Solar 101: A Guide To Buying Solar In Australia - 2023 Edition

My Solar 101 video guide has been updated for 2023! You'll discover absolutely everything you need to know to buy a good quality solar power system installation in Australia with confidence, and at the right price.
00:00 - Introduction
01:03 - Main components of a solar system
06:53 - A good installation is critical
07:48 - Roof direction and panel angle
09:53 - How your home makes use of solar energy
10:48 - How many solar panels should you buy?
11:34 - Upgrading an old system
12:54 - All about Australia's solar rebate
14:06 - Prices for quality solar systems
15:41 - Calculating savings and payback
18:16 - Do you need a home battery?
20:26 - Virtual power plants (VPPs)
22:01 - Understanding solar finance
23:06 - Remote shutdowns and solar "taxes"
24:44 - Wrapping up
The text version of this guide will always have my latest recommended solar panel, inverter and racking brand charts and can be found here:
www.solarquotes.com.au/solar1...
Information regarding DNSP (Distributed Network Service Provider) grid connection rules mentioned in the video can be found here:
www.solarquotes.com.au/grid-c...
To see estimated savings and payback for a system in your situation, try my solar (and battery) calculator:
www.solarquotes.com.au/solar-...
And to get quotes from solar installers I trust:
www.solarquotes.com.au/quote/
If after watching the video you have questions, feel free to ask in the comments section below :)

[@ej5376]

Legit, the best video ever about solar. You are the GOAT and a fellow English bretheren

[@knoppix87710]

You folks are absolute champions, demystifying solar and renewable total cost of ownership. Thank you!

[@andrewgreen8612]

Thanks Finn, that was really good and a great help (as was your website).Much appreciated!

[@ElectricCarAustralia]

Great summary Finn, of considerations for what can be a complex decision for some people. Keep these informational videos coming and enjoy driving those two solar powered EV's. ⚡🔋☀️👍

[@duanebonney]

Fantastic video. Thanks a bunch for taking the time to do this.

[@navs485]

Great video and explanation. I'm considering solar and just knew little bits here and there, but this video gave a great summary.

[@newmantm1234]

Great video mate. Thanks for the update.

[@MrButuz]

Fair play I can't argue with any of this. Spot on. I feel so sorry for all the people being missokd micro inverters. Give me a sma or fronius string any day for 25% of the price.

[@91ruiwenliu]

Amazing video! Informative Not pushing his products Thorough Need more people like him on KZbin

[@saozzie]

Brilliant. Thanks so much.

[@kdkd693]

Great summary and update, I’ve passed it on to my friends who are interested in solar

[@RomeoforSolar]

Please share your contact and our team will get back to you on this

[@chidogg93]

wow this is great. thank you :)

[@therealjeffg]

Thanks for the annual update Fin

[@placestosea]

great video, thanks for posting.

[@banksiasong]

Very good explanations for me as a beginner. Thank you.

[@coalrunner3998]

Great video. Thanks for taking the time to help others who find solar etc daunting. We got our solar installed about 3 years ago and we’re so glad we did. It’s only a 5kw system (curse of a small roof) and we now have an EV so it’s a bit tight but don’t do a lot of driving so we’re managing. Would love a battery but unfortunately 5kw won’t cut it. Need more panels / bigger roof.

[@SimthKim]

I have a friend who is an expert on this.

[@chandroutiealfred4559]

Take a bigger battery

[@Peter-vn8ue]

Could you please do a video on going off grid, total costs, how many panels you need, what size battery storage, etc, including owning an Ev and running home air-conditioning in Summer and electric hot water heating thanks. I live in SA.

[@SolarQuotes]

it's coming! and it will be an SA example

[@stuartgray6400]

That was brilliant thanks. Especially the section about inverters that can’t be shutdown by “the man” wow.

[@mikejoseph425]

Very informative. In the UK it is very important to have batteries especially with dual tariff as the sun is not as generous in the northern hemisphere. The main reason for taking Solar is that it makes the batteries and electrical gear VAT (tax free) and means you can reduce the size of your batteries which almost negates the price of a 4kwh Solar scheme and the thing to remember in the UK is that houses especially older houses have small roofs and my own roof on SE & SW can only accept 10 panels app 4kwh which even in the best month of the year will only produce 16kwh day You never mentioned SunSynk. I thought they were quite prominent in Ausyland

[@ady_k]

11:44 nice quote Finn !

[@Thejamlife2415]

Thanks, now i understand. 😊

[@johnwmcdonnell2192]

Thank you for your video. Very straight forward and informative. I'm in the US and am getting my real estate appraisal license. Noone ever seems to look at how much a solar system adds to the value of your home. It won't be the cost but will add value. It's also not a straight percentage. To me, that value should be considered to your payback timeframe. If system costs $20k and adds $5k equity (just for example)then you should factor a payback based on $15k. Just my opinion.

[@SimthKim]

The video explanation is great. Solar energy has brought us great convenience. I have a friend who is an expert in this field.

[@eddietacasajr8695]

Got my solar a week ago thru Fin recommendations. Very happy with my system.

[@janelleforrest3308]

😗😃😄😁😆😅🎃👽💦🙀

[@karansingh1986]

Which system you installed

[@xefour]

I currently have a 13.3 kW solar system. I’m looking at purchasing a second solar system similar size for my shed roof. I’d love to see a video on what’s involved when purchasing a second solar system. I imagine a lot of early adopters that have a small system might be considering a second system.

[@DeepakShaw]

Thanks

[@annademars481]

Hi there, thank you so much for all your videos! I ve learned so much. I have a question though, have you ever worked or analyzed tigo energy products? Are they any good? Thank you so much

[@stevetuckey]

Very helpful video thanks

[@SolarQuotes]

Glad it was helpful!

[@someguy1914]

thanks mate

[@romeoC9968]

So we had NRG Solar install a battery recently. Interesting thing happened....Their electrician tried to tell us that our 12KW air conditioner shouldn't be connected to the battery, as it will trip it during a blackout. We forced him to do it anyway because it was in the contract. Well these people don't know what they are talking about and clearly lacking basic skills when it comes to electricity. 12KW of cooling capacity is not the same as 12KWh (they think it is apparently!).....in fact, during a blackout our a/c ran for a number of hours during the heat and the total house consumption was only 2.5kwh....and all from the battery. So basically, don't trust these companies, if you have a specific need, demand it as they don't always know what they are talking about.

[@lua-nya]

You seem to either have both an incompetent installer and a typo or an even more incompetent installer. Any electrician worth their tea knows: -The difference between energy (kWh) and power (kW) -The difference between maximum and sustained power (both W) -The difference between heating power(W), cooling power(W), and electrical power(W). These are usually all in the same tag of the appliance.

[@lua-nya]

Also should know the difference between an inverter driven motor and a non inverter driven one: the non inverter driven one always has a peak on startup of multiple times the sustained power. This could trip your system's overload protection if it wasn't designed to withstand it. Oh, what's this? Solar inverters and AC coupled batteries have a sustained and a peak rating too? Ah, figures.

[@romeoC9968]

@@lua-nya on perhaps the installer should check the contract and/or speak to their sales people and they would find out this had already been covered. I think the reason this company did a good job for him was because of the publicity on this channel.

[@nampatchsamoth1238]

Would you be willing to help a newbie solar person make sure I get the right equipment? I have placed an order but then added more panels to it. It is actually a hybrid system that also has a wind turbine. I feel I need to change the inverter and solar control panels. I am not doing this in Australia but in the Philippines. Primarily I want to know if I need to change the Solar Controller to match the total panel input. The one I am getting is a 3kw controller but I have 8kw worth of panels, I saw your amazing video about being okay to increase the panels over the inverter but as this is a hybrid system as I said I am not sure. The wind generator is 7kw and the inverter is 10kw, this makes the toatl over all of 15kw. What do you think Finn?

[@Les-vp8si]

Hi what do you reckon to German solar pannels like Bosch Aleo & Solar watt ? cheers.

[@chrisnelson2770]

Do you have any recommendations or advice for installing solar on a rental property that is used personally every couple years? Not sure if its worth it if we're not personally reaping the benefits

[@JohnAlexanderramboparyjrthe3rd]

In Perth there’s no feed In tariffs with bigger systems above 6.6kw . Do you still think it’s worth going as big as you can regardless of not getting paid on any excess energy ? The Tarif is only like 3c anyway so during summer when the Ac is on full time surely the bigger system would make up for the lost tariff?

[@generalyoutubewatching5286]

Is it possible to install panel that adjust the angles during the day to capture more energy

[@19Tamilan90]

Thanks for making this - it helps. I have control load 2 to power my electric hot water system. My question is 1) When I install solar panels can I configure it to power hot water system using solar along with control load 2? 2) Is it really worth to have control load 2 only for hot water system when 80% hot water used during the day? Thanks..!!

[@offgrid-goo-roo]

First, consider lowering your sink and shower Flow to 1.4Lpm, 2Lpm respectively. Minimal water flow translates to energy savings and lower watt water heaters. Tank heaters turn on-off many times daily.-- a big waste of energy. Use Point of Use(POU) water heaters. Heat water when needed. 1. For sink hot water, ask yourself, what temperature do I consider hot? 37°c, or (43°c), or 50°c? Definitely not 100°c. The least you heat water, the smaller the Point of Use(POU)instant heater, the lower watts needed, the less solar panels needed to heat your water. 2. Become familiar with the ground water temperature in your vicinity. For example, 22°c ground water temperature needs an increase of 21°c(differential) to 43°c to give you hot water. Note: increasing water temperature, minimally, You will be able to use a: 1400watt, 1800watt, or 2400 watt heater, depending on your ground water temperature you started with. Again, this will reduce your solar panel watt demand. Simple rule, if you are heating water, and opening the cold water to cool it down, you are heating too much and wasting energy. 3. Water heater manufacturers will provide the specs on their heater, to what temperature differential a certain heater will increase. Select your heater that is good for you and family. This is the recommendation for Sink's hot water. 4. Install a POU heater under each sink. This way you will have instant water at the turn of the tap. Avoid propagation delay by installing heaters in the garage, or outside. Large homes can waste up-to 8 liters of water waiting for the water to arrive from garage to sink or shower. Note: Select a water heater that activates at minimal flow( 1.0--1.4 liter per minute flow. Heater mfgs. are redesigning their POU heaters to activate at lower flows. Some customers have complained that after they lowered to sink flow to 1.4Lpm, the heater doesn't work. Do your research before buying a POU. More info on Shower water heater, if you ask!

[@robertlewis7237]

THANK YOU FOR GREAT SUPER DETAILED VIDEO ON SOLAR POWER IN AUSTRALIA WHAT LIVING IN AUSTRALIA BUSH IN SMALL TOWN WAY FROM FROM BIG CITY LIFE ? WHAT BEST WAY FOR PENISION LOW INCOME TO GET SOLAR POWER AS LIVING OUT AUSTRALIA BUSH HERE IN NSW ?

[@robinfreestun5619]

Hey Finn! Tasmania has better winter sunshine than Melbourne! I’m a Tasmanian living in the Dandenongs! Trust me!

[@robblinco755]

Nice update! Wanted to get some quotes from your site for my investment home on the Central Coast NSW but the system won't accept international phone numbers (I currently live overseas)

[@SolarQuotes]

Sorry about that! It stops lots of Americans asking for quotes for Aussie systems! If you shoot an email to [e-mail] , Jono will look after you.

[@timower5850]

I don't understand why you mention home storage batteries as an aside: they are integral to a proper functioning solar power system. Oft times the grid is inundated with the excess power generated by a solar roof and can't even accept it, leaving that excess to be wasted. Saving that excess by battery storage is quite economically sound, especially as it pertains to charging your EV. You make more money saving that excess on site than you do practically giving it away free to the electric companies, and then having them sell it back to you at market price.

[@galaxiethinker183]

I'm just about to install a 20 kW solar system in a holiday home rental I have an air conditioner the consumes 6 kilowatts per hour I have a swimming pool heat pump the consumes 8 kilowatts per hour i can not turn them off when guest are renting . Even A large battery woud not run these at night ?? Any sugestions please.

[@c_r_i_M_s_o_n]

Just installed 6.6kW solar panels (jinko) & 5kW Inverter (fronius).. they forced me to add a smart metre in as well. with my reverse cycle on the the panels only produce max 5.22kW & no more.. is this right? Or should i talk to my solar company.

[@AteAllThePies]

Great info, enjoying the video - small suggestion, please look in to the way your recording and mastering your audio. Some loudness normalisation might help and perhaps lowing the recording volume slightly might reduce the amount of times your audio is close to clipping.

[@SolarQuotes]

We'll definitely take more care with the audio going forward. Thanks for the feedback!

[@gevans2679]

I didn’t hear any problems with the audio! I just appreciate the great information

[@ej5376]

The best 101 guide for dummies I have found. Also, I'm English, what are you doing representing the Auzzies? (Apart from the fact I would rather live there than here haha)>

[@kdkd693]

I looked at your link on Western Power approval sizes with interest. I just got knocked back for my application to install 60x440 watt panels with 2 Fronius Gen24 10kW 3 phase inverters. I want to be able to fill my roof to charge the cybertruck on solar with my 3 phase Tesla wall charger. I have struggled to find a human in WP to talk about this. I am very interested that your link suggested 8-22kW are typically approved. I only want 20kW of inverter. Any sage suggestions?

[@SolarQuotes]

your best bet is to work with a good local installer that knows how to deal with WP

[@kdkd693]

@@SolarQuotes thanks for the reply. Tried that first, they said they have never been successful in these negotiations with WP. It’s a $40k system with battery, which will be worth less in the end to them if it’s limited to only 15kW. Also asked my sparky who deals with them all the time, but he didn’t have any good human contacts either to try. Government quangos…..

[@jeffreykracke8992]

Are red earth batteries good in Queensland

[@jamestucker8088]

Great video. I am surprised how cheap solar is in Australia. I am looking into going solar before net metering ends in California. The average cost here is ~$4/W usd or $6/W AUD.

[@amirzubairmughal]

less then $1 AUS /w in Australia ,, i run my own small business,

[@okusfayreno8599]

Does this mean if my system makes more energy that I use and the excess goes into the grid I get money back ?

[@liammclaughlin3784]

Yes but they buy it off you at about 6c per and sell it to you at 31c per so it’s better to have a battery but they’re not cheap atm

[@generalyoutubewatching5286]

Should I replace my roof before I install solar panels?

[@SolarQuotes]

Yes

[@lokmanmerican6889]

Do string inverters generate residual heat during normal operation?

[@SolarQuotes]

yes

[@Sauvage_Foxes]

if there is a solar tax then should we going for something that dosen't produce as much energy? rather than getting 10kw maybe i should consider 6.6kw.

[@SolarQuotes]

Lot's of reasons why this logic is flawed. The main one being that there are no proposals for a 'solar tax' that charges you for exports. That's the media going for clicks and outrage. Current proposals will reduce your FiT by 1-2c at certain times of day and increase it at other times. Second reason is 'Curtailment is Cool'. A smart solar system can simply go into zero export if there was ever a fee to export. So you need never be penalised for a large system.

[@dougiee6589]

I have nonhybrid inverter, can the ac couple battery system charge at night for day use? i have a low night rate i mean it's 11c instead of 24c

[@SolarQuotes]

yes - as long as your battery inverter has the comms to do it

[@elusivesambar8657]

I believe the biggest letdown in solar is the power companies buying the power back from you at a fraction of the price. Shouldn’t the meter just run backwards at least until your usage vs your production zeros out? I would understand that then the excess can be bought back at a reduced price. Feel free to correct me if i have it wrong

[@FlinT1080p]

thoughts on a growatt inverter? few friends have them and have no problems

[@SolarQuotes]

www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/are-growatt-inverters-any-good-heres-an-installers-opinion/

[@FlinT1080p]

​@@SolarQuotesthank you, I ended going with sungrow 10kw inverter and 10.2kw jinko 440w panels 😊 your website guided me immensely, thank you

[@lokmanmerican6889]

At 10:35 if the grid goes out when I'm consuming more than what the solar can produce, won't that create a dangerous situation?

[@SolarQuotes]

No. If you don't have batteries and the grid goes out - everything loses power - just like a non-solar house. If you have a battery backup system, the batteries kick in, and your essential loads keep going (some systems do this immediately, some take a few seconds).

[@lokmanmerican6889]

​@@SolarQuotes, In "Mode 2" at 10:31 where the grid tops up the output of the solar panels, if the grid goes out at that point, are you saying home appliances don't get any electricity at all? Same question for Mode 1 where solar produces more power than the home consumes; if the grid goes out, does the home get no power at all? Seems to me that if the grid goes offline, home appliances should just continue to receive power from solar - indeed that should be one of the benefits of solar power? But it should never draw more than what the panels can produce.

[@jeffreykracke8992]

What are the new sun taxes all about and can we avoid it

[@SolarQuotes]

Sun Tax is the media's inflammatory name for a 1-2 c per kWh reduction in Feed In Tariff from about 10am-2pm that you can opt into if you also want a bigger increase in FiT outside those times. The details will vary depending on which DNSP (local electricity network you have) but it's no big deal. Gets lots of clicks for the media though.

[@Fritsvrolijk]

In 10 years is al what now good is than all old grap so 25 years warranty is of non important And what about Growatt inverters ???? Thanks for the video Pro Regards From Holland

[@SolarQuotes]

Growatt inverters are at the very cheapest end of the market here in Australia. Personally, I'd pay a few hundred dollars more for a Goodwe or Sungrow if I wanted a budget inverter.

[@Fritsvrolijk]

@@SolarQuotes Thanks for your info

[@maralfniqle5092]

Have been hearing a lot on non eco and non recyclable panels of late. Never mind that apparently one needs to replace the panels every 7 years or so at huge cost. Where's the saving?

[@ausguy4385]

Got Fronius 6.0kW GEN24 PLUS 11kw BYD 9kw Canadian Solar panels. Only issue is the system switch over time is 90seconds for brown out /black out. Is it true that can tell it in setting to be 20millsecond? Just painful for night ones, as all the smart lights turn on. Or can a second inverter work with it and it have 20millsecond switch over like most have?

[@Moon888-oy8bb]

Solar Quptes - I guess solar rebates are not available for off-grid systems?

[@aur3allc]

😮😮😮😮

[@CThienV]

I stopped looking into solar about 2-3 years ago. Considering solar again, damn the feed in tarrifs are a joke and I can no longer justify the upfront cost.

[@SolarQuotes]

If you want to do the maths quickly and impartially - www.solarquotes.com.au/solar-calculator/ (Australia only)

[@LeviKerrison]

No Tesla?

[@marktiller1383]

With solar and batteries, the biggest cost is the daily connection fee, look for the lowest daily connection fee. And unlike Bowen/Albanese, I know you cannot charge your ev at night from solar after 7years of solar and 5years with EVs.I often see Freudenberg driving round in a model s and I've heard that Morrison has a shit load more solar and battery to run his house than i do. I have no affiliation to any political party

[@duster8100]

If you can't store the energy don't install it, FIT is not worth spending the money on. Pay me a good FIT and I will add more panels.

[@dabbbles]

Anyone with half a brain can install a useful (2.5kW) for about $1OOO all up. (And that's for a STAND-ALONE system: anyone who stays grid-connected AND uses batteries is a fool. It does mean 'adjusting' your usage, but I have such a system which currently produces about TWICE what I need. And a battery-bank that stores 720kWh, which I acquired for a little under $2 per ah.

[@szabi-f6n]

Send my money 100 million lira for Monday 17.04.2023 send code for exception from Sándor Varga-Temesvár

[@4425evergreen]

too much talking at front i never made itto the actual video. instead of telling what you will do... just start doing it

[@hmasyarra]

During COVID, I purchased an 18-panel 6.5 inverter package from Arise Solar, which cost $3090. Used my free COVID money for almost all the outlay. Before solar my previous power bills avg $500+ per quarter. In two years + to date, my bill is now monthly, avg $65. Do the math There is a lot of nonsense on here. Cost outlay is the primary concern. warranties are, yes, standard, but I never factored them in. It's just rubbish. Has anyone ever had a warranty exchange or help? NO! Most of what is talked about here is time filling. Keep it to outlay costs performance and savings. Joe Average wants the best, not what X can do or what Y does. Every home in Australia rented or owned should be the government focus on rooftop solar, not stupid land loss. All renewable money should be redirected to the roof. Cheapest with real money in one's pocket is best. Focus on that.

[@SolarQuotes]

We have never recommended buying the cheapest solar. I’m glad your super cheap system is working. Will be interesting to circle back in 10 years. To claim no one has ever claimed a warranty is just silly.

[@jimmysmithjrjr]

Loads of people need warranty claims regularly. And if you purchased a 3000$ system from Arise you will need one, one day. And no one will do it lol.

[@hmasyarra]

@@jimmysmithjrjr Bullshit, you see yobbo TV (Current Affair) all the time chasing warranty issues with customers be it cars houses A/Cs etc. Regardless mate the cash saving is in the bank. I get only .7c feed in also.

[@hmasyarra]

@@SolarQuotes You gutless wonder, did you erase my rebuttal?

[@rogerpearson9081]

@@hmasyarra I am on the cheapest plan with AGL in Adelaide and I get .5c a kW hr for my exports but I also get the lowest overall tarrifs. Some of these solar plans jack up daily connection costs and peak tariffs as well as limiting the **big tariff** to only the first 14 kW in the case of AGL Woohoo! a whole $1.40 to offset all the other raised costs. I still think you are off beam with warranty etc. being irrelevant. IF you have a problem, who you gonna call?

[@dabbbles]

I mounted the first (of MANY) solar systems in 1980, and have always done it myself. Much of what this twit goes on about is pointless. Or downright wrong. But one basic point is that he prattles on about 'inverters' without ever pointing out that in today's world it's perfectly possible to run a DC system and not require an inverter at all.

[@rsr20t]

My 80 year old mother was sold a solar and Battery system by Origin Energy in NSW, The installer installed the Battery and Inverter in full all day (on the outside of the Garage wall - an empy Garage at that). After raising my concerns and further enquires, Orgin advised there is no issues these items being in Full sun. Also Signed up to a VPP unkningly (likey didn't understand) and was shocked to find her batter empty at 6pm when she starts her cooking and evening activities. @OfficialOriginEnergy you'd think would be better than this.