From all the research and looking around I did I found the best inverters where the aurora inverter or the German made ones, and you are better off getting the 250w panels not the 190w panels because the large are better quality and have a wider working range. That is if it becomes overcast the better panels will keep working where as the smaller cheaper panel won't be as efficient.

As for pool heating an engineer friend was saying you could go to salvage yards and pick up old solar panels from solar harts, put those on the roof and pump your water through them.

I just got our power bill 2 days ago and we are $1300 in credit in 12 months on the 47c tarriff buy back.

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Its all about the pink flaps

ive got 3.0kW system on the roof now (had them installed the day before the 47c feed in tarrif finished).

Can i get a couple more installed & still get the same feed in tarrif?

inverter is 4.2kW from memory
cheers

Apparently you can upgrade without affecting your feed in tariff as long as you don't touch your inverter. I am getting mine upgraded at the moment and I am also on the 47c feed in. I've got 3.7kW worth of panels on a 4kW inverter. I am keeping my inverter and increasing my panels to 4.9kW.

Things to keep in mind... (from talking to various solar companies)
1. If they touch your existing panels because they need to rebalance/redesign your system, then they need to check and bring those panel installs up to current regulations (which is usually done at a cost to you)
2. You are not allowed to exceed your inverter capacity by more than 25%. So if you have a 4kW inverter, you can't exceed 5kW of panels. That is apparently a new requirement by Western Power/Synergy.
3. Try to get the same make/model of panels as your existing unit. If you can't get it, try to keep it to the same wattage. So if you have 200W panels, try and get 200W panels. This is very important if you are connecting your old panels to the new panels. If your inverter has a spare MPPT tracker and the new panels are going to be installed on this tracker, then you can get whatever panels you feel like.

Fuck all you guys on 47c feed in. I'd be happy with 20c feed in. Bastards.

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Bush chook enthusiast

Just a heads up for those guys that don't know, with your solar systems apparently you can over power them to get more out of them. In a nut shell if its a 3kw system they generally only produce power at about 2.7kw so you can add another couple of panels to push the generated power up to a full 3kw and it's quite safe.

Has anyone actually done this or can shed any light on this overpowering of the system.

Cheers Luke

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Its all about the pink flaps

There is some good info on this on the Whirlpool forum.

A few months ago I tried to get Solargain to add a couple of panels to "overclock" my system (mostly to increase our winter output) but they wouldn't have a bar of it.

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A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.

I am getting mine upgraded. Install is in a couple of weeks or so. I am upgrading my 3.7kW worth of panels to 4.9kW. The inverter is a 4kW. You are only allowed to 25% more in panels than what your inverter is rated for. So a 4kW inverter can have 5kW worth of panels (according to Western Power/Synergy regulations)

If your panels generate more power than what your inverter can handle, it just clips and maxes at the maximum output of your inverter. If your inverter is a decent inverter, it should handle this happily. I have a SMA SunnyBoy 4000TL and the SMAs handle it fine. I would double check your own inverter with whoever you are thinking of handling your upgrade just to make sure. Andrew from Sustainabode is taking care of mine.

PS. There's a difference between exceeding rated power output of an inverter and exceeding the rated input voltage of an inverter. Your inverter won't like you if you exceed the rated input voltage.

Lol at 47c. I'm sitting on 54c feed in.

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Air is for pussies.

While all those without Solar Panels pay extra power prices so it can be redistributed to those with them

54c... Fucking hell. Must be making a killing in summer.

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Bush chook enthusiast