Do you know:

• How to monitor it?

• How to maintain it?

• How to Generate or sell more power?

 

There are 3 basic things that you need to know about your solar power system:

1. Check your inverter once a week (i.e. every week on bin day when the sun is up)

2. Keep your panels professionally cleaned (if your panels are not clean, the sun doesn't penetrate effectively and your system loses efficiency!)

3. Know when to use your power so that it's the most financially beneficial for you:

• If you are selling your electrical power for more than you are paying for it, you should try to utilise your appliances before 7am and after 5pm (44c or above from gov)

• If you are selling your electrical power for less than you are paying for it, you should try to utilise your appliances after 8am and before 4pm

 

How to monitor your electrical solar system?

(Hint: never use your electrical bill!)

 

Simple 3 steps:

1. Get a note pad that you will leave next to your inverter to record its efficiency and draw 2 columns: One for the date and one for your inverter reading (total production in kWh).

2. Write the date and time of reading, find what is the total kWh generated by your inverter. A month or so down the track do the same thing.

3. Calculate your average production and compare it to what you should get:

• Latest kWh - previous kWh = increase of power generated since last reading

• Increase of power / by number of days between readings = average/day

• Multiply this average/day by 31 to get the average per month or 365 to get the average per year

• Find out what should be the average generated by a similar system by using our average efficiency calculation methods and compare it to your result.

 

Our average calculation methods:

• For each KiloWatt (kW) of power installed under the sun in Brisbane region, you can expect an average over the year of 4.2 kilowatt hour per day per kW install.. (Averages reachable if your panels are facing true north, with a roof inclination of 30 degrees, clean panels, no shading issue and average quality product) if you wish us to do a site assessment and evaluate accurately your average efficiency, please contact us.

• The kW of power is the sum of power of your panels (7 panels at 190W is 1330W or 1.33kW)

Ex: 1kW of panels should generate an average of 4.2kWh/day or 130.2kWh/month (4.2kWh X 1kW X 31days) or 1533kWh/year (4.2kWh X 1kW X 365day)

• 1.5kW~6.3kWh/day~195.3kWh/month~2299.5kWh/year

• 2kW~8.4kWh/day~260.4kWh/month~3066kWh/year

• 5KW~21kWh/day~651kWh/month~7665kWh/year

 

Find out how much you are loosing if your system is under-performing or faulty:

-If your average calculation is lower than ours, find how much money you are loosing each year. Take into consideration our calculation methods.

• OUR average/year - YOUR average/year = what you are missing on in kWh.

Ex: for a 5KW system worth of panels average should be:

ours is 7665kWh/year – if yours is 6700kWh/year = you are missing on 965kWh/year

 

Case 1: If you are selling your electrical power for more than you are paying for it, you should multiply what you are missing on by how much you are selling your kWh.

965kWh X how much you are selling it for (ex: $0.50 or 50c) = $482.5/year.

 

Case 2: If you are selling your electrical power for less than you are paying for it,  you should multiply what you are missing on by how much you are paying your kWh.

965kWh X how much you are paying it for (ex: $0.28 before GST, so $0.308) = $297.22/year.

 

Things you should know about or have for your electrical solar system:

• Have you got a user manual? Yes! Perfect, If not, download one from Internet by writing in the search bar the inverter manufacturer, model number and user manual.

• Do you know what your average production should be?

• Have you had your system professionally checked every year?

• Have the insurance and manufacturer requirements been respected?

• Did you have your system checked for recalled products?

• Is your system safe from rodents (especially possums) or birds (parakeets and pigeons)?

• Have you had your panels cleaned periodically (recommended every 12 months)?

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