The amount of energy that reaches the Earths surface every hour is equal to the total worldwide energy consumption for a whole year. By utilising this unlimited resource and making efficient use of electricity we can make an enormous difference to our global environment in our lifetime.

Solar cells use the Photovoltaic effect to generate electricity.  When sunlight hits the surface of a "Photovoltaic" (PV) panel part of the light passes through the panel, starting a flow of electricity.  Solar (PV) panels generate direct current (DC) power that can be used for charging batteries, running loads direct or  generating mains quality, Alternated Current (AC)  power via an inverter.  Solar panels generally consist of 36 cells and provide a nominal Voltage of 12 Volts.  Solar panels vary in size from as small 1 Watt to as large as 200Watts  The material used for making a solar panel is silicon, one of  the most abundant elements on Earth.

Solar power  is universal and will work anywhere that the sun shines, however some locations are better than others.  How well a solar power system performs is dependent on the number of Peak Sun Hours (PSH) or "full sun hours"  This term, Peak Sun Hours, represents the average amount of sun available per day throughout the year. The solar insolation zone map will give you a general idea of the Peak Sun Hours per day during Winter  for your location

Unfortunately there is no "average home" cost for a system as the cost actually depends on your daily energy usage and how many Peak Sun Hours you receive per day. To accurately size a system to meet your needs, you need to know how much energy you use per day.  For Stand Alone Power Systems (SAPS) this requires a Power Profile to be completed however if your home is connected to the electricity  grid, simply look at your monthly electric bill. 

Our professional system designers can help size a system to meet your exact requirements . 

No. Photovoltaics (PV) converts the sun's energy into DC electricity at a relatively low efficiency level (14-16%), so trying to operate a high power electric heating element from PV would be very inefficient and expensive. Solar thermal (or passive solar) is the direct heating of air or water from the heat of the sun and is much more efficient for heating applications than PV's.  Whether your home is on mains power or stands alone we recommend that a complete energy efficiency approach to living is applied throughout the home, ensuring the most suitable technology is applied to every application.  

For more information on appropriate products please go to  Energy Efficient Hot Water Systems and Natural Home Cooling.

In Australia we orientate solar modules to the North to maximise your daily energy output. The solar modules should be tilted up from horizontal to get a better angle at the sun and to help keep the modules clean by shedding rain. For best year round power output with the least amount of maintenance, you should set the solar array facing true north at a tilt angle equal to your latitude. For a Stand Alone Power System (SAPS) your solar array seasonally can provide you with more power,  a good rule of thumb is:

• latitude minus 15° in the summer
• latitude in the spring
• latitude plus 15° in the winter

Grid connected solar electricity makes it possible for you to turn your roof into a 100% renewable energy generator. Power produced by the system is delivered to your house first and any excess power is sold back to your electricity company for a credit on your bill. By avoiding the use of electricity created from fossil fuels, you'll contribute to the health of the planet. Your grid connect solar power system will provide value to your home by quietly and reliably producing electricity every day of its long life. Beyond simply avoiding purchase of coal fired power from the utility, the system adds financial value to your home. A PV system is a capital improvement to the building and will increase its resale value. A 2 kilo-Watt (kW) grid connected solar power system installed in Sydney will prevent the emission of approximately 2.8 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Gas, the main gas responsible for global warming. This is equivalent to removing a car traveling around 10,000 km per year from our roads1 To absorb the same amount of CO2 each year would require a forest of 200 trees²

Grid  connect systems are inherently simpler than stand-alone solar systems. In fact, other than safety disconnects, mounting structure and wiring, a grid connect system is just solar modules and an approved  inverter! 

Our Grid connect solar power systems incorporate all the necessary components to ensure that your solar power system operates at peak efficiency.  The only requirements for a successful installation are a North Facing roof free from shading and a house connected to the mains electricity grid. Our qualified professionals will arrange for all the necessary connection approvals to get your system up and running quickly. 

All the systems are modular and fully expandable, allowing for future upgrades of the system.

Stand Alone Power Systems (SAPS) dramatically improve the quality of people's lifestyles without damaging the environment. A SAPS makes it cost effective to secure mains quality power with little difficulty anywhere the sun shines.

There are many components that make up a complete solar system, but the 4 main items on a stand-alone system are: solar modules, charge controller(s), battery(s) and inverter(s). The solar modules are physically mounted on a mount structure and the DC power they produce is wired through a charge controller before it goes on to the battery bank where it is stored. The two main functions of a charge controller are to prevent the battery from being overcharged and eliminate any reverse current flow from the batteries back to the solar modules at night. The battery bank stores the energy produced by the solar array during the day for use at anytime of the day or night. Batteries come in many sizes and grades. The inverter takes the DC energy stored in the battery bank and inverts it to 120 or 240 VAC to run your AC appliances.

Maybe. Many older homes were not designed or built with energy efficiency in mind. When you purchase and install a renewable energy system for your home, you become your own power company, so every kWh of energy you use means more equipment (and hence more money) is required to meet your energy needs. Any appliance that operates at 240 VAC (such as electric water heaters, cookstoves, furnaces and air conditioners) are expensive loads to run on solar.

You should consider using alternatives such as LP or natural gas for space heating or cooking, evaporative cooling instead of compressor based AC units and passive solar design in your new home construction if possible. Refrigeration and lighting are typically the largest 120 VAC energy consumers in a home (after electric heating loads) and these two areas should be looked at very carefully in terms of getting the most energy efficient units available. Great strides have been made in the past 5 years towards improving the efficiency of electric refrigerators/freezers.

Compact fluorescent lights use a quarter to a third of the power of an incandescent light for the same lumen output and they last ten times longer. These fluorescent lights are now readily available at your local hardware or discount store.

The rule of thumb in the renewable energy industry is that for every dollar you spend replacing your inefficient appliances, you will save three dollars in the cost of a renewable energy system to run them. So you can see that energy conservation is crucial and can really pay off when considering a renewable energy system.