Feb 10 2011
The initial investments for solar power installations are highly expensive and would take about ten years to reap financial benefits. Hence it is always better to gather information about solar before investing.
The Clean Energy Council in Australia has revealed that in the first three quarters of 2010 over 105,000 homes have installed solar units. The solar systems were either 1.5 or 1kW and they could reduce the average utility bill by almost 40% depending on the state. According to the CEC, the total costs involved for a 1.5kW system is $13,000 but with various feed-in-tariffs and government rebates offered by utilities this could be further reduced.
According to Nick Brass, General Manager of Sales at Energy Matters, a solar power company, the consumers have to do a lot of research before investing in solar panels, so that they purchase the panels from trustworthy manufacturers. He further mentions that well-known names such as Sanyo and GE manufacture solar panels but there are also certain unscrupulous operators to be wary of. Most of them seem to come from China with a brand name not recognised by many. However, all solar panels that are manufactured in China are not of bad quality and this is why research before investment is essential. Many of the manufacturers offer warranty clauses but the main concern is if they would be present to serve the warranty clause. Hence Brass insists that it is critical to know the credentials of the supplier. He also states that people should not be taken in by flashy advertisements that claim their product to be extremely cheap. No doubt price does matter but in the long run quality makes more difference.
Nick Brass also states that the consumer should verify the installer’s experience, even if the installer has the accreditation of the CEC. A report released by a National consumer group Choice has revealed that a lot of concerns about the safety and quality of the cheap imported panels have been raised. The report mentions that it is essential that the panels should fulfil international standards and an accredited installer is being used for safety and reliability purposes. Normally warranties range from five to 25 years.
The guidelines given by CEC state that consumers could analyse their utility bills and calculate the electricity consumed every day and then decide on the solar power system size required.. The guidelines have also given a set of questions which the consumer must ask before installation.