August 2016 Blog Archive

A number of DC Isolator switches have been recalled by the Australian Government and if you’ve installed solar power it’s well worth checking your system is not affected. The DC Isolator switch is an essential solar power system component. It’s responsible for stopping voltage in times when your system needs to be worked on, as well as in emergencies or during blackouts. For solar inverters at a ground level, there will be two feeds connected to the unit for output and input – each of these will typically have an isolator. There are currently seven DC Isolator switches which have been recalled

The Australian Government’s small-scale technology (STC) certificates scheme will begin phasing out from January 1, 2017. Though it’s not technically referred to as a ‘solar rebate’ the initiative effectively works like one and so we’ll call it that for the purposes of this article. Introduced in 2011 as part of the Australian Renewable Energy Target (RET), the solar rebate has helped encourage over one million Aussies install solar power, making the technology more affordable. Currently, most homeowners receive a discount of about $3,990 for a 5kW solar power system. Rather than being stopped

The New South Wales Solar Bonus Scheme is a solar feed in tariff program paying homeowners either 20 or 60 cents per kilowatt hour for the power generated by their solar energy system. The scheme, which was designed to encourage solar power installation, closed to new participants in 2011 and applies to over 140,000 residents in NSW. Set to finish by the end of 2016, the Solar Bonus Scheme has provided its lucky recipients with fantastic financial benefits – but with its demise, these same homeowners may soon experience a shock. When the Solar Bonus Scheme ends, electricity bills will likely

Solar panels although simple they are far from boring. It’s only until you learn how solar panels work that you truly appreciate how clever they are. So, how do solar panels work? The first thing to know is that panels rely on light from the sun, not heat. In fact, most solar panels become less efficient in extremely hot conditions. Solar panels convert sunlight into DC electricity. When photons from sunlight strike the silicon cell in the solar panel, electrons are released. The freed electrons race around and, with the help of an electric field, create energy in the process. The electrons