Generating Electricity

What is PV?
Sometimes known as Solar Electric, PV is short for photovoltaics (photo meaning light, voltaics meaning electricity). PV is a semiconductor-based technology used to convert light energy into direct current (DC) electricity and uses no moving parts, consumes no conventional fuels and creates no pollution.  Solar PV panels on your house can not only generate cost efficient electricity for your home, but also help in protecting our planet significantly reducing CO2 emissions. 
Will Solar PV Panels heat my hot water?
No. PV solar panels provide electricity. Solar hot water systems use a different method to capture energy from the sun. See separate questions about solar hot water.
What happens with Grid Connect systems during a blackout?
Under the Australian Standards, the inverter will automatically shut itself off within a few milliseconds of a blackout, to prevent back feeding the grid and potentially creating a hazedous situation for service staff working on the electricity lines.
Will I receive payment from my electricity company for the Kilowatt-hours that my solar panels put into the grid?
Electricity providers will not make actual payments, but your electricity provider will provide credits against your current or next applicable bill for Kilowatt-hours generated. Your electricity meter will keep track of how much electricity you export to the grid on sunny days and how much electricity you import from the grid when your household is using more energy than your solar panels can provide at the time.
What happens when my PV solar panels do not generate enough power for my needs?
Your solar PV panels will be connected in a way that makes them your property’s first source of power. If your energy demand exceeds the solar panel’s output at any given moment (for example at night or if you have an unusually large number of appliances running simultaneously), your system will automatically draw down the additional required energy from the public electricity grid.

Solar Hot Water

What is solar hot water?
Solar hot water systems utilise the sun's energy to heat water and, depending on your climate, can provide up to 90% of your hot water for free using the sun's energy. A solar hot water system usually consists of a solar collector located on the roof of your home, (facing north to heat your water), and an insulated storage tank to store your hot water. To ensure the provision of sufficient hot water on cloudy days or when demand exceeds supply, most solar water heaters come with a gas or electric booster.
Are there different types of solar hot water collector panels?
Yes. There are two main types of collectors: Flat Plate Collectors (great for when your storage tank is also mounted on or in your roof), and Evacuated Tube collectors (great for frost prone regions).
How quickly will my solar hot water system repay my investment?
Depending on the climate in your region, solar hot water systems can provide up to 90% of your hot water for free using the sun's energy. So you will be contributing to greenhouse gas savings from day one. How quickly your energy savings will repay your initial investment depends on the type of system you install, and how sunny your region is, and how much hot water your household uses. Generally, solar hot water solutions will recoup the investment more quickly in larger households.
What is the difference between a flat plate and an evacuated tube solar hot water collector panel?
These two different types of collector panels both capture energy from the sun to heat hot water, but they do this in different ways. Flat plate collectors work on copper pipes running through a glass covered collector which gets hot as the sun shines on it. The hot water is circulated through the copper pipes to the tank for storage via a small pump. Evacuated tube collectors use a glass tube with a vacuum inside it and copper pipes running through the centre. The copper pipes are all connected to a common manifold which is then connected to a circulatio pump which pumps water to a storage tank below, thus heating the hot water during the day. Because of the pump the storage tank can be further away from the collector panel.
What happens if my solar hot water system doesn’t produce enough hot water?
To provide hot water on cloudy days or when demand exceeds supply, solar water heaters come with a gas or electric booster to ensure that you always have enough hot water to meet your household’s needs. A gas booster produces less greenhouse gas emissions.