Approximately 17.3% of dwellings in Wagga have solar panels according to data from the Australia Photovoltaic Institute. With rising electricity rates and solar panels costs as all time lows – there has never been as been a better time to install solar. This article is designed to take you through the basic information you need to know before going to get quotes.
How much energy will a Solar Power System produce in Wagga Wagga?
As an annual average, a rooftop in Wagga Wagga receives around 3.9 hours of sun per day based on figures provided by NREL (although this number will be higher in summer and lower in winter). That means to determine the average daily output of your solar system, you need to multiple the nameplate kilowatt capacity by 3.9. In the below table we’ve calculate the average daily output fo some popular system sizes for you.
| Solar PV system output in Sydney (Popular system sizes) | |
| Solar system size (kilowatts) |
Average daily system output* (kilowatt-hours) |
| 3 kW | 11.7 kWh |
| 5 kW | 19.5 kWh |
| 6.6 kW | 25.7 kWh |
| 10 kW | 39.0 kWh |
* Output was calculated using PVsyst software
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What is this energy worth to me?
A solar panel system can save you money in 2 key ways:
- Self consumption – Energy produced by the solar power system will be used first in your house and any remaining energy required will be drawn seamlessly from the grid. The amount of solar energy you can directly use in your home will reduce the units power you would have otherwise paid to your electricity retailer. This is referred to as ‘solar self consumption‘.
- Surplus energy generated by your system can be sold back to the grid – You will be able to sell surplus energy back to the grid for a “solar feed-in tariff“. Generally the rates offered by electricity retailers are less than half the rates you are buying electricity at, so in most cases it doesn’t make a great deal of sense to oversize your system.
You may also be restricted by the Network Provider on what size system you can install and still sell energy back to the grid. In Wagga the Network Provider is Essential Energy. Their rules state that an application will be automatically approved if the system is ≤3kW Rural or ≤5kW Urban, and application meets all other requirements. If larger, then the application will be assessed on a case by case basis and may require export limitation (limit on the amount of energy that can be sold back to the grid).
Use the Solar Choice Payback Calculator to determine what size Solar System is best for your home
Solar Rebates for Wagga Wagga, NSW
Under the Federal Government’s Solar Credit Scheme, solar systems are awarded a greater or smaller number of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs, also known as Small-scale Technology Certificates or STCs). How great the solar rebate is depends on the location, the size of the system in question, and the REC price agreed on between the system owner and solar installer. Most of Wagga Wagga is located in REC Zone 3.
In REC Zone 3, this ‘discount’ works out to about 30% off the sticker price of a fully installed solar system. Keep in mind that this incentive only applies if your system is installed by accredited solar installers using accredited products.
As an example, based on live rebate pricing from Greenbank a 6.6kW solar system installed in Wagga Wagga in 2020 would be eligible for a ‘discount’ of approximately $3,500-3,700.
How much do Solar Panels cost in Wagga?
Thanks in part to the federal incentives explained above, Australia is home to some of the lowest solar PV system prices in the world – which is one of the reasons that so many homes and businesses have solar panels installed.
Solar Choice has been publishing a Solar Price Index since 2012 tracking the average cost of solar broken down by system size and for each state capital. The chart below shows the historic pricing of solar in Sydney which is very similar to the observed pricing in Wagga Wagga.
Based on this average pricing, a typical 6.6kW Solar Panel System will cost around $4,450 including the government rebate and GST.
See our analyis on: Is Home Battery Storage Worth It?
Finding the best solar deals in Wagga Wagga
Like any project it always makes sense to get at least 3 quotes together before you make a decision. In order to draw an effective comparison it is important to make sure you are sourcing quotes from reputable solar installers with the relevant Clean Energy Council accreditations and a strong track record of delivering high quality systems and a good service. We have pre-vetted a list of solar installers, which we are constantly curating based on real feedback from customers. Hit the compare now button below to get an immediate comparison of the pre-vetted installers in your area.
Since 2008 our knowledge and sophisticated software has allowed over 300,000 Australian households and businesses to make a well-informed choice on their solar & battery installer.
© 2020 Solar Choice Pty Ltd
He is now the communications manager for energy technology startup SwitchDin, but remains an occasional contributor to the Solar Choice blog.
James lives in Newcastle in a house with a weird solar system.
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