PV Systems

Backup

March 10, 2013 Phoenix Electrical Solar Services

Solar Power Even in the Event of Grid Failure

Power outage means disconnection of the PV plant from the grid. Many people are unaware that in the event of a power outage the PV plant is disconnected from the grid for safety reasons. From that moment on it ceases to provide solar power, neither for grid-feed nor for internal power supply. As the experts agree that lengthy blackouts and temporary outages are set to increase, it is sensible to have an alternative energy option to supply continuous reliable power to your home or business.

The SMA Sunny Solar Backup System closes this supply gap. All owners of a personal PV plant can continue to obtain reliable and environmentally friendly power for important loads.

The optimum electricity insurance

Power outages can not only be inconvenient, but can also have very serious economic consequences, especially for business unless the PV plant has been equipped with a Sunny Backup System. With over 30 years experience in photovoltaic technology the SMA Sunny Backup System can provide reliable backup power for a variety of applications including:

Cold storage units
Hotels
Supermarkets
Restaurants
Heating, cooking, computers
Single family homes

Sunny Backup

Components: 1. Sunny Boy PV Inverter, 2. Sunny Backup automatic transfer switch, 3.Sunny Backup battery set, 4. Sunny Backup 2200, 5. Sunny Remote Control, 6. Grid Connection

Features & Benefits

Provides a stable and reliable energy supply in the event of a grid failure
Can be integrated into existing and new PV plants
Automatic switching in approx 50 milliseconds
Reliable backup for residential homes & commercial business

PV Systems

Commercial

March 7, 2013 Phoenix Electrical Solar Services

Commercial Solar

Solar Power for businesses is a great investment for a variety of reasons:

Power prices keep increasing. These will increase by anything up to 20% per year for the next few years. (for business, there is no regulation as there is for domestic use where price maximums are set by ipart)
Solar power production generally matches your consumption pattern – so you are using the power as you produce it.
Many businesses have roofs which are suitable in size and type.
You can look at solar if you are an owner, or in a long term lease.
Solar can be installed on most roofs without any damage to the roof at all
There are still rebates for the purchase of solar
The cost of installation has fallen for larger systems in the last 12 months
As a business, you can claim back the GST component
As a business, you can depreciate the system and get a tax benefit
The systems can pay for themselves in as little as 5-7 years.
You may achieve some marketing benefit from being green in your business.

PV Systems

Off Grid

March 7, 2013 Phoenix Electrical Solar Services

Off-Grid Solar Power

Living Off Grid

Living Off-grid

Link to explain sunny island offgrid system
https://www.sma-australia.com.au/home/grid-independence-with-solar-power

Off grid, stand alone solar power solutions for those who are not able or willing to be connected to the electricity grid. Here you find energy solutions for small households to large office buildings.
Phoenix Electrical Solar Services can design and install a stand-alone power systems using quality components to suit your needs. Each solar system is unique and should be tailored to your needs and geographic location.

System Examples

We have compiled a variety of solar system examples and grouped them as Micro Solar Systems, Residential Solar Systems, and Large/Commercial Solar Systems. Each system can (and should) be customised to reflect your energy consumption. .

Micro Solar Systems

Small and flexible solar kits for cabins, weekenders, stationary caravans, sheds, garages or beach huts.
Our Micro Solar Systems are fully functional off-grid solar systems. It is often not economical to get grid electricity to every building on a farm, or to maintain an electricity connection at a holiday home. A micro system can supply energy (up to 400 Wh per day) at a budget price .

Residential Solar Systems

Resudential Solar Systems

Sturdy and economic solar systems for small to medium size households.
Our residential solar systems utilise proven technology from established and experienced manufacturers.alian. The systems are robust and supply enough energy to supply an average Australian household with electricity .

Large/Commercial Solar Systems

State-of-the-art solar power systems for large households or businesses.
Latest German technology is at the heart of our large/commercial solar power systems. During the day, the generated solar electricity directly powers 240V devices. Hence these solar systems require less battery capacity. Our large/commercial range is also modular and can grow with your energy needs (up to 300kW !).

Installation Rebate

An newly purchased solar system – when installed by accredited technicians – may be eligible for Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs). The current, combined value of those STCs is displayed with every system.

PV Systems

Grid Connect

February 25, 2013 Phoenix Electrical Solar Services

Grid Connect System

While the technology behind solar power may seem complex, when broken down, grid connect is easy to understand as it only requires a few components installed in your home or business.

Picture above explains how a GRID CONNECT PV solar system works.

Grid connect means that the PV solar system when operating can send power back out into the electricity net work. The inverter will only switch on and send power to the house or back into the grid when the electricity supply is available from the network. This means that in the event of a blackout the grid connect system will not be on. This is for safety reasons.

Whenever the sun shines, the solar cells generate electricity. The grid connect inverter converts the DC electricity produced by the solar panels into 240V AC electricity, which can then be used by the property/household. If a grid connect system is producing more power than is being consumed, the surplus is fed into the mains power grid. The excess power fed back into the grid is recorded on the net meter in the meterbox. Depending on who you purchase your electricity from will depend on how much you will get credited for this power.A good website to compare prices offered from different companies is IPART’s website My Energy Offers click http://www.myenergyoffers.nsw.gov.au/ to get advice on how to choose the right retailer for you.

When the solar cells are not producing power, for example at night, your power is supplied by the mains power grid as usual. The energy retailer charges the usual rate for the power used. As all of the components in a grid connect system have no moving parts, you can expect a long and hassle free life from your solar power system!

Installing a grid connect solar system

Most customers choose a roof mounted solar system. For most of Australia, the modules should be north facing in order to take full advantage of the sun. We will aim to install the modules at an angle which ensures that the glass face of the modules is positioned at 90 degrees to the sun for most of the day. As an example, in Sydney this angle would be approximately 20-30 degrees to the horizontal. Standard Australian roofs usually have an angle of elevation of ~22 degrees, which is acceptable. This provides a close approximation to the position in which a solar array produces its maximum output. For installations on flat roofs an elevated array frame allows the solar modules to be installed at an angle of elevation of approximately 30 degrees from the horizontal.

What’s the right size system? How much will it cost?

As everyone’s needs are different and the generation potential of solar power differs from place to place , To determine what sized grid connect system you’ll need you will need to take into consideration when you consume the power and what your consumption is. This can be done by looking at your previous power bills in conjunction with what time of day the power was used. A wireless monitoring system can be temporarily set up in your meter box also to track all of this information as well.

Because PV solar systems rely on the sun to produce electricity they are generally producing at their optimum between the hours of the day when the sun is highest in the sky (10am to 2pm). This is for systems configured facing north and at an angle between 20 to 30 degrees. If you use more power of an afternoon the panels can be fitted on the west facing roof thus using the evening sun to your advantage. This is all part of the design process to design a system that best fits your needs. Your power usage can be modified by the use of timers to turn on appliances when the PV system is working.

Government incentives and rebates

Don’t forget; you’ll save money if you qualify for the government rebate in the way of STC. Small-scale technology certificates, or STCs, are a tradable commodity attached to eligible installations of renewable energy systems (including solar panels, solar water heaters and heat pumps). Under the Federal Government’s Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES), when you install an eligible system, you may claim a set number of these STCs. This number is based on the amount of electricity in megawatt hours (MWh):
• generated by your small-scale solar panel, wind or hydro system over the course of its lifetime of up to 15 years; or
• displaced by your solar water heater or heat pump over the course of its lifetime of up to 10 years,

Where one STC equals one megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity generated or displaced.
These STC are calculated for each system and are usually offered as a discount off the cost of the installation price. An STC form is filled out and signed by the customer allowing the installer to claim them back through the Government Clean Energy Regulator.

Get started on your solar electric grid connect system today.
Contact 0408440358 today for free, no-obligation advice or to arrange a time for a quote.

Get A Free Quote

PV Systems

February 25, 2013 Phoenix Electrical Solar Services

PV Solar Systems

What kind of solar system do you need?

1) What configuration of solar system do you need?

There are 3 types solar systems that can be installed at your place.

a) Grid Connect Solar Systems

Grid Connect Solar Systems

The majority of solar systems sold in Australia are connected to the grid. The main reason being that they are the most reliable and cheapest way to solar power your home. Why? Because the grid acts like a giant battery with an almost infinite capacity to both provide power when you need it and to absorb excess power when your panels are producing more than your home can take. This means you don’t have to buy expensive racks of batteries or any fancy controllers to charge and discharge them. Most of the info on this site is related to grid connect solar power systems. Read more …

b) Off Grid Solar Systems

Off Grid Solar Systems

These are relatively expensive. You generally only go for off grid solar if you are in one of 2 situations:
i) You live in a location were you have no local grid connection.
ii) You have access to the grid, but you hate the thought of depending on it so much that you are happy to spend tens of thousands of dollars extra for an off grid system.
If you suspect that off grid solar is what you need then you may enjoy my guide to Off Grid Solar Systems. Read more …

c) Backup

Backup
The “third way” which is mixture of on-grid and off-grid technologies. The Backup Solar System. It is essentially a grid-connected solar system with batteries. It is a lot more flexible than a grid connect system, but cheaper than an off grid system.

A Backup solar system can be an good way to low feed in tariffs now operating in most Australian states where you get 8c for power exported, and have to pay over 30c to buy it back later. Read more …

2) What size of solar system do you need?

Once you’ve decided on the configuration, the next most important consideration is what size of solar system do you need?

Here are the most popular system sizes on the market. The following solar system sizes probably account for at least 90% of systems sold in Australia:

Most popular: The 1.5kW Solar System (6 x 250W panels)
This size makes up about 50% of all systems currently sold. Why? Because the pre 2013 solar rebate maxed out at 1.5kW. This means that for the previous 4 years a 1.5kW system gave you the most kW per dollar spent. Since the solar rebate changed on Jan 1 2013, the rebate does not favour 1.5kW systems anymore. You get the same rebate for every kW bought. And that’s a good thing. Because, unless you have a super efficient home, a 1.5kW isn’t going to make much of a dent in your electricity bill. Current pricing for a good 1.5kW system is about $2800 after rebates.

Interestingly some Aussies who want to go larger than 1.5kW, usually skip the 2kW Solar System option and instead go for a 3kW solar system (12x250W panels). This will usually offset three quarters of an average Aussie homes’ electricity usage and cost about $6000.

If wiping out your electricity bill is important to you then a 5kW solar system, will usually do the trick for an average Aussie home. But having said that, it does depend on how much electricity you use and what times of the day you use it, so make sure any installer that gives you a quote does a proper energy analysis if you want to be confident of a $0 bill! Current pricing for 5kW starts at about $11,000.

Much bigger than 5kW and you are going to need a very big roof!

About the biggest system that gets sold into the residential market would be a 10kW solar system which has a whopping 40 solar panels (at 250W each). This size tends to be popular with Bowling clubs and Churches that really want to crank out the green energy!

So that’s a very quick guide to the two main choices you have to make when buying a solar system:

What type? On Grid / Off Grid / Backup
What Size?

Ninety percent of you will suit a grid connect system between 1.5 and 5kW. Deciding that you need grid connect is the easy bit. Choosing the correct size between 1.5 and 5kW is where it can get tricky. Get it right and you have a great investment and almost no bills. I get emails from people every day that have got the right advice and are ecstatic at not having bills anymore.

Get the size wrong and you suffer one of two ways. You either have a system that makes almost no dent in your power bills, or you pay way too much for too big a system that will take forever to pay for itself.

A good solar salesperson will only deal in solar system facts and will want to sell you the system size that makes sense for you. A bad one will simply pluck numbers out of the air and try to get you to go as big as possible to fatten his commission.

A good solar system sales person will not recommend a system size until he has established both how much electricity you use every day and just as critically what times of day you use the electricity. Once he has that information he should be able give you an accurate estimate of your bill reduction and your payback period. And he should be prepared to guarantee it in writing!