Whilst all of the components that make up a solar power system are important, the quality of the solar panels is particularly critical as they make up the largest cost of the system, are the largest driver of system performance and are often the most difficult to fix if something were to go wrong.So it pays to choose quality.
Installing a solar system is a terrific investment that should provide significant financial returns and environmental benefits for years to come. As with any investment, there is a requirement to outlay a sum of money with the expectation of a return over a period of time. Whilst the payback periods available with solar power can be short (as little as 3 years in some cases), ensuring that your solar investment generates a return largely sits with the quality of the components and workmanship. This is why quality matters when selecting the components that make up the system.
The biggest single mistake that is often made when
choosing a solar system is assuming that all solar panels are essentially the same. In fact, there is an enormous disparity in terms of quality available on the Australian market.
Cheaper panels may perform well out of the box for a year or two. However, given time in the uniquely harsh Australian environment, inferior quality panels will start to degrade rapidly. This can be evidenced by:
Significant losses in performance (this is amplified by the fact that solar arrays usually work only as effectively as its weakest panel:
Significant degradation in performance
De-lamination
Discoloration
Isolator failures
Snail Trails
Burnt-out connectors
Hot Spots
Junction box failures
Solar is a totally renewable, reliable power source. Unlike fossil fuels, we have a limitless supply of solar irradiance which does not impact the environment when we harness it. There is no drilling, no mining and no harmful by products involved in generating power from the sun.
Did you know that a large proportion of your energy bill is made up of the costs of generating and transporting electricity to your business? In some cases distribution, transmission and environmental costs can exceed 50% of your bill. By producing you own energy onsite via solar PV, you can instantly avoid all of these costs and make a large reduction in your power bill, particularly if your business uses power during the day.
With no moving parts, solar panels only require occasional cleaning to keep them performing at their optimum levels. The frequency of cleaning depends on the tilt of the panels and the location (flat mounted panels in dusty areas require more frequent cleaning). Cleaning is relatively inexpensive and often comes with a complete system check to ensure that your investment is working to expectations.
Wherever the sun is shining, solar PV can be installed. This is particularly helpful for remote areas that may not be connected or supported by an electricity network. Solar PV can also be incorporated into a microgrid, where solar, batteries and sometimes generators are used to provide reliable power in the absence of a grid connection.
It is now a well known fact that installing solar is one of the most responsible decisions we can make with regard to reducing emissions. We are fortunate in Australia that going solar also makes economic sense, with the availability of generous government incentives and feed in tariffs. Given that most businesses use the majority of their power when the sun is shining, it makes perfect sense to go solar and save money and the environment.
We have found that once our customers go solar, they become far more aware of their energy consumption and power costs. GEE provides monitoring with commercial solar systems, and this new visibility drives our customers to be more energy conscious, saving them even more money by switching off appliances that are not utilised.
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