Hybrid systems are the fastest growing systems for 2019. Hybrid systems are solar system connected to the grid with battery back up.

See SolarNova’s Solar Panel’s  Buyers Guide for picking the right solar panel.

The number of solar panels required is related to the output of your whole system. The key considerations are:

Consumption

Energy consumption, the number of KwH required to cover the electricity bill. The avergae solar panel power output in 2019 is 300W. For average household requiring 22 panels for 6.6 kW size system.

Roof size

The final number of panels for you will come down to how many you can fit on your roof. If you have a lot of roof space you can opt for more panels at a lower cost per panel.

Panel performance

You will require fewer high performing panels. For a high output LG panel (370 Kw) you only need 18 panels compared to 300W Trina Solar panels.

We are installers of all solar panel brands in Australia including Q Cells, Trinasolar, LG and Sunpower. SolarNova partner with you to find the solar panel that is right for you. Our friendly team will take the time to find the right solar panel for you.

All our inverters are Clean Energy Council Certified to meet Australian standards. Ask the team at SolarNova about our free onsite consultation we can advise on the inverter that is right for you.

SolarNova inverters can be found on Clean Energy Council’s register of approved modules and inverters that meet Australian standards

We are installers of all leading inverter brands in Australia including SMA, Sunnyboy, Huawei and Enphase inverter.

SolarNova partner with you to find the inverter that is right for you.

If the panels are the heart of the solar system, the inverter acts like the brain of the solar system. The inverter manages the flow of power from your panels to your home and converts the energy into a usable form.

What does the inverter do?

Converting DC to AC- When panels generate energy from the sun, the energy flow is DC (Direct Current). Home appliances connected to the grid use AC (Alternating Current). The inverter will convert the DC to AC in order for the power to be consumed by the household appliances.

There are 2 types of inverters; String inverters and Microinverters (optimisers can also be installed on each panel in addition to a string inverter).

String inverters

String inverters are used when there is simple panel designs and there is ample usable roof space. String inverters are  installed next to metering, typically in your garage or low levels of your home with easy access. String type of inverters can either be  a Grid Tie inverter or a Hybrid inverter. The Hybrid inverter  will work even when the grid is down. The Hybrid inverter is used in places where blackouts  regularly occur, as they are easy to be installed with the battery in storage. In those cases where String inverters are used and there is shading, an optimiser can be added to the panels.

Microinverters

Microinverters are where shade on the roof limits the solar panel designs. In such cases the panels need to be scattered often in different positions catching the sun in different positions or missing spots of heavy shading. Microinverters are installed on each solar panel and converts power from DC to AC at the panel level.

Finally the choice on inverter will come down to how much energy you need your solar system to generate.

See SolarNova’s Solar Inverter’s  Buyers Guide for picking the right inverter.

Battery storage is intended to capture unused electricity for later use, such as on cloudy days or at night time.

We are resellers of all leading battery brands in Australia. SolarNova partner with you to find the battery solution that is right for you.

Depth of discharge (DoD)

The amount of battery discharge before thereis battery degradation.

Lithium batteries 80–90%

Lead-acid batteries 50–60%,

Flow batteries can be discharged 100%.

How much power (in kilowatts) the battery can deliver.

Continuous power

is the amount of power delivered while the battery has enough charge.

Amount of the power depends on the battery capacity  and  type of battery inverter.

Amount of the power depends on the battery capacity  and  type of battery inverter.

Total number of charge/discharge cycles

How many cycles of charge and discharge the battery can perform before it’s considered to reach the end of its life

Lifespan (years or cycles)

The expected life of the battery (and its warranty) can be rated in cycles (see above) or years (which is generally an estimate based on the expected typical usage of the battery).

Usually brands like LG Sonnen and Alpha ess, BYD come with ten years warranty.

Ambient temperature range

Batteries are sensitive to temperature and need to operate within a certain range. They can degrade or shut down in very hot or cold environments.

Majority of big brands lithium ion batteries are compitable with Australian climate.

See SolarNova’s Solar Batterys  Buyers Guide for picking the right solar battery.

The following issues with Australian home solar installations and systems, were found by research by Choice magazine and published in 2018.