November 2016 Blog Archive

Solargain and the City of Cockburn have recently signed an agreement for a 901kW solar PV system at the City’s new Cockburn ARC recreation and aquatic centre. When added to the 100kW system Solargain will be installing at Cockburn ARC for the Fremantle Dockers, this will be a massive 1MW, creating Western Australia’s largest rooftop solar installation yet. “It’s an exciting time for Solargain. We are proud to be part of the team driving Western Australia’s solar future forward and to demonstrate our extensive commercial solar experience on such an iconic project,” Solargain CEO Domenic Mercuri

Do you want your solar PV system to produce as much energy as possible? Increasing the array-to-inverter ratio, using a technique known as ‘maximising’, can help ensure you’re getting the most out of your system. What is maximising? Maximising is when you install a solar array that has the ability to generate more electricity than your inverter’s maximum output capacity. For example, you can pair a 6kW solar panel array with a 5kW inverter (assuming it is operating safely within the inverter's voltage parameters). How does maximising work? Firstly, it is important to understand how solar

Cell optimisers vs panel optimisers vs micro-inverters Once upon a time, if you were installing solar panels on a home with an unusual roofline or shaded areas, you’d use micro-inverters to ensure your system was delivering as much energy as possible. Micro-inverters allow for panel level optimisation, which enables panels to be managed individually - ideal for these challenging installations. Even on roofs ideal for solar, the panel level optimisation in micro-inverters provide about 5% extra yield. However, now there are new and alternative technologies on the market that also enable panel

Want to add more panels to your solar PV system? Here’s what you need to know. On 9 October 2016, changes to AS4777.2:2015 (the Australian Standard for ‘Grid connection of energy systems via inverters - Inverter requirements’) took effect which are likely to influence your plans to upgrade your existing solar PV system. What has changed? Legislation regulating solar power installations (which is guided by AS4777.2:2015) now states that you will only be entitled to receive STC (small-scale technology certificate) discounts for new solar panels if you meet the following requirements: Your system