It's all a big con.... The amount of solar panels that people are fitting to there roof tops should power a house. It seems your fooled into putting it back into the grid for a reduced bill.....sheep baaa baaa black sheep.
I understand your cynicism southace, but it should be directed at the state government regulator/power company cartels who consistently underpay new rooftop solar owners for their power. The rate should be the going NEM wholesale rate but instead new providers are lucky to make 1/3 the wholesale rate in most states. There are still a very lucky few who are on the original RET rates from over a decade ago and they're holding onto their deals for as long as possible. Prepare for some class actions there if the power cartels get nasty.
The amount of panels people fit to their house in order to fully supply their needs varies wildly depending on your latitude, location and consumption. It has nothing to do with what bill one ends up paying with a hybrid or grid connected system.
If you specify the correct system for the need, your bills should be zero or positive.
Plus one is offsetting dirty coal power at the same time. If you don't grid connect you don't offset much.
I hope that helps.
Hi Guys, my 2c worth. Have set up a house on Fraser Island. Solar on roof, 2 massive batteries from a dragline. ( $1k each) inverter. All lights are led. 12v power run throughout for phone chargers computers etc. Only have a few 240v outlets for things like washing machine n fridge etc. Gas hotwater.Back up generator for short stays is 2kva honda. This system can support 12 peoples usage easily. We have a bigger genset for longer stays ( its quieter n remotely bunker mounted n started) All good so far. Quite economical to set up.
No issues over the past 5years.
When I put solar on earlier this year Synergy (also my electricity retailer) told me for my current power consumption I only needed a small 1.2 kw system, they were totally upfront that there is no money to be made on selling solar generated power back to the grid. I went up to a 3.2kw despite the advice as I wanted room to use more power or have generation capacity for battery storage when the prices drop.
My house has 500 w of self funded solar and 400 w of useless windgenorator , I use Bunnings swap and go gas for cooking which lasts about 3 months. If I could fit the amount of solar you guys fit to your roof tops I could power 3 or 4 houses! The technology is there but the governments are reselling your solar power back to a grid where they can then make more dollars selling it back to others! I haven't payed a electricity bill for just over 10 years now!
Yep its amazing just what you really DONT need to survive. If youre NOT a modern day consumer style muppet. Surviving off the grid is easy. Living on a yacht shows just how to conserve n reduce ALL expendables. Drinking water, electricity, food etc.
My friends have solar on there Catamaran, they have a full sized domestic fridge/freezer and cook bread make water ...etc and some days they have to cover there solar panels up as they have to much power and no where to put it!
I love your house. Consumers can learn a lot from yacht design to provide architects and designers with leaner briefs.
I have a constant struggle to convince people to make do with less and have smarter, smaller and multi-purpose spaces - but still they want the cinema room and the 90cm electric oven, air con (a con) and the huge TV and fridge.
It's materialistic consumerist nonsense.
House roofs are already architect and designed perfect for solar panels , yachts are not so perfect and we have to manufacture frames and find space to fit them.
Like I said the amount of solar panels I see fitted on house roofs should be enough to get off the grid.
A garden shed full of deep cycle battery's and a big invertor should be enough to get you through the nights and during the days while your at work the solar should be topping them battery's back up ready for the next night.
Why not wire 12 volt lighting throughout your house as well as 240v you don't need a sparky to wire 12 volt!
gas oven connect it to swap and go bottles.
A small generator for emergency back up would also benefit.
When the power was knocked out for nearly a week last year in the storms I was amazed how many people with roof top solar had NO power for a week.......yet my home was still fully powered with my little solar array! 
Yeah mate I'm already starting to play with DC recessed LED strip lighting in certain areas. It's the go...smooth high lumen output and low consumption. Also they look hot. 
Select to expand quoteAdriano said..
I understand your cynicism southace, but it should be directed at the state government regulator/power company cartels who consistently underpay new rooftop solar owners for their power. The rate should be the going NEM wholesale rate but instead new providers are lucky to make 1/3 the wholesale rate in most states. There are still a very lucky few who are on the original RET rates from over a decade ago and they're holding onto their deals for as long as possible. Prepare for some class actions there if the power cartels get nasty.
I can't say what wholesale power cost is, but retail in NSW has gone up to ~28c/kWh. Minimum feed in tariff has gone up to 10c. I got a letter from Origen Energy yesterday offering me 15c feed in, along with a 10% discount on my usage. That adds up to me being paid 60% of retail for my generation. Over the course of a year it should give me a reduction in my power bill. So I signed up.
Select to expand quoteMr Milk said..Adriano said..
I understand your cynicism southace, but it should be directed at the state government regulator/power company cartels who consistently underpay new rooftop solar owners for their power. The rate should be the going NEM wholesale rate but instead new providers are lucky to make 1/3 the wholesale rate in most states. There are still a very lucky few who are on the original RET rates from over a decade ago and they're holding onto their deals for as long as possible. Prepare for some class actions there if the power cartels get nasty.
I can't say what wholesale power cost is, but retail in NSW has gone up to ~28c/kWh. Minimum feed in tariff has gone up to 10c. I got a letter from Origen Energy yesterday offering me 15c feed in, along with a 10% discount on my usage. That adds up to me being paid 60% of retail for my generation. Over the course of a year it should give me a reduction in my power bill. So I signed up.
Makes sense.
Just as well we don't have a carbon tax pushing prices up and coal keeping prices low!
