FAQ

Grid Connect Power Systems are mostly found in built up areas and are built to supply solar electricity through an inverter directly to households.  If it is delivering more electricity than the house needs, any surplus is directed to the main electrical grid.  If this is the case, the home owner will usually receive a payment credit for use of that electricity.  This is what is meant by the term feed-in-tariff.

The amount and indeed strength of any energy created from solar panels very much depends upon variable factors such as the time of year, the time of day, and the latitude of the generation point.  The amount of energy created can also change due to:

• any dust or vapour in the air
• levels of cloud cover 
• any shade in surrounding areas 
• the quality of solar panels (are they, for instance, tier-1 panels?)

You can learn more about possible energy and radiation levels in your area by speaking to one of our friendly advisors.

One word; yes!  Absolutely.  If a solar panel was to be installed facing south, it will generate far less energy than one facing north.  For example, a system with solar panels facing in a southerly direction will generate far less than one with a northerly aspect.  East or West orientations could be a good option, depending on you individual environmental circumstances.

Again, it all depends on your individual circumstances and what you are hoping to achieve.  Please contact one of Sun Direct Power’s friendly and knowledgeable advisors for a free, no obligation, quote.

This is where a grid connect system owner gets paid money for the electricity their system generates for the main grid by a utility company or the government.  Feed-in-tariffs are available in two options, either gross or net.  If you opt for a gross feed-in-tariff, you will get paid a premium on all electricity that you produce, whereas the net option only pays on surplus energy created.  Across Australia, net feed-in-tariffs tend to be the most popular option, but the tariff most suitable to you depends on your individual circumstances and requirements.  Contact us for more details

It all depends on where your home is located and how much electricity is needed.  The entry point to grid connect is 3 kW and will provide between 20 and 40% of the energy consumption of a medium household. A 5-6.6 kW system however is likely to cover all energy consumption for a medium energy use household.  Although any size system will significantly reduce your yearly power consumption, the bigger the system, the bigger the rewards!

We will need to consider several factors in order to ascertain this.  These would include variables such as orientation, the space available, shaded areas around the installation point and your current levels of electricity usage.  The optimum environment for a solar power system would be one that is north-facing and has no shade.  Contact our friendly and knowledgeable team to discuss further

The life of solar modules that have been tested in the field tend to show small reductions in power output after around 20 years.  This is because the glass surface starts to become a bit dull and reflects more light. All of our solar panels come with an output warranty of 25 years. There are solar panels delivering power in Australia today that were installed more that 30 years ago.  The electronic components such as inverters, which are the most sensitive, will last around 10 -15 years.

• Solar Panels: minimum of 10 year product warranty and 25 year performance guarantee
• Inverter: 5 – 10 year warranty
• Mounting System: 10-year product manufacturer warranty 
• Workmanship: 5 year warranty on workmanship (installer)

There doesn’t tend to be much difference between monocrystalline and polycrystalline.  However, it is useful to know that a polycrystalline panel is slightly larger than the equivalent wattage in a monocrystalline one and you will find that thin film panels are larger again. That extra space can take up valuable rooftop real estate in terms of adding extra panels at a later date.

A basic installation fee includes the grid connect system installation on a pitched metal roof, facing north, with appropriate surface area available. Additional costs may be incurred for a flat or tiled roof or for any equipment upgrades later on.

Most insurers will allow you to include the system under your home and contents insurance, but please check with your insurance company first

Again, this depends on your roof space and the size of the inverter. If you have sufficient roof space and additional capacity in the inverter you could increase the size of your system. Or, maybe you could add a second system to your roof.  At the current time, solar feed-in tariffs in individual states have limits on the system size to which they apply. Increasing the size of an existing solar power system could affect your eligibility for a feed-in tariff. Please call a member of Sun Direct Power’s team for further information.

If your solar panel system is connected to the grid, it will shut off in the event of a blackout. This is to prevent emergency responders and electricity utility repairers from being injured by your panels whilst they send power back to the grid. However, there are certain inverters you can buy that provide backup power in a blackout when paired with a battery.

It’s easy to check your solar power system at any time. The majority of inverters offer a built in display that gives you a live data feed of how much power your system is generating. Most systems will give you historical data showing how your system has been performing over time.  If your solar inverter is wi-fi ready, you can see your performance through a web application on your mobile.

The easiest way to find out how much you pay for electricity and how much electricity you use per month, is to take a look at your utility electricity bill.

It’s hard to predict average installation time without knowing the size of the solar power system that you wish to install. Of course, the bigger the system, the longer the time it will take to install.  A 5kW system for instance could take between 3-5 hours from start to finish

Since this depends on how long approval takes, it can vary between states. South Australia currently has the fastest meter approval and installation timeframe of 1-2 weeks. Western Australia is the slowest at about 4-8 weeks.

The amount of roof space required depends on the size of the system. For example, a small 1.5kW system requires 12m² of roof space. This is ideally an un-shaded and north-facing part of the roof. The system is modular and can be arranged in a way that best suits the roof.

When you install a solar energy system on your property, you save money on your electricity bills and protect yourself against rising electricity rates in the future. How much you can save depends on the utility rates and solar policies in your area, but going solar is a smart investment regardless of where you live.

Net metering is the system that utility companies use to credit solar energy system owners for the electricity produced by their solar panels. With net metering, you only pay for the electricity that you use beyond what your solar panels can generate. Net metering policies differ from state to state, so you will need to make sure that you do your homework ahead of time

In a grid connect system, as you are still tied to the mains power supply, any deficit will come from the mains grid.

As Sun Direct Power systems are designed to Australian Standards, the reliability of components and consistency of power supply will be more than adequate for the loads specified.

Using a comparison to a car, the average vehicle in Australia travels 20 000 km per annum, which is equivalent to 3.3 tons of carbon dioxide discharge annually. A 2kw grid connect system will prevent 3.3 tons of carbon dioxide being generated through coal fired power generation, so it’s the equivalent of taking a car off the road each year.  Amazing, right?