That sure is steep. Is that because your roof has a 45 degree pitch or some other reason?
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He lives in Dunedin.
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Yes, it’s typical of many 19th century houses.
Not the ideal panel angle for around here, but great if you live in Dunedin. 
P.S.
it does save on needing to clean the panels of leaf litter and other build up.
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There was a very old house at Kangaroo Point visible from Shafston Avenue which had the steepest pitch I have ever seen on a house. It must have been at least 60 degrees.
The thought just occured to me that there have not yet been any scammers advertising magical sprays “guaranteed” to massively boost the performance of solar panels, or have I spoken too soon?
There is however a good article on Solarquotes on whether or not to clean solar panels.
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It can actually be ideal in Qld, but only if you have panels tilted at that angle facing east and west. You’ll get much more even PV output throughout the day and avoid the midday peak.
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We have two separate solar systems. One, a 3 Kw system we inherited when we purchased the house and a new one (6Kw) we had put in. A regular fault started occurring with the inherited one. I rang all the solar suppliers in town asking if I could get them out to service it and find the fault. No one wanted to come out because they did not install it. The original supplier had retired. Because my system is 12 years old they all said get a new one. It will be your inverter. They seem to only want to service systems that they put in claiming there is so much dodgy work out there. Anyway I dug in and traced it back to a faulty circuit breaker which I sorted out myself. I had already ordered a new system before I found the fault and it was too late to cancel so now I have two systems.
The takeaway on this is you might find it difficult to get someone to service it and you really need to know what a “service” actually entails.
Your provider has software where you can monitor its performance daily and you can log into the inverter on modern systems. That will give you an indicator on how it is performing.
Because of the problem of “throttling” I read the smart meter morning and night to get the exported KwHrs and the KwHrs the house uses. By charting the data you get a very good idea of what is produced, what is used and what is exported. Comparing all this to the figures in your monthly bill gives a pretty good picture of what is happening. Bear in mind that my system is more complicated than most because I have two independent systems and I cannot log into the old system but I can take readings from its display.
There’s no real way of monitoring a system’s performance over time due to the large number of variables. Plus these systems are not really set up to give you a concise picture.
One thing I have found is my 12 YO system is preforming exceptionally well!
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Ever since we put in our solar system in 2011 I have kept records of exactly what our output has been. Our inverter is a Sunny Boy and I can read the output on my computer via the software provided. In the ensuing years our output has been relatively similar each year and each month. We have never had it serviced. My understanding is that if you alter any part of your system you will revert to the current payment feed-in tariff.
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Generally, if you increase the size of your inverter (say increase it from 2kW to 3kW), then any special (high) FIT is removed and the current FIT applies. If one has say a 3kW inverter with cells which are rated to 2kW, one may be able to increase cells to 3kW with the same 3kW inverter without impacting on the special (high) FITs.
Likewise, one can replace a 3W with new 3W inverter, this won’t impact on the special (high) FITs.
Nonetheless, if one plans to change ones PV system in any way, check with the relevant state government agency to ensure any changes don’t negatively impact on the existing FIT one may have.
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While this report should have been an eye opener, it just reinforced what many have experienced and what many know, as well as reveals the disconnect between almost everything excepting the good companies who do the right things.
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No solar since November 2021. Inverter has blown up. Company keeps saying they are on to it but nothing done. Company became an accredited supplier months after our install so limited backup from other organisations is available and because the company has been in touch with me then it’s apparently being dealt with. Still paying for this overpriced system which is unusable and having to limit power use due to electricity costs. How can I get some action on this?
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Hi @Tcoll, welcome to the community in these unfortunate circumstances you are in.
What is the brand? Hopefully it is a well known brand rather than a rebadged Inverter unique to an installer/solar company.
Once you let us know the brand, we will be able to better tailor any advice.
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Have you thought about making a claim through your insurer? This may drive a faster outcome particularly if the inverter can be replaced by another brand. If this is successful or not you could also start a claim through your Civil & Administrative Tribunal for compensation from the original supplier/installer. The compensation could include a reasonable reimbursement for extra electricity cost, reduction in the value of the system, cost of taking legal action among other things. We are generally on this forum not qualified legal advisors so I very strongly recommend that you get some legal advice about your options This can be sourced from providers who do so for no cost. We do provide a small list of Consumer legal advice centres at the following topic, Free Legal Advice Centres - Services - Community (choice.community)
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Welcome to the community. I have moved your post to an existing topic. I suggest that you read the preceding post as they are relevant to your situation.
Solar equipment is no different to any other product. Your communications don’t count unless they are in writting. Search the forum (using the magnifying glass icon) for information on the ACL and your rights, and how to write a formal letter of complaint.
You are at an advantage to many others in that the installers are still in business, so you have a chance of getting the inverter fixed.
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It might or might not be germane, but you did contract with a non-accredited installer. Even if they subsequently got accredited ordinary practice is to only deal with accredited companies who sell and service brands and products with good Australia based support (inventory, technical, infrastructure, relationships) such as can be discerned. Being accredited seems to be a most basic litmus test for a first cut.
Moving on, a wifi failure happened on 12 Dec and the ‘repair’ contractor was booked through to the holidays, and then took holidays through end January so the ‘repair’ remains outstanding. It is not system down, it is a nuisance issue and I can still monitor production from the Ausnet Services web site.
It is possible that is the case and something will happen in the coming week if people are still on holiday. It is less possible their supply chain is being affected by COVID but always a possibility. If you cannot get reassuring information in the next week (31 Jan 2022) read about your rights under the Australian Consumer Law and send your solar company a formal Letter of Complaint, cc to the Clean Energy Council. There are myriad links and related advice on the Community with links to Choice advice and the ACCC found using the Community search tool. Anything less than going formal becomes idle chit chat regarding your rights and getting it done, when it is not getting done.
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Thank you. Some helpful info here! I will investigate these options
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Thank you. It’s a Sapphire Solar 5KW Hybrid Inverter
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The reason for the question was whether it was possible to bypass the installer and go direct to the manufacturer/Australian distributor. As the Inverter appears to a rebadged (and imported) Inverter by Sapphire Solar, there isn’t the opportunity to contact the Inverter manufacturer for a resolution as Sapphire Solar in effect is also seen as the product manufacturer/importer.
All I can suggest is write a formal letter of complaint to Sapphire Solar as outlined above.
Looking online, Sapphire Solar appear to have very poor after sales service, especially when dealing with warranty claims. You might be in for a protracted time to get resolution, if any.
Good luck with pursuing them and keep us in the loop on how you get on.
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Were they also the contracted installer or was it another installer who sold/installed the Sapphire product? Solarquotes is one of the best resources for PV and has been a consultant to Choice. Highly respected with a very informative and educational web site.
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Is it possible to leave the old system as is (connected to the grid) and install a new PV+battery system that essentially functions like an off-grid system - so that house uses feed from the new system as much as possible (during sunny times, when there is charge in battery at other times) and the house only draws on the old grid-connected system when it has to.
?
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Sapphire Solar currently list well known manufacturers of inverters on their web site. It may help to clarify the brand and model of hybrid if you can post a pic of the inverter and or name plate. Assume Sapphire have been to inspect and fault find the system?
There has been prior input from the community on formally seeking remedy including a repair or replacement from Sapphire Solar. Sapphire currently offer solar PV systems with inverter options from several well known manufacturers including Goodwe. A replacement inverter needs to be the same capacity, but not necessarily the same brand.
Would others in the community with solar PV expect a reputable supplier/installer to be able to change out a faulty unit if it was not repairable on site in a reasonable time? As a sample of one, Yes, most definitely.
How long is reasonable? Perhaps 2-4 weeks based on my recent experience with other things electrical or for trades in demand. Although it might be different depending on Covid and where one lives.
Note:
While always an option, as a consumer your rights under Australian Consumer Law are limited compared to seeking resolution including compensation from the supplier/installer. It’s inferred the system is still being paid for. If this is connected to a credit arrangement and financing specifically for the system supplied, consider how this relates to your options.
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