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Thread: Making Money From Solar Power

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    Default Making Money From Solar Power

    I went to visit a old friend the other day and he was busy on the
    roof I asked what he was up to and he went on to tell me about
    the government paying cash for electricity

    He had a garage full of solar panels, 21 to be exact and it is going to cost him
    $55ooo for the whole job
    He said there was enough power produced for his whole house and his neighbors

    I forgot to ask him how long it is going to take for him to get his money back
    anyone here have a clue???
    When you do things right, people won't be sure that you have done anything at all



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    $55000,I reckon if he just invested that money he would only not only pay his total power bill but have enough left over for a carton per weekend. I take it he is a registered electrician as thats the only way he is going to fill out all the paperwork.

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    Senior Member SatGuRu's Avatar
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    They feed power back into the grid....I heard someone spent heaps of money doing this, but didn't get as much as what he thought he would....I think they deduct it off your power bill, runs the power meter backwards instead of forwards .

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    Quote Originally Posted by SatGuRu View Post
    ....snip.....

    runs the power meter backwards instead of forwards .

    I can do that without solar panels he he he

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    Quote Originally Posted by SatGuRu View Post
    They feed power back into the grid....I heard someone spent heaps of money doing this, but didn't get as much as what he thought he would....I think they deduct it off your power bill, runs the power meter backwards instead of forwards .
    you can do it with magnets too....LOL

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    I had a friend do this on a new house as well but I'm not sure what it cost him. He really only did it to keep the town planners happy and so they ask less questions.
    I think during the day any extra over power it produces is fed back into the grid and so you earn credit on that. Then when you use power from the grid (at night) it uses up the credit you earned.
    You only then pay for the difference and reduce your electricity bill.
    Not sure if it works.

    Cheers,
    Skip

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    Senior Member SatGuRu's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Skip View Post
    I had a friend do this on a new house as well but I'm not sure what it cost him. He really only did it to keep the town planners happy and so they ask less questions.
    I think during the day any extra over power it produces is fed back into the grid and so you earn credit on that. Then when you use power from the grid (at night) it uses up the credit you earned.
    You only then pay for the difference and reduce your electricity bill.
    Not sure if it works.

    Cheers,
    Skip
    Yeah people have been doing that, but they don't save much really when you compare it with what they spend on the equipment.

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    Senior Member z80's Avatar
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    He is producing about 2 kilowatts peak.

    Realistically 1 kilowatt average all year round....( I am being generous)

    Lets say he gets 10 hours great sunshine every day ( LOL....as if).

    I am paying 17.5 cents per Kw/hr on my last bill.
    thats $1.75 a day that he produces.

    So....that's $640 a year electricity production.

    Let's assume that nothing will break/down or fail, not even the expensive grid interactive inverter.....

    $55000/$640= 85.9 years.


    sounds like a great idea.......




    But.....my setup is slightly more capacity and I did it for $20k.

    He has been ripped off....

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    Quote Originally Posted by Micksxboxmods View Post
    you can do it with magnets too....LOL

    Not with the new DIGITAL meters !

    However, you can make them run FASTER if you run a kilowatt of carrier out on 3.5 or 7 MHz. The RF gets into the mains and does expensive things.

    VHF - even up close - seems to have no effect, can't even break the bloody thing.

    I am in a battle with the supplier.

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    In the local rag Origin Energy are doing 1kW setups for just under $4k fully installed. (ie 12k minus 8k rebate)

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    Senior Member z80's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ssrattus View Post
    In the local rag Origin Energy are doing 1kW setups for just under $4k fully installed. (ie 12k minus 8k rebate)

    The minute they announced a rebate the price of panels went up 50%.

    The 1k config is not scaleable.
    2kw is the absolute minimum for viability.

    In Victoria, 1 kw of panels will deliver 350 watts average.
    Just enough to run a house that has compact fluoros exclusively.

    2 kw allows you to make more than you consume.

    But still just lip-service to reducing greenhouse emissions, cause the street light out the front of your home is consuming more than you produce.

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    I am sure my mate said he was going to get 5.5 kw for
    his $55k
    I wish I had a extension cord
    When you do things right, people won't be sure that you have done anything at all

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    Quote Originally Posted by z80 View Post
    The minute they announced a rebate the price of panels went up 50%.
    Yeah the greedy bastards...

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    Senior Member z80's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by best4less View Post
    I am sure my mate said he was going to get 5.5 kw for
    his $55k
    I wish I had a extension cord


    not with 21 panels he isn't.

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    What would he be getting then
    I wasn't paying to much attention to kw
    I was more gob smacked with the dollars

    saw this on eBay
    When you do things right, people won't be sure that you have done anything at all

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    something is wrong...probably your estimation of how many panels he has.

    he needs about 60 typical panels.


    maybe 3 panels in each box?

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    Found this but this has : 30 x Sharp C175M 24 V 175 watt modules



    I will have to go visit him tomorrow just to make sure he's not
    getting ripped off
    When you do things right, people won't be sure that you have done anything at all

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    that's more like it, they are double sized panels.


    right number of watts...just the dollars don't add up.

    that many watts about ....$35k.

    where's the other $20k gone?

    and the rebate as well......

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