Thank you for visiting our web site. We have over 20 years experience in the Australian electronics and electrical market and offer independent information about renewable energy, solar power systems, the latest updates on the Queensland and Federal Government solar rebates and feed in tariffs.You can get easy access to 3 solar power quotations for your home from Clean Energy Council (C.E.C.) Brisbane solar power installers – (totally obligation free), via the solar quotes form at the bottom of this page or the solar quotes Brisbane page.  

Update 1 April 2013 – Solar Power Installation Still Popular in Brisbane in a Low feed In Tariff Environment.

Since the feed in tariff was cut the Brisbane solar market has certainly experienced fairly volatile times. Our view was always that the previously available 44 cent feed in tariff (A ‘feed in tariff’ is essentially money you, as a solar power system owner, are paid for electricity that your solar system produces that is in excess to your homes requirements, and is ‘fed’ back onto the power grid) was never going to be sustainable – in fact the cost of the scheme is likely to exceed $3Billion by 2028, when the scheme ends.

Why is solar power still viable in Queensland? Solar panels systems are extremely beneficial in offsetting your daytime electricity usage. In other words if you have an average to high electricity usage pattern during the daytime, in your Brisbane home, installing a correctly sized system can replace the electricity needed to power your homes’ appliances, that is currently supplied from the electricity grid. Many Brisbane households run, for example, air-conditioning during the hot summer months – exactly the time when the sun is very strong and ideal for solar electricity production. So a correctly designed and installed solar system can be ‘offsetting’ the power consumed by your air conditioner, during daylight hours, as an example.

The Brisbane solar installation industry remains very competitive. Its is probably accurate to say that the ‘boom-times’ for solar installers (which was predominantly driven by both federal Government and Qld. State Government incentives) is over. We see this as a mainly positive development. Why? Because the long term ‘players’ in solar installation in Brisbane will most likely be the companies with a ‘long term’ solar power installation business model. The type of companies that have in house solar system designers, generally promote the ‘higher end’, quality solar products (inverters and solar panels) and look to build sustainable

businesses in the renewable energy industry. Many of these reputable companies get most of their business through referrals, so it is in their interest to offer quality service and particularly importantly,to offer long term support for the systems they install. Our view is that investing in solar in Brisbane is a long term investment. The likely price of electricity in years to come is expected to be significantly higher and Brisbane residential solar is a possible ‘insurance policy’ to protect yourself from those price increases.

Quickly access 3 solar quotes from Brisbane solar installers by completing the form below or click here 

Update 12 March 2012 – The solar industry a year or so on from the cut in the Queensland feed in tariff is very different… We surveyed a number of Brisbane based solar installation companies to see what the impacts of the f.i.t. cut had been. The majority of the companies reported that so far in 2013, the number of enquiries for solar had dropped dramatically as potential customers were weighing up the benefits of solar with the greatly decreased solar f.i.t. From a consumers point of
view, there is an upside to this – that is, the drop in activity means that there are some excellent deals currently available for quality solar installations. Margins are certainly being squeezed as installers battle it out to win work. The feed in tariff, as we discuss below, may not be the most important ‘driver’ in considering solar power for your home. The ‘feed in tariff” is the money you are credited for when the so called ‘excess electricity’ – not used by your household’  that your system generates, is sent back to the electricity grid. Yes, it was great for large system owners that qualified for the previously high f.i.t. as this assisted them in paying off their solar system quickly. But it is important to understand, that for many households in Brisbane, the majority of the electricity their solar system generates will be used in their home so a feed in tariff makes virtually no difference to the financials of installing solar (or not).

 Update 22 August 2012 – The solar power market in Brisbane has, from Brisbane solar installation companies perspective, gone relatively quiet since the cut in the feed in tariff last month (to 8 cents per KWH – see 10 July Update below for details). The previously high 44cent feed  in tariff certainly stimulated the solar industry in Brisbane and Queensland generally but now many solar companies are experiencing quieter times. One of the ‘spin-offs’ of this is that competition is even fiercer now than ever, so if you are considering solar panels for your Brisbane home you are in a strong position to negotiate a very competitive price currently. All energy prices, be it gas, oil or electricity are likely to trend up in price in years to come and solar power will continue to be a solid option in reducing power bills. Homeowners in Brisbane with significant daytime power usage (eg running air conditioning during summer or reverse cycle air conditioning in winter during the day etc) means that for many households, little power from a solar system is actually sent back to the grid so the feed in tariff rate is irrelevant in those instances. Quickly access 3 solar quotes from Brisbane solar installers by completing the form below.

Update 28 August – Crunching the Numbers. 8 cent feed in tariff – Implications of payback period for a Typical Brisbane solar power installation.

Brisbane Solar power calculator

If you propose to take advantage of  the current rebates for solar energy and the solar bonus scheme available to Brisbane home owners, it is helpful to have a basic understanding of a ‘solar calculator’ , to appraise your current electricity usage and have an idea of what size solar power system (1.5KW , 3KW solar system etc) you may require . Do this before considering cost of solar panels and the various solar deals on offer (more about this later!).

• Establish what your average daily electricity usage is-this is shown on your power bill. Obviously it varies from season to season , we just want an average. 16 to 20KWh is an average range in Australia but many households can use up to 50KWh power day!
• In Brisbane , on average ,solar panels produce power for 4.2 hours per day. The following table shows how much solar electricity different sized solar power systems will produced , on average , per day in Brisbane.

• So with a 20WKH of electricity usage per day ,  a 5KW solar power system will make a big dent in your power bill, particularly, as discussed above where your daytime power usage is fairly high.  As electricity prices trend higher over the coming years with the introduction of the carbon tax the uptake of solar panels systems in Brisbane is likely to remain strong.

• Home solar power systems in Brisbane have dropped in price by over 60 percent over the last 4 years. Appreciation in the Australian dollar, along with manufacture of solar panels and solar inverters in China (some excellent, some very poor quality) and fierce competition from Brisbane solar installers have contributed to these price decreases in solar installation. The drop in the feed in tariff discussed above may put further downward pressure on solar system prices as there is a temporary slow down of solar uptake in Queensland and solar companies find themselves competing for a smaller demand.

• Even a 2KW or 3KW solar panel will be very beneficial if you consume the ‘average’ Australian electricity usage of around 16 KWh per day.

Complete the Solar Quote form below and have 3 C.E.C. Accredited Brisbane Solar Installation Companies Contact You To Arrange a Solar Power Quotation For Your Home. They Will Contact You Typically Within In A Few Hours

Solar Energy Quick Facts

• Premium solar panel manufacturers include Sharp, Suntech, Schott, SunPower, Kyocera , Conergy .Premium Inverter manufacturers include SMA ,Eaton ,Xantrex ,Selectronic ,Sunnyboy etc
• Buying Considerations. A Solar power system should last for 25 years plus . Our view is that it is beneficial for you to use the best quality components -solar panels and solar inverter that you can afford and particularly components that have strong local representation should the solar company that does your Brisbane solar installation not be in business in years to come. At least this way , you have more chance of recourse should there be issues or failures with the inverter or solar panels. Warranties are only as good as the company that issues them so trying to stay with the most reputable ,long established brands may be worthwhile long term.
•  There are many solar energy advantages .Even on overcast or even rainy days ,solar panels generate some solar power, though obviously less than if the solar panels were in full sun. Solar panel efficiency varies from 14 percent to 19 percent . Some panels work better in low light (eg cloudy days) conditions. SunPower brand solar panels are up to 19 percent efficient (and claim to have the highest efficiency of any solar panels). If you have a small roof , for example , you can fit more wattage of solar panels into the same area with higher efficiency solar panels.
•  Solar Panels are generally warranted for 5 years mechanical and 25 years electrical output (generally guaranteed to output 80 percent of their rated electrical output after 25 years)
•  Optimum panel orientation is North although NNE or NNW are fine with around a 10 percent loss (from true north). Avoid shading onto your solar panels from trees , chimneys etc.
• Get everything in writing when requesting solar quotes , including expected solar electricity production , warranties offered on solar panels, solar inverter and the installation itself .Is the cost of the solar meter included in the solar quote? Are the solar installers C.E.C. accredited? Who pays for any damage to your home should that occur during the solar panels installation.
• Best angle for solar panels on your roof ? The optimum angle is around 28 degrees which is close to the pitch of most roof’s. On a flat roof’ aluminium adjustable frames are used to ensure that the solar panels achieve the optimum angle.

Solar Panel Quotes Brisbane:

Complete This Form (Below) To Receive Three Solar Power System Quotes from experienced  C.E.C. Accredited Brisbane solar power installation companies ,who will contact you within 24 hours ,to arrange a time to visit you and discuss your Solar Power needs and arrange a no obligation quotation:

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Ok, So How Does Solar Power Work?

In Reality A home solar power system is actually quite simple and only has 3 major components:

1. The PV or photovoltaic solar panels . Your Brisbane solar installation company will install your solar panels onto your roof , generally via an aluminium frame which is attached to your roof . The solar panels are then mounted onto this aluminium frame.
2. The PV solar panels are wired together and the DC (direct current) solar electricity is then fed into the solar inverter . The solar inverter will be installed by your Brisbane solar installer generally somewhere in close proximity to your meter box. The inverter converts the DC electricity from your solar panels to the AC electricity that is required to power our household appliances .
3. Whatever solar electricity produced by our solar system that is not used by our household is fed back to the grid. The amount fed back to the grid is measured by the solar meter (shown as utility meter below) . You will be given a credit based on the number of KWH of power you feed back onto the grid times the ‘feed in tariff’ currently 44 cents per KWH in Brisbane and Queensland.

Get easy access to 3 solar power quotations for your home from Clean Energy Council (C.E.C.) Brisbane solar power installers – (totally no obligation)- click here : solar quotes Brisbane

Update 10 July 2012 - A major announcement was made last week by the Newman Queensland State Government concerning the Qld ‘Solar Bonus Scheme’ feed in tariff. The Feed in tariff was cut from 44cents/KWH to 8 cents per KWH from 10 July 2012. Ok, what does this mean and what are the implications of a cut in the feed in tariff ?  After 10 July 2012 Queenslanders installing solar power systems will receive the 8 cents/KWH feed in tariff (Note,it was also announced that the 8 cents feed in tariff will end on July 1, 2014, “pending a further review of the scheme”). Note: companies like AGL offer an additional 8 cents /KWH making a 16 cent feed in tariff possible. The cut in the 44 cent tariff will make the biggest difference for homeowners installing larger systems (>3KW) , where much of the generated solar power is ‘fed-back’ to the electricity grid – that power being credited to the household at the ‘feed in tariff’ rate. So for smaller systems, like the popular 1.5KW, 2KW and 3KW systems where the majority of the solar electricity generated is often used predominantly in your home (depending on your usage and  pattern of power usage in your home), the cut in the feed in tariff will make less, if any difference. Regardless of the feed in tariff rate, we are of the view that with long term electricity prices likely to rise consistently solar power in Brisbane will continue to be more than viable for many Brisbane home owners. Quickly access 3 solar quotes from Brisbane solar installers by completing the form below.

Lower Feed In Tariff Implications -  As in states like N.S.W. where there is a minimal feed in tariff, when you have a solar power system installed it can be beneficial to use as much of the generated solar electricity as possible and to send as little back to the grid as possible. So you might, for example, run your dishwasher, washing machine, clothes dryer, pool pump etc during the daytime when your solar panels are producing power - Access 3 quotes from Brisbane Solar Power Installers here

Update 26 March 2012.  Will the new L.N.P. Queensland State Government Impact Solar Power in Brisbane?

Queensland’s current Solar Bonus Scheme Key Points Reiterated:

1.5KW, 3KW, 4KW or 5KW – What sized Solar System is best for your Situation?

Website Disclaimer: We accept no responsibility for, and provide no warranty as to the accuracy or reliability of the information contained in the Website or any external site to which a link has been made from the Website. While every effort is made to ensure that the information presented on the Website is up to date and correct,we accept no responsibility for any errors and omissions contained in the information, or if the information is not current. We may may assumptions in illustrations of pays back periods and calculations etc and strongly urge reader to seek expert advice related to their own situation and needs.