Renewable energy, in particular the solar photovoltaic (PV) sector, has experienced exponential growth in recent years. The growth of this industry has largely been due to rapid rises in electricity prices, aided by the lower capital cost of solar systems, government rebates and special finance schemesnow available.
There are many considerations when it comes to selecting the solar system, and solar system installer, right for your building.
To begin, the most important consideration is the “right size” of the system.It’s not as simple as the old saying “the bigger the better!” This is due to solar systems being categorised by approval authorities based on the rating of the solar inverters which connect to the grid. For example, going one extra kilowatt over 150-kilowatts will likely add over ten thousand dollars of additional equipment and weeks of engineering to comply. Rather, it’s best to match the size of the solar system with the anticipated “base load” of the building. This base load can be much lower on weekends and holidays when the solar may produce at maximum, but nobody is at work to use the power. A number of energy retailers are now entertaining “power purchase agreements” to buy exported power in this scenario, but the purchase price is far lower than the price you would otherwise buy power.
An example of this is the Perth Zoo solar system which produces over 230kW. This power is consumed daily by the running of pumps, animal enclosure heating, cooling and general operations, regardless of the number of visitors on a given day.
When selecting a system installer, the most important consideration is their past experience with systems of a similar size to your planned system. The reason being, it’s the installer’s responsibility to negotiate authority approvals, with design, installation and commissioning to the authority’s requirements.
All growing industries experience growing pains, and the solar industry is no exception. The Australian Standards for solar systems, authority approval processes and best-practice installation methods are constantly developing and improving. Such regulation is critical to ensure the quality of solar equipment, safety of users and reliability of the power grid is maintained. Responding to these issues, several fact sheets and technical guidance documents are now available from supply authorities to establish a consistent understanding of these requirements.
