchain is a database that processes and stores information in a way that is transparent, secure and super-fast. It is used in many different applications, including Bitcoin.
Blockchain enables something called peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading, which is the buying and selling of energy between two grid-connected parties.
With P2P energy trading, you can trade electricity with your family, friends or an organisation of any type (not just an electricity retailer). It doesn’t matter who or where they are – as long as they are connected to you via the electricity grid.
Theoretically, you don’t need a solar power system to participate in P2P energy trading. However, virtually all emerging energy trading platforms – certainly in Australia – require a solar power system and, in many cases, battery storage as well.
And, as side note, if the thought of going off-grid has ever crossed your mind, you’ll be glad you didn’t when energy trading kicks off in earnest. By staying grid-connected, you’ll be able to participate in the exciting new world of energy trading. Cut yourself off the grid and you’d be out of the game!
Can I do it now?
The answer to this question is YES! That is, if you live in parts of Australia (Europe and the USA) where pilots are taking place.
The answer is also YES, if you want to join some of the more innovative Virtual Power Plants (VPP) in Australia – like sonnenFlat and the SimplyEnergy VPP. Whilst these Virtual Power Plants don’t give you unlimited scope to trade your solar power, they do go some of the way.
Australian energy trading pilots
Australia’s first energy mini grid, launched in 2016, was the Mooroolbark Mini Grid Project on the outskirts of Melbourne. The technology platform used for this project was deX, a decentralised energy exchange developed by Australian energy tech company, Greensync, in partnership with ARENA, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. This trial enabled local energy sharing and trading between households in the mini-grid.
The Yackandandah mini grid, in north east Victoria, was another path-breaking pilot testing the model of energy trading between fourteen households. As local resident Donna Jones said, the goal is “that energy generated by solar panels and stored in home batteries can be shared between neighbours, even those without their own panels.”
Whilst these pilots are small-scale, there are some larger energy trading programs you can join now in Australia.
Innovative Virtual Power Plants
One interesting energy trading opportunity for Australian homeowners is sonnenFlat, an innovative electricity tariff designed for households with a sonnenBattery and solar power system. With sonnenFlat, you pay a small flat rate for your electricity based on a certain monthly usage. If you exceed that usage, you pay a per kilowatt hour charge for extra power used during that period.
Sonnen is a German battery manufacturer known for its premium batteries and its innovative technology to enable energy trading. It’s definitely worth a look, if you are interested in fixing your electricity costs at a guaranteed low rate whilst not being locked in to a contract.
Another widely available energy trading option is the Simply Energy VPP. Available in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland, you need a solar power system and a Tesla Powerwall 2 battery to participate. In return you get bill credits and a guaranteed discount each month off your electricity and gas usage and supply charges.
Whilst neither sonnenFlat or the Simply Energy VPP allow you to trade directly with your neighbour, they do utilise the emerging energy trading platforms discussed above.
One company that is making it possible for to trade solar power is Perth energy tech, Powerledger. With their blockchain-based energy trading platform, Powerledger has teamed up with Carlton United Brewery to create the VB Solar Exchange program where households can trade their excess solar energy for VB Beer. How cool is that!
Is it worth it financially?
In time, energy trading is going to be well worth it. You just have to look at some of the underlying numbers:
Average cost of buying electricity from the grid: 25-30 cents per kilowatt hour
Average feed-in tariff from electricity retailers: 7 cents per kilowatt hour
Around 50% of the cost of grid electricity is the distribution cost (i.e. how much it costs to transport electricity from the generator – typically a coal-fired power plant hundreds of kilometres away – to your home)
It’s easy to see that if you are buying and selling power locally, you cut out the electricity distribution cost. That’s around 12.5 – 15 cents per kilowatt hour. Plus, there’s no electricity retailer in the middle taking a cut. More savings!
So, when you start trading your own home-grown clean solar power (and who doesn’t want that!) with your neighbours, you can see how it’s going to be worth more than 7 cents per kilowatt hour (the current average feed-in tariff).
There’s room for you – the energy producer – to make money. It’s a good deal for your neighbours too as they’ll be able to buy your power for less than buying it from the grid.
Whilst direct energy trading with your neighbours isn’t widely available in Australia, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes commonplace. The pilots that are running are proving the technology. It won’t be long before solutions are implemented on a much larger scale.
If you’re interested in the benefits of energy trading, getting a quality solar panel system and a VPP-ready battery is a great starting point. You’ll benefit immediately from reduced power bills and be ready to share your power with friends, family and your community.
Like anything you buy, you need to check out the company behind the product as well as the product itself and, of course, the after sales support. That’s where talking to a solar expert at Solar Run can help. We’ve done the research on the best solar panels and know what’s what. So if you’re thinking about getting a good quality, reliable solar system – get in touch!
China: a solar world leader
With 80 per cent of worldwide solar panel production coming out of China, there are literally hundreds of solar panel brands made in China.
China’s market leading position in solar isn’t a coincidence. Back in the early 2000s, the Chinese Government decided to bet hard on renewables and invested heavily in subsidising their burgeoning solar panel manufacturing industry.
The tech know-how to build these Chinese solar manufacturing giants came in part from Australia. Ironically, the founder of one of China’s biggest solar panel manufacturing companies – Dr Shi Zhengrong – was trained in Australia at the University of New South Wales.
Rather than starting a solar company in Australia where he thought the cost based was too high, Dr Zhengrong decided to head back home to China and start up there. Other smart solar tech types he trained with followed him and, from there, the Chinese solar manufacturing industry took off!
Chinese solar panel price hike
Economies of scale
Due to the Chinese Government’s massive investment in renewables, domestic demand for solar panels in China is enormous. An eye-watering 50 per cent of all Chinese solar panel production is for the Chinese domestic market.
China is pushing the boundaries of solar panel manufacturing in terms of economies of scale, automated production processes and panel efficiency improvements.
With big money resting on solar for the future of China’s energy security, you can imagine that Chinese investment in solar panel R&D is huge.
What this means for solar customers in other parts of the world – including Australia – is that many of the solar panels coming out of China are impressive both in terms of their quality and value for money.
So how can you tell if a Chinese solar panel is any good?
There four main things to check to tell if a solar panel brand is any good:
Panel efficiency rating
This is the rate at which a solar panel transfers sunlight, via photovoltaics, into electricity. 19 per cent efficiency is the minimum you should expect, some panels are as high as 21-22 per cent but you will pay more for this. Examples of top quality Chinese manufactured solar panels with high efficiency ratings include
Length of product warranty
12 years is the absolute minimum for a solar panel product warranty. When you shop around you’ll find that some solar panels come with much longer product warranties, like Risen Energy with its 25 year product warranty and , with a 25 year performance warranty. If you’r after the best of the best you can’t go past the Sunpower Maxion 5 with a 40 year product warranty.
Panel performance warranty
This is a measure of the degradation of the panel at the end of 25 years. The standard is around 82 per cent at the end of 25 years, compared to the day 1 power output capacity. The best solar panel – Sunpower Maxeon 5 – has a 92% panel performance warranty which is the best in the business, which are made in Mexico and Malaysia!
Bloomberg Tier 1 Rating
Whilst not a measure of panel quality as such, the Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) Tier 1 list is a measure of the financial strength of the company that makes the solar panels. Given that solar panels come with a performance warranty of 25 years, you want to be sure that the solar manufacturer is financially sound and likely to be in business should you need to make a warranty claim.
It’s important to know that the position of the solar company on the Tier 1 list doesn’t reflect on their quality. For example SunPower is number 38 on the BNEF Tier 1 list and they’re the best solar panels money can buy. The main thing to check is that the solar panel manufacturer of the panels you intend to buy is somewhere on the Tier 1 list – the actual position doesn’t matter.
You’ll find that most solar panel manufacturers on the BNEF Tier 1 list are Chinese companies – for instance
Summing up
Many of the world’s best solar panels are made in China. The scale of research and development amongst Chinese solar panel manufacturers is phenomenal.
China is fully committed to transitioning its economy to renewable energy and it sees solar power as a key to bringing this strategy to fruition. In other words, this means they aren’t mucking around when it comes to making quality solar panels.
As a solar panel customer, this is good news for you. The best Chinese solar panels offer excellent quality combined with reliable performance at a reasonable price.
There are a lot of solar panel brands on the market and it can be time consuming to check them out yourself.
We’ve done the research, so take a shortcut and talk to one of our solar experts today. We’ll find the best solar panel brand that’s ticks the boxes when it comes to your budget and quality expectations.
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