Sydney has one of the highest uptakes of solar energy in Australia. When looking at individual suburbs, some will have close to 50-70% of homes with solar panels installed. This is a clear indication that Australians are in love with solar panels and the free energy they can provide. This article will uncover further details about why Sydney is installing solar panels at an alarming rate and how you can get in on the free energy that solar panels can provide.
How much energy can solar panels provide for Sydney residents?
Let’s face facts, Sydney is not as sunny as some places in Australia, such as Brisbane. But you can expect many more sunny days than most other cities in Australia. If you’d compare the solar generation capabilities of a Sydney system versus Melbourne, you’d see a stark contrast.
Sydneysiders can expect an excellent return on any solar power system installed onto their roof. Using some popular solar energy calculators (e.g., https://pvwatts.nrel.gov/), you can see that you’ll get an average of 4-5 kWh per day of power for each 1kW of solar panels installed. This amount of power may increase or decrease based on the efficiencies of your solar system. For example, if your panels are affected by shading due to nearby trees or buildings, you may see a reduced efficiency. When you talk to the team at SOllOS, we can provide a more accurate estimate.
The amount of energy your solar panels can provide depends on what type of system you install. While having the largest system possible is a good idea, in theory, having a system that provides enough energy to meet your needs, but is expandible for the future is a better choice. In most solar panels systems, any additional power produced will be fed into the grid system, and you’ll get paid tariffs. If you want to install an extensive system that can support your energy needs day and night, then adding battery storage is an excellent choice.
When should you switch to solar power in Sydney?
Let’s not beat about the bush, electricity is getting more expensive. Coal power is fast becoming unprofitable and clean, and renewable energy is the way of the future. High electricity prices are almost always driven by demand and the cost of production. Traditional power plants (i.e., coal-fired power plants) are overtaking renewables on a cost per kilowatt scale. Therefore, it is only natural that people start turning to renewable sources as a better alternative.
As demand for environmentally friendly renewable electricity increases, the cost is reduced. If you looked at renewable energy twenty years ago, you’d note that the cost was marginally higher than power from coal plants. As technology has improved and manufacturing costs have lowered, renewable energy is now a low-cost option for many homes.
Installing solar panels on your own home reduces your costs even further because you pay for the electricity generating equipment yourself. The only downside to solar panels is paying an upfront sum to install them. However, you can always think of this as paying for your electricity in advance. Solar panels offer additional choices in how much power you’d like to generate yourself. For example, you may wish to install a small set of solar panels with a large inverter that will give you the option of adding extra panels later.
Solar panels are a clean way of producing your power, and all you need is a few hours of sunlight per day to take care of most of your energy needs. The more people install solar panels, the less we rely on old-fashioned and polluting energy sources, such as gas and coal power plants. If you’re interested in protecting our environment for the future, then solar panels (along with other renewable energy sources) are an excellent solution.
Sydney is in a unique position to use solar panels in Australia. There is an abundance of sunny days where it does not get too hot that the solar panels lose efficiency. The ideal operating temperature of solar panels is 25oC, so while other cities may get more sunny days, these can be too hot and lower the efficiency rating. The average monthly temperature in Sydney rarely gets above 25oC, and in winter, the lowest it gets is about 15oC. Therefore, when you have solar panels in Sydney and the surrounding suburbs, your panels getting too hot is not an issue.
As a rule of thumb panels are best placed at the latitude angle of your city, from horizontal, in the direction of the sun. For Sydneysiders the ideal angle is 30 degrees from horizontal on your northernly roof, however, plus or minus 10 degrees has very little impact on performance. Likewise installing panels on east and west facing roofs only reduces performance by 10-17%.
What are the benefits of solar panels in Sydney?
Cost Savings
The exact cost saving you’ll receive with solar panels will depend on your location and the type of panels you install. However, the savings you’ll receive from your standard electricity bill can be in the hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars. It is even possible to eliminate your electricity bill with the right system.
Excellent return on your investment
While there is an initial outlay for your solar panels, this cost can be quickly recouped due to the reduction in your energy bills. Solar panels are, without a doubt, the best addition to your home.
Improved property values
As more people are looking to install solar panels, having these on your home will increase the valuation of your property. For example, if you compare two identical homes in your area and one has solar panels, you can expect that home to be valued higher than the other. Most people are reasonably aware of the cost of solar panels and will factor that into the overall value of a property.
Solar energy rebates
As solar panels are helping Australia achieve their net-zero emissions target (currently 2050), there are usually rebates on offer. These rebates can be targeted to helping people pay for a new solar system or can increase your feed-in tariffs for any power you put back into the energy grid. Rebates offered are usually tied to a specific timeframe, so it pays to check them before installing.
A reduced carbon footprint
Adding solar power to your home is one of the most effective ways of reducing your carbon footprint. Lowering your carbon footprint means contributing less to global warming and other environmental factors.
Lower energy bills
Electricity bills are one of the highest regular bills a household can receive. However, taking the steps to lower your bills as much as possible means reducing your ongoing costs. As you’ll be generating much of your own power, you won’t be affected when electricity prices rise even further.
Frequently Asked Questions About Solar Panels Sydney
Do I still need grid energy after installing solar panels?
Going completely off-grid is very challenging, and only dedicated people can do it. Usually, you’ll need several batteries for storage, and even with everything working as it should, you may still require a petrol-powered generator.
Most solar energy systems in Sydney are passive in nature, where they’ll provide power during daylight hours and then switch to grid power at night. However, with a large enough system, you can significantly reduce your ongoing energy bills.
Is installing solar panels worth it?
Australia is lucky enough that we have an excess of sunny days. These sun-filled days mean it is very economical to install solar panels in your home and use the free energy available. After your solar system is installed, very minimal maintenance is required for the unit’s lifetime.
How do I use the energy collected?
After your solar panels are installed, you can use your appliances as you would under grid power. However, as all your excess power will be fed into the grid, you may wish to use more appliances during the day rather than running them at night. If you can, run things like your dishwasher and washing machine during the day.
If you’d prefer not to use the feed-in tariff for sending excess power to the grid, you can install a storage battery. With a battery as a part of your system, you can save power generated during day hours and use it at night.
Will solar panels cover all my electricity needs?
There are many factors to consider in knowing if your solar panels will cover all your electricity needs. For example, if your household uses a lot of electricity (cars, lights, heating, etc.), you may need an extensive system with additional battery storage.
The team at SOllOS can examine your previous electricity usage and plan a solar solution to take care of most of your electricity needs. We’ll discuss the impact our solar system will have on your current electricity bills and what you need to eliminate them.
Do solar panels work at night?
Solar panels need sunlight to generate power. When you have a clear night during a full moon, you may see a small amount of power generated. However, this power is only enough to charge a mobile phone by a few percent. You can read our blog on solar panels at night if you want more details.
Do solar panels work on cloudy and rainy days?
Yes, solar panels will work during cloud cover and rainy days. Solar panels are more effective on bright sunny days, and on cloudy days you’ll see a drop in the efficiency of your panels. You can expect your solar panels to operate at about 50% efficiency on days of heavy cloud cover.
Can I add more panels later?
You can add more solar panels to your system, provided your inverter can handle the additional load. For maximum flexibility, we recommend installing an inverter capable of supporting your current solar panels while having room to add on extras later. We can take you through these specifics when you talk to the SOllOS team about your installation.
When you’re ready to install solar panels in Sydney
If you’ve been thinking about installing solar panels in Sydney, you can call the team at SOllOS a call. We can talk about the type of panels we have, how much power you can expect from your system and when they can be installed. Call SOllOS today for the best solar panels in Sydney.