Northern Rivers and Gold Coast
Electricity prices in Australia are set to rise as much as 30%. Return on Investment with quality product, service and great support will range from 3-4 years. Having a flexible solar installation that caters for more panels and batteries is highly recommended as electricity habits change. This will allow for the potential to make money from battery storage where electrical retailers will buy your stored electricity from you in peak electricity use times in the future. Here is a rundown on the cost of solar panels for the Northern rivers and Gold Coast regions in 2023.
Rebates
The Northern Rivers and Gold Coast regions of Australia is a good ambient temperature for solar power, with consistent solar production the entire year. Cost of solar panels are more affordable as rebates in the region are high due to greater carbon emission savings on solar panels. The current solar rebate will cover 3 quarters of the cost of the physical solar panel on a more common use panel. The best weather for solar panels is an ambient temperature of 25C which makes the climate in the Northern Rivers and Gold Coast regions perfect for solar panel operation. This is where solar panels are able to absorb sunlight with maximum efficiency.
Solar panel prices vary in cost depending on the type of inverter, the brand of panels and the type of mounting support equipment. When a 5 kilowatt Inverter with 6.6 kilowatts of solar panels is installed it won’t make a difference if panels are top of the range or middle tier 1 solar panels which cost half the price. As of 2022 tier 1 panels with high turnover have similar 25 year product and performance warranties to top of the range solar panels.
Middle range panels include Jinko, JA Solar, Trina and Canadian solar which perform to sufficient standards and are commonly used tier 1 solar panels. Efficiency is a little more from top of the range Sunpower panels however double the cost is ‘not’ cost effective. Solar rebates allow 33% over the rating of an inverter of panels that can be installed which increases production. An example is the most common installation of 6.6kW of panels paired with a 5kW inverter which allows a more constant inverter production. A better investment is a middle range solar panel that is commonly used and will not affect the solar system production. Another example is LG solar panels which were top of the range with long warranties and a great brand name. They are no longer manufactured due to high cost, making warranties difficult to honor. There is a fine line in the cost of solar panels and high turnover is required as margins are small. There are also only 5 cell manufacturers in the world where panels are then branded by respective companies.
Solar inverters are the driving component of the solar installation. Inverters range in efficiency and service which affect the cost. A Fronius Inverters are the number 1 string Inverter in the world, are DC (direct current) and will cost around $1750+ GST for a 5kW Inverter, the most common size. Sungrow 5kW Inverters cost around $1000 and are a more budget inverter option. Enphase micro Inverters cost $150 each and are flexible to add more panels and batteries in the future. One micro inverter sits under each solar panel making for greater panel efficiency. If you have a problem with Fronius or Enphase inverters it is resolved quickly as they have great company technical support. More budget brands such as Sungrow, Goodwe, and Growatt have high market turnover, however solar production is less than higher quality brands such as Enphase and Fronius. You pay for what you get when it comes to Investing in solar inverter technology which incorporates higher production and greater system support. Solar power is a medium to long term investment where you will see immediate results. It is a great option to finance a solar installation using Enphase or Fronius inverters, rather than budget equipment where solar production is less.
The cost of solar will be affected by the quality of solar mounting equipment used also. Mounting equipment protects the integrity of the solar system particularly in windy coastal conditions. Radiant mounting is high quality, robust and will fit the grid profile of the roof, making it a great panel support option. It has tripod support where a tilt system is required on a flat roof, that grips to the roof without making new holes in a roof. Less holes in the roof equals less chance of roof leaks. Radiant mounting equipment will cost $600 extra on a tilt support system.
The future of batteries
A common question when it comes to solar is ‘When is the right time to install a solar battery?’ It is currently not recommended to install batteries, as the return on investment is a little long. An advantage of having batteries is that your Electricity will operate when the grid is down. It is recommended that your solar system is flexible to add more panels and batteries in the future. Cost of batteries is currently $1000 per kilowatt. This could be a bargain when retailers offer to buy your battery power from you in the morning and evening from battery storage. Commercial properties pay $100’s of dollars per kilowatt in peak demand times, when there is a shortage of electricity for the grid. Retailers will buy battery storage electricity when there are shortages at peak times.
Price Guide to solar in 2023
| Cost of Solar in 2023 | Enphase | Fronius | Sungrow/ Goodwe |
Extras Tiled Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5kW 16 Panels 6.6kilowatt | $9,200 | $7,400 | $6,800 | $500 |
| 8.2kW 26 Panels 10.8kilowatts | $13,300 | $10,500 | $9,500 | $800 |
| Extras: | ||||
| Split roofs (per split) | $500 | |||
| Double Story | $700 | |||
| Fronius smart meter | $500 | |||
| Plus/minus per Enphase panel | $400 |
Enphase micro inverters and Enphase batteries
Enphase energy is a 300 billion US company who specialize only in Enphase micro Inverters and Enphase batteries. With an Enphase system you can add more panels and batteries in the future. Micro Inverters are a normal home voltage of 240 Volts which is a very safe solar installation option. A DC string inverter requires high DC voltage and panels are fixed to the initial installation amount of panels. Enphase micro Inverters cost $150 each and require a control switchboard which cost $900 for a 5kW system. Enphase micro Inverters require less panels to be as efficient as DC Inverters. The cost of an equivalent size system will be 15-20% more with many advantages. Greater system efficiency, battery ready and production/consumption monitoring are some of the benefits. If there is shading, Enphase is the only recommended option when it comes to solar. Enphase batteries are due to be released in 2023 and will work when the electricity grid is not in operation. Having your solar inverters and batteries come from the one company that specializes in Inverters and batteries is a big advantage when it comes to warranties and technical issues.
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Solution
Solar is an Investment that will pay for itself in 3-4 years when high-quality inverters are used. The best solution is to use commonly used solar panels that have high market turnover, making them a tier 1 solar panel. Investing in Enphase solar inverters is beneficial to remain flexible, produce more electricity, and easily add batteries in the future. Rather than invest in budget equipment, have your solar installation financed where production outways loan repayments. Solar power is a long term investment that will make you money with high quality product service and support. Having an electrician who will support you through the entire solar process will make for a great solar investment.
