The other week we had Solar Power installed on our roof.
It's not connected to the grid yet and there is a slight problem with the electricity meter, but we have solar.
Somehow the meter is reading both what the panels are generating and what we are using as all being power used from the grid. Apparently it is not uncommon in the early stages, at least until the meter gets reprogrammed by the power supply company. Seems rather stupid to me.
We have to wait anther week at least for our electricit retailer to do their bit and then another 2 or 3 weeks for the electricty provider to reprogram the meter. Then we will be turning on the solar panels and saving some money.
We went with a 4.5kw system - that's 18 panels - with micro inverters. These inverters mean that no matter what panel is in the shade - or even partially shaded - all the other panels will work to their full capacity. Other inverters apparently work as one, so if 1 panel is shaded the amount of power taken from the rest is the same as the one in the shade.
The panels we got - forget what brand they are - have the capacity to produce power earlier in the morning and later in the day, when compared to others. They do however not produce as much power in the middle of the day. It all evens out in the end; but what it means for us is that we can start to generate power earlier and stay generating power later than some other people. It has something to do with the shape of the cell in the panel - I think.
They cost a fair bit given the size of the system but we should over the year not actually pay for electricty. So given the size of our current bill - around $400 per quater - we should have this sytem paid off in 5 to 6 years.
