Power to the people

Power to the people

High up-front costs, complacency and cheap electricity are key factors in the slow take-up of solar power.

Australia is the largest per capita producer in the world of the greenhouse gases that are sending the world's climate spinning dangerously out of control. At nearly 27 tonnes a person each year that's twice the average of other OECD countries. One of the main causes is the coal-fired power stations dotted around the country that generate the electricity for our homes.

The sun also shines in Australia. A lot. In fact, in Sydney, we get an average of more than four hours of "peak sunlight" daily.


Put these two facts together and the case for solar begins to look irresistible, yet Australia still has a long way to go before catching up with world leaders such as Germany.

"The situation in Australia is ironic," says John Harrison of Australia-Wide Solar. "We get the most sunshine yet we burn the most coal."

The Salgado family is part of a small but growing number of households that are looking to the sun to provide at least some of their power. Eight-year-old Zofia Salgado is fascinated by the solar panels on her roof. "I told her they probably generate enough power to run the kitchen all year round," says mum Barbara Salgado. "She said, 'Wow! We have a sun kitchen!' She loves the thought of it being run off the sun."

And so do Zofia's parents, who had the 12-panel solar array fitted in August as part of a major renovation of their Bronte home. The total cost was about $18,000 and the system generates about a third of their requirements.

"If you've got the money, it's worth investing and supporting the solar market," Barbara says.

However, many within the Australian solar industry believe take-up is not growing quickly enough. Up-front costs, ignorance and complacency are all cited as reasons more of us aren't flicking the switch to sun power.

There are two distinct ways of harnessing the power of the sun for domestic use, which are often confused in the minds of consumers.

Firstly, there is the more common solar-powered hot water, which uses the heat of the sun either directly or indirectly to heat water. Secondly, there are photovoltaic cells, commonly known as solar panels, which convert sunlight into electricity that can be used to power lights and domestic appliances.

The amount of power produced is directly related to the area of the solar panels exposed to sunlight. For instance, the panels supplied by Australia-Wide Solar are 1600mm x 800mm and each generates 155 watts of power. On its own this is not a significant amount of power, but hook a group of panels together in an array and the power generated becomes substantial. Harrison's conservative estimate is that 10 155-watt panels will generate about six kilowatt hours a day.

"We try to get people to look at the reverse of their power bill where it generally gives your average daily usage," Harrison says. "Most houses, depending on what appliances they are using, consume between 15 and 30kwh a day. If you're running air-conditioning, heating hot water or cooking with electricity, it drives it up."

The power produced by the panels is in the form of direct current (DC), which has to be converted to alternating current (AC) to power most common household appliances.

Because solar power is generated only at certain times (and not at all at night), the challenge for all domestic solar systems is to ensure power is available all the time, not just when the sun shines.

Solar set-ups in remote areas where there is no mains power generally rely on a complicated and expensive battery system to store power. However, the solution for urban-dwelling solar users is much more ingenious. A grid-connected system is a solar set-up that is also connected to the electrical mains. During the day, when the sun is shining and most houses consume relatively little electricity, the excess power generated by the solar panels is "sold" to the electricity company.

"It's like having a little power station on your roof," Harrison says. "The real fun bit is when the meter spins backwards."

In the evening, when most households require a lot more electricity, the system takes its power from the grid, in effect using the grid as a giant "battery".The elegant simplicity of the system - especially the prospect of seeing the electricity meter running backwards - appeals to most people, however, the biggest hurdle is the up-front cost of the system.

A system that could provide between a third and a half of the average family's needs would cost about $16,000 after government rebates.

Home owners looking for an attractive "payback" period are bound to be disappointed when they realise the system would only pay for itself after decades of use at current electricity prices.

But this is an argument that frustrates Harrison, who argues that a solar system is a sound investment and a guarantee against future price rises in electricity.

"What we like about photo-voltaics is that because the life expectancy is so long, no one will not want to buy a house because it has solar panels on it whereas if you spend $60,000 on a swimming pool, half the population will love it and half will say, 'No, I don't want that house,'" he says.

The solar industry received a welcome boost in July 2004 when the Building Sustainability Index (BASIX) became mandatory for all new homes in the NSW. BASIX forces designers to incorporate energy and water-saving features into buildings.

The BASIX system has extended its reach - in July, the mandated energy savings will leap from 25 per cent to 40 per cent and, in October, the scheme will apply to renovations and additions.

To Harrison, this is commonsense. "You don't have to be a raging greenie," he says. "You just have to be practical."

Australia-Wide Solar, phone 9533 7444

In hot water

To Greg Harris, harnessing the sun to provide your hot water is a no-brainer.

But solar hot-water systems remain the exception in NSW, because many people are lulled into a false sense of security by the relatively low cost of off-peak power, says Harris, who owns Australian Solar and Air, Sydney.

"There's a myth that off-peak electric hot water heaters are some magical tariff that doesn't hurt the environment," he says. "The first thing I say to a customer on the phone is: 'Do you realise that 40 per cent of the energy you use in your home is for hot water?'

"People have been brainwashed about off-peak power. They think off-peak is not the dirty power they use during the day - but it's exactly the same."

Harris says a gas- or electric-boosted solar hot water system can easily cut a family's energy consumption by 70 per cent, which adds up to four tonnes less of carbon dioxide being pumped into the atmosphere annually.

There are many types of solar hot-water set-ups but they all have a means of "harvesting" the solar power to heat the water, a tank in which to store the water and a way of boosting the water to the correct temperature when there is not enough sun. Systems are generally boosted by electricity or gas.

Because there are so many different types of systems, prices vary markedly, but Harris says an average electric-boosted system for a four-person family costs about $3300. If an old electric system is replaced, the householder is also eligible for a rebate of about $800, bringing the cost down to $2500. Average installation costs are about $800.

Harris says the "payback" period for solar-powered hot water is about four years, after which the system has paid for itself. And with a lifespan of up to 30 years, solar hot water continues saving money, whereas a conventional system would last only about 10 years before needing renewal.

But still Harris is fighting an uphill battle to convince customers to make the switch - especially in the face of cheap off-peak power. "If we put up the cost of off-peak power, everybody would jump to solar tomorrow," he says.

Australian Solar and Air, phone 1800 600 100

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