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      Solar energy is becoming one of the most popular ways to generate electricity in Australia and it is for a good reason - they are clean, renewable, and help us to reduce our carbon footprint. A 6.6kW solar system, one of the most popular system sizes in Australia, will help you offset your power bills cost and help you gain stability from the ever-increasing price of electricity in the country.

      A solar installation of 6.6kW requires how many panels?

      A 6.6kW solar system typically requires 20-24 solar panels. However, the number of panels needed in this system size depends on a lot of factors such as the model, make, and efficiency of the panels. In addition, the climatic condition of the place in which you are residing also influences this decision. A 6.6kW solar is one of the most common system sizes installed by most Aussie households. They prove to be one of the most effective and cost-effective solutions because they provide enough electricity to suit the demands of residential dwellings. And if you are eligible for any solar rebates, it is more like a cherry-on-top for all the other benefits that you will be enjoying after installing panels.

      The average cost of a 6.6kW solar system

      A solar system size of 6.6kW is quite affordable and cost-effective. In Australia, a 6.6kW solar system will cost you at least $6,000. Even though this price may appear exorbitant, it is actually fairly reasonable when you take into account the long-term advantages, such as subsidies or paying for your energy expenses over time. Additionally, adding solar is a wise financial move because it will probably raise the value of your house, especially as more Australians choose to use cleaner, more environmentally friendly energy.

      How much electricity can a 6.6kW solar panel produce?

      The daily electricity output from a 6.6kW solar panel system ranges from 22 to 26-kilowatt hours (kWh). This is equivalent to 8,000 to 9,500 kWh of useful energy annually, which is comparable to the amount used by the typical Australian dwelling. However, a number of variables affect how much electricity a solar panel will produce throughout the day or over the course of a year. You must take into account the following three considerations when estimating how much electricity a solar array of this size can generate: Climate and location: Although it should go without saying, the amount of electricity a 6.6kW system can generate will depend on your region's climate. If you reside in a place with numerous overcast days, your system may not produce as much electricity as it should because solar panels operate best in sunny circumstances. Positioning and the availability of roof space: Your roof's orientation is crucial since solar panels must be installed such that they receive the most sunlight possible. You must also make sure that no neighboring trees or other structures block your solar panels' visibility. Brand of the solar panel: The efficiency of solar panels will have a significant impact on how much electricity they can generate. Although solar technology has improved substantially, you still need to conduct some research on the make, model, efficiency ratings, and degradation rate before selecting a certain panel type. By taking these factors into account, you can be certain that your solar system will provide enough energy to power your home.

      Key takeaways

      Your annual energy bills can be reduced significantly with a 6.6kW solar panel system, and they are also very environmentally friendly. Before setting up a solar system, you should consider a few factors. Make sure your house receives enough sunlight and that your roof can support the weight of the panels. You might not receive enough sunlight where you live to make solar power a worthwhile investment if there are enough trees or other structures nearby. When you've decided to switch to solar, it's time to calculate the cost of installation and upkeep. Solar panels are typically a wise investment, particularly for home-owners who plan to keep their property for a long time.
      Energy costs are rising and are anticipated to do so further in the near future. So the question is a solar system worth it in Australia? Well, the answer is a no-brainer! Not only is a solar installation worth the investment, but it also helps you to contribute towards the betterment of society. You know solar panels can generate electricity for 5-6 cents per kWh. When you compare this amount with your current power bill, you will understand why 3 million Aussies have already made the switch to a solar system in Melbourne. An average-sized 8kW solar system with high-quality solar panels can now be purchased for as little as $8000–$9000 when completely installed, and it will produce more than 30 kWh of solar energy per day on average over the course of the year. This is a record-low price for solar panels.

      Calculating your solar savings

      Why wait any longer when you can join the solar revolution today? You can click on the link to calculate your solar savings today: https://discoversolar.co.nz/calculate-your-saving/ While most homes can benefit from solar energy, we typically advise that your quarterly power bill should be at least $400 to realize substantial solar savings. The smallest system that we frequently implement is 5kW, which can save you $300 per quarter or even more if you can use the majority of the power it produces. With solar installation becoming more cost-effective and the availability of solar batteries, the primary goal of a solar power system is to minimize your power bills. Furthermore, your energy retailer will give you credit on your power account in the range of 5 to 7 cents per kWh for any excess energy you've returned to the grid.

      Use of solar energy in Melbourne

      Many people are surprised by how much money a high-quality, professionally fitted solar system can save them. With the availability of two rebates bringing down the cost of solar products in Victoria, solar systems are becoming more affordable than ever. When we talk about a 10kW solar installation, you have the availability of the Small-Scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) by the federal government which lowers the buying cost by more than $3800. The state government's Solar Homes rebate, which pays up to half of the remaining cost up to $1400, is also then available to eligible Melbourne buyers. Even if you only use about 70% of the solar energy generated by your system, a 10kW system can save you thousands of dollars each year on your energy costs. Larger or smaller systems can also give substantial savings, depending on your power requirements.

      Final thoughts

      In general, solar energy is an amazing investment that can permanently lower your energy costs! In fact, a 10kW solar system can help you save over $100,000 throughout its 25-year lifespan, proving to be one of the most efficient ways to lower your carbon impact. Due to significant reliability issues, there is a good chance that your solar won't always be a great investment if you are only willing to purchase the cheapest system. On the other hand, if you choose high-quality solar products, you can save a lot of money while simultaneously lowering your carbon impact for many years. We at Discover Solar recommend the best quality panels at the most affordable price to our customers.
      ● 28 March 2023

      What is a Smart EV charger?

      Electric vehicle chargers are becoming more sophisticated as manufacturers seek to make EV charging easier and more cost-effective for homes and businesses. Smart EV chargers allow automatic charging to occur when electricity prices are low or when solar power is being generated. Regular home chargers can draw a lot of power so intelligent monitoring and controls help prevent overloading the grid supply. In addition to helping optimize EV charging, most smart chargers now have Wifi and Bluetooth as standard to enable easy setup and monitoring using a mobile app.

      Smart EV Charging Modes

      Smart EV chargers have numerous options to optimize charging, reduce charging costs and increase self-sufficiency using solar. The most common is solar-only charging and charge scheduling using cheap off-peak electricity. Another very useful smart charging mode is Load Balancing; this is where the charge rate is dynamically adjusted to ensure the charger doesn’t overload and trip off the electric supply when other high-power appliances (loads) are running. Load-balancing is very important if more than one EV charger is installed or the electricity supply is limited.

      Is extra hardware needed for smart charging?

      Smart charging modes can only be enabled if the EV charger can obtain data about a solar generation or other electricity-consuming loads. Generally, to monitor the solar and loads, external sensors or CT clamps are needed to gather and transmit the data back to the charger. Alternatively, EV chargers that are OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol) compliant can be configured for remote control using external software such as Charge HQ. No external meters or hardware is required if all the equipment is compatible with OCPP. We’ll explain this in more detail later.

      Solar Charging

      EV charging using a home solar system appeals to many people as it dramatically reduces the vehicle's operating cost and increases self-sufficiency. However, this is difficult if you cannot optimize the charging rate to match your solar generation. For example, many level-2 home chargers have a maximum charging rate of 7.4kW, but most residential solar inverters are rated at 5kW or 7kW, and the amount of solar being generated may be far less, especially during poor weather. Luckily, this is where smart EV chargers can help. Unlike regular EV chargers, which are set at a fixed charge level, Smart EV chargers can adjust the charge rate to match your solar generation. However, to operate, smart chargers require a separate CT meter to measure energy flow and enable advanced features such as solar-only charging and load balancing. In most cases, the CT meter must be hardwired to the charger, but CT meters from a select few brands can be wirelessly connected.

      Load-balancing

      EV chargers use a lot of power which can cause issues for some homes or businesses if too much power is drawn from the grid. Fortunately, this is where load-balancing can help. This feature is available on most smart chargers and is particularly useful for households with a limited grid supply or businesses with multiple Best EV charger in Australia installed. How it works; Load balancing enables an EV to charge at the maximum rate, up to 7.4kW on a single-phase supply, when the consumption rate is low. However, if household consumption increases, the EV charge rate will drop automatically so as not to trip the grid's main supply circuit. This is very useful for homes or businesses with more than one EV charger as it prevents overloading or tripping the main grid supply when multiple EVs are being charged simultaneously. For load-balancing to work, an external energy meter called a CT meter is required to measure electricity flow to and from the home or business. Smart chargers use the CT meter data to adjust the charging rate dynamically and optimize charging.

      Scheduled charging

      To reduce EV charging costs, most smart EV charger chargers can be set to charge when the electricity rates are low. The cheapest (off-peak) rates are generally during the night when most people are sleeping, so a pre-set off-peak charging schedule can automatically charge the EV overnight. Electricity demand is at its highest during the evening, which is also when electricity tariffs are typically very high. EV charging during these periods costs you more and places a greater strain on the electricity network, which can already be stretched to its limits during extreme heat waves.

      Solar Panel Efficiency

      Solar panel efficiency is a measure of the amount of sunlight (irradiation) that falls on the surface of a solar panel and is converted into electricity. Due to the many advances in photovoltaic technology over recent years, the average panel conversion efficiency has increased from 15% to well over 21%. This large jump in efficiency resulted in the power rating of a standard-size panel increasing from 250W to over 400W. As explained in detail below, solar panel efficiency is determined by two main factors; the photovoltaic (PV) cell efficiency, based on the cell design and silicon type, and the total panel efficiency, based on the cell layout, configuration and panel size. Increasing the panel size can also increase efficiency due to creating a larger surface area to capture sunlight, with the most powerful solar panels now achieving up to 700W power ratings.

      Cell Efficiency

      Cell efficiency is determined by the cell structure and type of substrate used, which is generally either P-type or N-type silicon. Cell efficiency is calculated by what is known as the fill factor (FF), which is the maximum conversion efficiency of a PV cell at the optimum operating voltage and current. Note cell efficiency should not be confused with panel efficiency. The panel efficiency is always lower due to the internal cell gaps and frame structure included in the panel area. See further details below. The cell design plays a significant role in panel efficiency. Key features include the silicon type, busbar configuration, junction and passivation type (PERC). Panels built using high-cost IBC cells are currently the most efficient (21-23%) due to the high purity N-type silicon substrate and no losses from busbar shading. However, panels developed using the latest monocrystalline PERC cells, N-Type TOPcon, and advanced heterojunction (HJT) cells have achieved efficiency levels well above 21%. Ultra-high efficiency Tandem Perovskite cells are still in the development phase but are expected to become commercially viable within the next few years.

      Panel Efficiency

      Solar panel efficiency is measured under standard test conditions (STC) based on a cell temperature of 25°C, solar irradiance of 1000W/m2 and Air Mass of 1.5. The efficiency (%) of a panel is effectively calculated by dividing the maximum power rating, or Pmax (W) at STC, by the total panel area measured in square meters. Overall panel efficiency can be influenced by many factors, including; temperature, irradiance level, cell type, and interconnection of the cells. Surprisingly, even the colour of the protective back sheet can affect efficiency. A black back sheet might look more aesthetically pleasing, but it absorbs more heat resulting in higher cell temperature, which increases resistance, this in turn slightly reduces total conversion efficiency. Panels built using advanced ‘Interdigitated back contact’ or IBC cells are the most efficient, followed by heterojunction (HJT) cells, TOPcon cells, half-cut and multi-busbar monocrystalline PERC cells, shingled cells and finally 60-cell (4-5 busbar) mono cells. 60-cell poly or multi-crystalline panels are generally the least efficient and equally the lowest cost panels.

      Why Efficiency Matters

      The term efficiency is thrown around a lot but a slightly more efficient panel doesn’t always equate to a better quality panel. Many people consider efficiency to be the most important criterion when selecting a solar panel, but what matters most is the manufacturing quality which is related to real-world performance, reliability, manufacturers' service, and warranty conditions. Read more about selecting the best solar panels in Australia here.

      Cost Vs Efficiency

      All manufacturers produce a range of panels with different efficiency ratings depending on the silicon type used and whether they incorporate PERC, multi busbar or other cell technologies. Very efficient panels above 21% featuring N-type cells are generally much more expensive, so if cost is a major limitation it would be better suited to locations with limited mounting space, otherwise, you can pay a premium for the same power capacity which could be achieved by using 1 or 2 additional panels. However, high-efficiency panels using N-type cells will almost always outperform and outlast panels using P-type cells due to the lower rate of light-induced degradation or LID, so the extra cost is usually worth it in the long term. For Example, a high-efficiency 400W+ panel could cost $350 or more while a common 370W panel will typically cost closer to $185. This equates to roughly $0.50 per watt compared to $0.90 per watt. Although in the case of the leading manufacturers such as Sunpower, Panasonic and REC, the more expensive panels deliver higher performance with lower degradation rates and generally come with a longer manufacturer or product warranty period, so it’s often a wise investment.