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ShineHub offer ‘fixed rate, free access’ solar.

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A company named ShineHub has released a ‘fixed rate, free access’ contract Australia wide (except NT and Tasmania) where users can have solar+storage installed for free. The trial program will be for 1,000 contracts and will be expanded in the future. 

ShineHub’s fixed price solar service.

Shinehub Fixed Price Solar
Shinehub Fixed Price Solar (source: shinehub.com.au)

ShineHub’s contract means that they actually own the system and are responsible for the maintenance of it. The contracts run for 20 years and lock the customer into a 20 year contract to buy the electricity the system produces. According to the team the cost of an average system ShineHub will install is $15,000, so that’s quite a big saving if you’re not able to stump up for the system upfront.

“This is the first contract of its kind available to residential homes across Australia for a solar and battery package,” ShineHub co-founder Alex Georgiou told news.com.au in an interview.

“This provides a simple way to purchase (a system) and everything is taken care of. There are no additional fees, we’ve taken the uncertainty out,” Mr Georgiou said.

“It’s a very easy way for consumers to get what they want, without getting scared off by either the cost or the reliability.”

The program could be particularly good for landlords who don’t want to stump up the fairly sizeable upfront cost to install solar+storage but want to help their tenants enjoy the reduced electricity prices having solar panels can bring. We’ve written fairly extensively about the difficulty of installing solar power for renters – perhaps ideas like ShineHub could be a step in the right direction so they’re able to  enjoy some stability with regards to their electricity bill.

Some more information about the service:

  • Installation will be in July this year.
  • You can buy out the system at a discounted rate. If you want to sell your house it’s possible to transfer the ShineHub contract to a new owner.
  • You’ll remain connected to the grid and will have to pay the ongoing access fee for it.
  • They’ll use Bloomberg rated Tier 1 solar panels from Longi, Alpha ESS’s SMILE5 hybrid inverter and battery system.
  • ShineHub are partnered with 85 certified solar companies in Australia to help deliver their idea. 

If you’re interested in applying for one of the ShineHub systems, you can contact them for a consultation to see if you’re eligible. 

As per news.com.au, the average electricity rates and ShineHub prices are listed below.

NSW:

  • Highest price is: $0.39/kWh
  • Average rate is: $0.24/kWh
  • Price starts at: $0.18/kWh
  • Typical savings bracket: 20 per cent to 35 per cent.

VIC:

  • Highest price is: $0.34/kWh
  • Average rate is: $0.21/kWh
  • Price starts at: $0.18/kWh
  • Typical savings bracket: 14 per cent to 30 per cent.

SA:

  • Highest price is: $0.47/kWh
  • Average rate is: $0.35/kWh
  • Price starts at: $0.18/kWh
  • Typical savings bracket: 35 per cent to 50 per cent.

QLD:

  • Highest price is: $0.35/kWh
  • Average rate is: $0.22/kWh
  • Price starts at: $0.18/kWh
  • Typical savings bracket: 18 per cent to 30 per cent.

WA:

  • Highest price is: $0.26/kWh
  • Average rate is: $0.26/kWh
  • Price starts at: $0.18/kWh
  • Typical savings bracket: Around 30 per cent.

 

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The first solar powered house in Australia.

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The ABC recently ran an article about the first solar powered house in Australia, the ‘Bos house’ – which was constructed in Victoria 40 years ago. A TV documentary ‘Breakthroughts’ called the house “the first totally energy-independent modern home in the world”.

The first solar powered house in Australia

The first solar powered house in Australia
Solar gate at the Bos’ – the first solar powered house in Australia (source: ABC)

Judy and Michael Bos have a house on a four hectare block at Pearcedale, in south-east Melbourne. They wanted a house which had as much natural insulation as possible so that it would be naturally cool in summer and warm in winter. It was build in 1978 after ‘lengthy consultation’ with architects and investigating other houses:

“We went into other houses, we found that their heating was blasting away and we didn’t need the heat, because the house stays the same temperature all the time,” Judy Bos told the ABC in an interview.

The north-facing side of the Bos’ home is 98% glass, which means it absorbs as much warmth from the sun as possible. If it’s a hot day they have louvres throughout the house to control sunlight. Wind turbines power a dam pump and a 37,000 litre rainwater tank. 

“It was the first house that we knew of that was running exclusively on solar power,” said Michael Harris, who ran tours of the eco-friendly property in the 1980s.

“Back in the 1980s people were very interested in being self-sufficient and being off the grid, and it was very difficult to do.

“The only option you had was to have a clunky, noisy generator in the back shed.”

The Bos’ property was different – where it has a string of polycrystalline celled solar panels to charge a cupboard full of lead acid solar batteries. According to the ABC, solar panels are now 15x more powerful than when the Bos’ place was constructed, and they’re also much, much cheaper. 

The (now sold) house was a labor of love and quite far ahead of its time and the Bos’ say that anyone wanting to follow in their footsteps will find it easy in 2018:

“This is a very old-fashioned solar house,” Ms Bos said.

“We had to deal with what was available at the time … but now there are all sorts of materials that can be used.

“It doesn’t cost any more to put the windows in the right places and to use the right materials, and in the long run you win.”

We’re expecting solar battery installation to increase quite substantially over the coming few years as the technology continues to improve and the cost decreases.  

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Fronius Inverters / Solar Batteries Australia

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Fronius (website here) were founded in 1992 and they have over 70 years of experience in battery charging technology, as well as creating their first inverter in 1995. Also known as Fronius Solar Energy, they are an Austrian based company who, in 2017, have a range of highly recommended and well performing inverters, solar batteries, and intelligent energy management software through their Solar.Web system.

Let’s have a look at some of their range and discuss how you can order Fronius products in Australia.

Fronius Inverter Product Range

Fronius Primo Inverter
Fronius Primo Inverter

Fronius stock a range of inverters for every power category – from 1.5kW – 27kW, depending on the size of your PV solar array. According to international sales director Adrian Noronho to EcoGeneration, the biggest seller in Australia is the Primo series for single-phase residential systems – and they sell over 4,500 of these units per month. Their inverter range includes:

  • Fronius Galvo / Galvo UL (SnapINverter )
  • Fronius Primo / Primo UL – this has been specially developed for private households wanting from 3.8 – 15kW – it’s a single phase, transformerless device that connects to WiFi via WLAn, has a SuperFlex design, and includes the super simple SnapINverter mounting system. The primo also has two MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) controllers.
  • Fronius Symo / Symo UL / Symo Hybrid
  • Fronius Eco

The Solar.web App works on iPhone and Android so you can see how it analyses your consumption patterns, optimises your energy usage and manages how your surplus energy is stored.

Fronius Solar Battery Australia

Fronius Solar Battery
Fronius Solar Battery

Fronius also manufacture a lithium-iron phosphate solar battery which comes in 6 different sizes – 4.5, 6.0, 7.5, 9.0, 10.5, 12   (usable capacity 3.6kWh to 9.6kWh)

The batteries are rated for 8000 cycles and over 20 years long service life at an ambient temperature of 22°C. Please note that they are only IP20 weather rated so these are indoor batteries – no matter which capacity you choose they all have the same dimensions (955mm high x 570mm wide x 611mm deep) – the weight ranges from 91kg for the 3.6kWh battery to 176kg for the 9.6kWh.

Voltage range, nominal charging power, nomimal discharge power, and max charging/discharge current will vary depending on the product chosen so please double check this will be suitable for your installation before purchasing.

The inverter/battery combo is able to be DC or AC coupled using their Multi Flow Technology- so it’s suitable for grid or offgrid solutions.

If you’re not 100% sold on which brand you’d like it’d also be worthwhile checking out our solar battery comparison where you can learn more about the various other products on the market.

Fronius Energy Management

If you want to optimise an existing PV system using ‘Intelligent Energy Management’ is a great choice – its ‘Solar.Web’ monitors household energy and optimises usage based on patterns of usage. Watch the video below to learn more and feel free to contact us if you want to get the best quote for this system.

Warranty Levels

You can choose between two levels of warranty: a ‘warranty extension’ which means parts will be replaced but the user will have to pay for labour, and the ‘warranty extension plus’, which is like comprehensive insurance for your car – where, if a claim is made, in additional to all replacement parts, labour costs for transporting, removing and installing the replacements is also covered.

Please note that these warranty terms can differ depending on the country and region – we have attached the Australian/New Zealand Terms and Conditions updated as per 31.08.17.

Warranty Terms and Conditions – Australia and New Zealand

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Solar Cell Windows for sale in Asia

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Some amazing technology out of Asia pioneered by Asahi Glass has windows with solar cells embedded in them being offered to the global market. These solar cell windows will be marketed to developers worldwide, with a focus on Australia and Oceania.

Asahi Glass Solar Cell Windows

This technology isn’t new (it has been offered to the Japanese market since 2000), but is experiencing a resurgence as Asahi are preparing the product for export. The windows will be offered for developers to implement as part of construction packages in order to help meet Asia’s rapidly growing renewable power needs.

The solar cell windows can generate 2-4 watt hours per square 15.6cm per side, depending on design. The plan is to sell Sunjoule to construction projects in Australia and the rest of Oceania – they’ve already installed in Cambodia, Singapore, and Hong Kong where they have set up shop to target European and US property developers who want to add unique and eco-friendly functionality to their building designs. They also plan to start producing these energy-conserving solar cell windows/glass in 2018 in Indonesia, according to Nikkei.com. Here’s an article from Inhabitat talking about the ‘nanosolar‘ thin and flexible solar cell coating which is utilised in the panels.

About Asahi

Asahi Glass Co Solar Cell Windows Australia
Asahi Glass Co Solar Cell Windows

Asahi are a global glass manufacturing company who offer myriad products such as heated windshields and 3d curved cover glass for car mounted displays. They turned over $12.8 billion USD in the 2013 financial year and have 51,500 consolidated employees so they are a major player in the industry. According to Wikipedia they are one of the largest flat glass producing companies in the world.

Asahi India Glass Ltd. (AIS) – who are an Indian affiliate of the company – also offer a mobile app called ‘AIS – World Of Glass’ for end users and partners to gain a deeper insight and experience into their portfolio of glass offerings. Click here for iOS and here for Android if you’d like to give it a try!  We’ll be interested to see how much the solar panel technology increases over the coming months and years and how Asahi are able to improve and enhance their offering – solar cell windows are a great innovation and it’ll be interesting to see how quickly the technology is picked up worldwide and how competitors react to this product.

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A Guide to SPPA (Solar Power Purchase Agreements) in Queensland

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What is a Solar Power Purchase Agreement (SPPA)?

A Solar Power Purchase Agreement (SPPA) refers to a fixed-time financial agreement where a third-party developer (e.g. a company like Infinite Energy, Horan and Bird, or EnergyAustralia) owns, operates, and maintains a Solar PV (photovoltaic) system at your residence (this can be at a house or a business). The customer agrees to house the solar system and then proceeds to buy the energy directly from the provider for a fixed period of time.

This financial arrangement allows the host customer to receive stable and, as a general rule, lower-cost electricity. There are also myriad benefits for the solar services provider in the form of incentives such as tax credits and also income generated from the sale of the electricity.

SPPA Explained
SPPA Explained – Adapted from Rahus Institute’s “The Customer’s Guide to Solar Power Purchase Agreements” (2008).

Private/Public SPPAs in Queensland

As all states are moving at their own pace with regards to renewables and the progress differs significantly, it’ll be interesting to see how the SPPA (solar power purchase agreement) in Queensland works in other states – and how long it takes before we see locations across Australia offering a similar scheme. These generally result in a kwh decrease of almost 50% (on an average SPPA in March 2017 you’ll pay ~13c / kWh compared to ~25c / kWh directly from retailers).

Mark Baily (QLD Energy Minister)  advised at the Solar 2015 Melbourne conference that the QLD Government remain committed to generating 50% of their energy from renewables by 2030.  To achieve these goals the Queensland Government have been offering both residents and developers generous incentives on Solar Power Purchase Agreements (SPPA).

SPPAs have been effective in other countries (such as America) and we’re confident

If you’re considering – keep in mind that these are only available in some areas of Queensland right now

How does an SPPA work in Queensland?

SPPA Queensland
Solar PPA (SPPA) in Queensland Explained (Image from InfiniteEnergy)

This image from InfiniteEnergy shows the basic steps one would undertake when starting an SPPA with them. This can vary from provider to provider but generally you can expect:

  • No (or minor) upfront capital costs
  • No operational risks (Provider is responsible for maintenance)
  • Substantial decrease in cost of electricity.
  • Potentially increased value of your building.
  • Possibility to ‘lock in’ electricity rates for a set period (like a fixed home loan – depending on supplier)

Send us a message if you’re located in Queensland and have any questions or you want to get started with an SPPA – we’ll be able to put you in touch with some recommended suppliers.

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