Whyalla is a great place to install a solar power system. Thanks in part to South Australia’s solar feed-in tariff (set to expire 30 Sept 2013) and the falling cost of installing a solar PV system, now is a great time to go solar in Whyalla, SA–as well the rest of South Australia. This article is an overview of the benefits for system owners, plus some of the options that solar shoppers will be faced with when looking for a system.
Why get solar panels in Whyalla, SA?
Save money with the power of the sun
With all the changes in state and federal government incentive schemes for solar power, many SA residents are asking themselves the question: Are solar panels still worth the investment in South Australia? The answer is yes, and the abundance of sunshine in the state (and in Whyalla) has a lot to do with it. The more energy a solar system produces, the more money it will save its owner on their power bills.
On average, a rooftop in Whyalla will receive about 4 hours of “peak sun” (think of all the sunshine in the day packed into neat, hourly units) over the course of a day, on average across the course of a year. System output will fluctuate seasonally, as the days are longer and brighter during the summer, and shorter and dimmer in the winter.
Below are some examples of how much power systems of various sizes will generate in Whyalla:
1.5 kilowatt (kW) solar system: 6 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per day
2kW solar system: 8kWh/day
3kW solar system: 12kWh/day
4kW solar system: 16kWh/day
5kW solar system: 20kWh/day
What size solar system do you need in Whyalla?
A common question that Solar Choice get asked is: What size solar PV system should you buy for my home or business? The answer depends on how much electricity you use, where you’re located, and the incentives that are available to you.
Each home or business has its own electricity usage habits and patterns. To give some idea of where you might stand, however, it’s useful to know that the average 3-person home uses approximately 20kWh of electricity per day. If all of this power were used during the day, a 5kWh solar system would more or less such a home’s electricity needs.
Homes and businesses are by no means obligated to purchase a system that will generate enough power to meet all of their needs, however–the benefit of grid-connected solar systems is that utility is always there as a back-up. Budgetary constraints may dictate that a smaller system is more realistic. This will still save the system owner money on their power bills.
Up-front discounts on solar systems from the federal government
Those who purchase solar PV systems are eligible for up-front discounts on the cost of installing a system through the federal government’s Renewable Energy Target. These discounts come in the form of ‘small-scale technology certificates’ (STCs), which are created when a solar system up to 100kW in capacity are commissioned. STCs significantly reduce the cost of having a solar PV system installed, typically by as much as 55-70c per watt, depending on the market price for STCs.
How solar saves you money in Whyalla
Generating your own power & South Australia’s Transitional Feed-in Tariff
Solar system owners in Whyalla will save money on their bills in 2 ways:
The 1st is through the state’s Transitional Solar Feed-in Tariff scheme, which pays system owners for each unit of solar power that they ‘export’ to the grid (i.e. excess solar power that you do not consume while the sun is shining). This will appear as credits on your electricity bill.
The second way that solar systems save their owners money is by reducing the need to purchase power from the grid in the first place. Power from the panels automatically flows first into your home/businesses and the electrical appliances that use it. Each kWh of solar power that you produce & consume is a kWh that you don’t need to purchase from the grid–which ultimately translates into savings on your power bills.
With a Feed-in Tariff of 23c/kWh (higher than the retail electricity rate in many cases), Whyalla residents do not need to be concerned about the timing of their electricity usage–for the time being, exporting to the grid affords more benefit than using the solar electricity directly.
- South Australia Feed-in Tariff Premium Rate Draft Determination until 2014.
The SA Transitional Solar Feed-in Tariff is composed of 2 separate components–a steady rate of 16c/kWh plus a ‘retailer contribution‘ of 7.1c/kWh for the remainder of 2012. The latter component was expected to continue rising (although ESCOSA recently announced that it will not for this year) to keep pace with the ‘real value’ of solar power to the electricity grid, while the former is scheduled to expire on 30 September 2016.
This means that after 30 September 2016, for most households and businesses it will make the most sense to consume as much of their own electricity as possible, avoiding export to the grid.
Compare solar deals in Whyalla with Solar Choice
Getting the most out of a solar system over the course of its 25+ year lifespan means first finding the best deal on installing a system. Solar Choice, as Australia’s free solar system installation brokering and advice service, offers customers a bird’s-eye-view of the solar market anywhere in the country–including Whyalla.
Once we’ve identified their needs and budget, Solar Choice can help our installers find the solar system that is best suited for them. Our Solar Quote Comparisons make it easy to compare installers’ offerings and prices. Request a comparison today by filling out the form to the right of this page, or call us on 1300 78 72 73.
© 2013 Solar Choice Pty Ltd
