Solar Simplified - 6th February 2012

Are you considering installing solar, but want to know more about it? Read on and discover the basic information needed to understand solar energy production.

First, Solar Photovoltaic (PV) panels convert sunlight into electricity for your personal use and feeds the electricity via an inverter into the grid to reduce or even in some cases eliminate your electricity bill. If you are passionate about renewable energy, are worried about rising costs of power bills, have concern for the environment or wish to add value to your home, a grid-connected solar PV system may be for you. 

What does “grid-connected” mean?  A grid-connected system is an array of PV panels connected via an inverter to the grid via your home providing power 24/7 either from your system or via the grid. If you make more than you need it is sold to your electricity provider. This means regardless of the weather and time of day or night you will have power.

Excess electricity sold to Ergon Energy pays 44 cents per kWh through the Queensland Solar Bonus Scheme, feed-in tariff. This is legislated to expire in 2028. As long as you are not using the electricity generated during the day while your solar system is producing power, you will receive a credit from Ergon Energy for any excess electricity produced.

Ergon Energy provides a digital meter free of charge, which measures your electricity usage and excess production. Whatever electricity is created, which isn’t used by you during the day will be credited on your electricity bill. If you produce excess electricity for four quarters then Ergon will provide a cheque for the amount in credit. This form of metering is called “net -metering”.

Furthermore, your inverter will display the total electricity generated by your system. Some of the more advanced inverters even feature Bluetooth or Wi-Fi allowing you to track your energy production easily and efficiently from the comfort of your home via your computer. 

If you have any further questions about solar energy, please feel free to contact us.