For those that have solar panels on the roof of your house, how do you feel about the talk of charging for you to export your power from your panels back ito the grid. Do you think the reason is the grid can't cope or is it just spin for the suppliers to squeeze more money out of us.
Being charged for exporting from your solar panels.
- Thread starter Corndoggy
- Start date
Hoyks
Well-Known Member
Spin. I was out west of Toowoomba and they are putting in massive solar farms, once they are online they will want to throttle the cottage industry solar to maximise on their investment.
We are already being ripped off as if you get a quote for power supply to your home, the 'daily supply charge' (amount you get charged, regardless of if you use any power or not) is more if you have solar and the feed in tariff these days is negligible.
I'm thinking about a battery, just so I can be self sufficient, but will probably still be tied to the grid as the aircon will suck a battery dry on a tropical summer night.
We are already being ripped off as if you get a quote for power supply to your home, the 'daily supply charge' (amount you get charged, regardless of if you use any power or not) is more if you have solar and the feed in tariff these days is negligible.
I'm thinking about a battery, just so I can be self sufficient, but will probably still be tied to the grid as the aircon will suck a battery dry on a tropical summer night.
Chatty
Well-Known Member
It is all about the grid not being built to cope with it - the grid in most areas was designed and built 60 years ago and hasn't been significantly upgraded in that time.
They are also feeding in at single concentrated points (with the appropriate infrastructure which they pay for) which the grid is designed for.
House top solar is lots of small feeds all over the place, which the grid wasn't designed for.
Those solar farms pay a massive amount to install the infrastructure to connect to the grid and they take a long-term outlook on recouping their investment.
They are also feeding in at single concentrated points (with the appropriate infrastructure which they pay for) which the grid is designed for.
House top solar is lots of small feeds all over the place, which the grid wasn't designed for.
LurchWA
Active Member
Most likely spin if your on the east coast but not on west coast.
The energy market here is very different to east in that we cannot buy power from elsewhere and the uptake of solar is affecting the grid here quite badly. This probably wont change until battery technology catches up.
The energy market here is very different to east in that we cannot buy power from elsewhere and the uptake of solar is affecting the grid here quite badly. This probably wont change until battery technology catches up.
John U
Well-Known Member
Isn’t producing the power close to where it is used more efficient?
Does the grid need a redesign?
Will batteries end up catering for the design deficiencies of the current grid?
peterfermtech
Well-Known Member
So the taxpayer sponsored gravy train isn't the free ride you were expecting?
So if my street is drawing 100 amps from the power company on the existing network infrastructure why would it need upgrading when it's drawing 75 amps from a supplier and 25 amps from local solar produced power. It's not that solar produced power is going from my place to a place on the other side of the city. And it's not that every house in my street have solar on the roofs. Would say that of 20 houses around me 3 would have solar and 1 is only 1.5 kw. So would think that anything produced from them nothing would leave the street. So is there more not being told or is it convenient to blame the grid?
Les PK Ranger
4x4 Earth Contributer
A real win win for the power companies :/
For a while now, since govcos rescinded some of the early contract rates in some states, or allowed feed in tariffs to drop to a very low level, sly buggers, it's been best to have solar to just offset what you use.
A fine balance of panels to just keep your meter idling around your usage.
Battery storage over that is a great option, but obviously very costly at this stage, it should get more viable.
Albynsw
Well-Known Member
Part if the issue is that domestic solar has buggered the system for commercial operators. The coal fired plants are often giving away their power for free during the day as it is surplus to our needs with so much solar being generated during the day but it is still needed during peak times.
If you are in a situation where your solar setup is offsetting your bill to the point you are not paying an electricity bill who is paying for the system? It is only fair that you contribute if you want to be connected to the grid
If you are in a situation where your solar setup is offsetting your bill to the point you are not paying an electricity bill who is paying for the system? It is only fair that you contribute if you want to be connected to the grid
Triton14
Well-Known Member
Help me understand how Solar is cheaper at home.
I am looking into getting Solar at home. Either I am doing something wrong, or the whole thing is a complete rip off. Currently, I pay 24.5 cents per kWh including discounts etc. However, If I get Solar panels, I can't get that rate, and the cheapest tariff I can find is 39 cents per kWh. I...
4x4earth.com
Thats it. I'll generate about 1Megawatt hour this month. About half that is mine, and half goes back to the grid. $100 per year in tax won't even touch the sides of my savings. I think that's what the government is counting on.Help me understand how Solar is cheaper at home.
I am looking into getting Solar at home. Either I am doing something wrong, or the whole thing is a complete rip off. Currently, I pay 24.5 cents per kWh including discounts etc. However, If I get Solar panels, I can't get that rate, and the cheapest tariff I can find is 39 cents per kWh. I...
Plus I have reduced my carbon footprint by about 1.8 Tons of CO2 since it got installed according to my provider and solar system output. Not shabby.
Les PK Ranger
4x4 Earth Contributer
We do pay supply charge, even if no power is used, so everyone is contributing is some way.
Well, doesn't someone (the power coys ?) get payments from non solar panel households to help offset those that do have panels installed ?
Seems GOVCO and power coys want EVERYONE to pay.
Albynsw
Well-Known Member
So power companies are being asked to provide power for peak load spikes and then told to suck it up when they have to give their power away when the sun is shining? What if the private guy had to sell his power back at market rate and compete with the coal stations, you wouldn’t be happy then
Coal fired stations can’t vary their output they are either on or off , gas fired can so but they are in the minority
John U
Well-Known Member
Seems fair. Let the small operator sell their power in the same way the big players do. Battery owners can sell at the top.
Toyasaurus
Well-Known Member
All this crap is going down because the shmucks in power sold off our assets to buy votes, see power lines selloff.
I have 8.25kw of solar and 29kwh of storage, the supplier pays me,
I have 8.25kw of solar and 29kwh of storage, the supplier pays me,
smitty_r51
Well-Known Member
How many years have those same power companies posted massive profits.
And how much in that time did they spend on upgrading infrastructure to cope with changing conditions, usage habits and storage requirements.
They have complained for years that they have massive usage spikes in hot sunny weather, solar helps to combat that as each household is generating what it is using at those peak times. Now uptake means they have to consider what they do next and spend some of that profit they have obviously been storing sensibly to re-invest.
I know in the UK the power companies had a scheme (as my dad signed up) they bought the panels, they installed them on the roof, you got the usage during the day and paid your power bills for the evenings/nights...they got any excess to feed back to those houses that didn't have solar, in effect a distributed power station. If they can do that in the UK with their 3.5 days of sunshine a summer WTF can't we do it over here!
I didn't put Solar on mine to make money, i put it because i believe every new house built should be a self sufficient as possible, solar on the roof, insulation throughout, double glazed for efficiency and a decent 10000l raintank under the driveway/garage to reduce the load on the environment. Doesn't exactly help uptake if you are going to charge people extra for doing it.
And how much in that time did they spend on upgrading infrastructure to cope with changing conditions, usage habits and storage requirements.
They have complained for years that they have massive usage spikes in hot sunny weather, solar helps to combat that as each household is generating what it is using at those peak times. Now uptake means they have to consider what they do next and spend some of that profit they have obviously been storing sensibly to re-invest.
I know in the UK the power companies had a scheme (as my dad signed up) they bought the panels, they installed them on the roof, you got the usage during the day and paid your power bills for the evenings/nights...they got any excess to feed back to those houses that didn't have solar, in effect a distributed power station. If they can do that in the UK with their 3.5 days of sunshine a summer WTF can't we do it over here!
I didn't put Solar on mine to make money, i put it because i believe every new house built should be a self sufficient as possible, solar on the roof, insulation throughout, double glazed for efficiency and a decent 10000l raintank under the driveway/garage to reduce the load on the environment. Doesn't exactly help uptake if you are going to charge people extra for doing it.
Triton14
Well-Known Member
I rent so solar would not be an option for me BUT I think if I was to fit solar to a home I own I think I would just like to be totally off grid & have my own power bank.
No idea about costs(probably a lot) for having I bank of say Lithium's to store power or some new Elon Musk Tesla battery but in my mind it would be great to live totally off grid in every possible way.
I have seen some USA people doing it on youtube so I know its being done.
No idea about costs(probably a lot) for having I bank of say Lithium's to store power or some new Elon Musk Tesla battery but in my mind it would be great to live totally off grid in every possible way.
I have seen some USA people doing it on youtube so I know its being done.