How do solar panels work?
Instead of buying your power from the grid, you get it directly from your own power source: the sun. The solar panels on your roof generate electricity during daylight hours, which you get to use for free. Any additional electricity that’s not used by your home is then fed back into the grid.
At night, you will draw power from the grid, as you always have. Or, if you have solar battery storage, you can use this stored energy at night when your solar panels aren’t active. But because your electricity-hungry appliances were running mostly during the day (washing machine, dishwasher, pool pump, air con, electric vehicle, dryers, this list goes on), you’ll find your electricity bill will drop dramatically.
Our Solar Panels
REC Alpha Pure R panels
Product Features:
- Premium panel technology that’s won the recent InterSolar Award and been a top performer in the PVEL Awards for 6 years in a row.
- REC’s heterojunction technology means that there’s more solar generation when the sun is at its strongest.
- With a panel efficiency of 22.2%, they’re one of the most efficient panels in the world, meaning you generate more power from your roof due to higher power density.
Product Warranty:
A 25 year performance, 25 year product and 25 year labour warranty is provided with REC (ie. the company will pay us to fix or replace any faulty panels).
Product Characteristics
- REC Alpha Pure R panels use N-type silicon, which degrades considerably slower than conventional panels, which use P-type silicon.
- The Alpha Pure R panels have an excellent temperature coefficient of .26%, which is one of the best of any panel in the world. This means that for every degree above 25°, the panels only reduce in performance by .26%.
- Being all-black, they’re one of the more aesthetically-pleasing panels available.
JInko ‘Tiger’ panels
Product Features:
- Jinko has an above-average efficiency (21.74%) compared to conventional panels, allowing you to produce more power and achieve a larger system size using the same amount of roof space.
- On low-light days and on very hot days, they will produce more power than conventional panels, due to Jinko’s use of higher grade N-type silicon in their ‘Tiger’ panels, which have one of the best temperature co-efficient ratings on the market. This means you get superior performance in all weather conditions.
Product Warranty:
30 year performance warranty and 25 product warranty.
Product Characteristics
- Jinko offers a longer warranty (30 years performance warranty and 25 product warranty) than most conventional panels.
- It comes with the highest guarantee against salt/corrosion (Grade 6)
Jinko ‘Tiger’ panels offer higher efficiency (21.74%) than most conventional panels, allowing you to produce more power and achieve a larger system size using the same amount of roof space. - The ‘Tiger’ range uses a higher grade of silicon (N-type), which means their panels degrade slower than standard panels (Jinko’s performance warranty guarantees that their panels will still produce a minimum of 87.4% of their original output after 30 years).
- With one of the best temperature co-efficient ratings on the market, you’ll find you’ll get superior performance in all weather conditions, especially in the height of summer.
- One of the largest panel manufacturers in the world, Jinko is likely to be around over the long-term.
How does a solar panel system work?
A solar panel system uses sunlight to generate electricity that you can use to power your home. Here’s how it works:
- The sun’s light (photons) is absorbed by the solar panel.
- The silicon and conductors in the panel convert the light into Direct Current (DC) electricity which then flows to the solar inverter.
- The inverter converts the Direct Current (DC) into Alternate Current (AC) which you can use in your home or business.
- Any additional electricity that’s not used is then fed back to the grid (where you get paid) or stored in a solar battery for you to use at a later time.
- When you need more power than your solar system can produce (or that’s stored in your battery), you simply draw this from the grid.
Do solar panels work on cloudy days?
Solar panels still work on low-light, overcast, cloudy days. They just don’t produce as much electricity as they do on bright, sunny days. Where possible, follow the sun and use heavy-duty appliances on bright sunny days.
How to get the most out of your solar panel system
- Invest in high-performance components.
- Oversize your solar system a little to allow for low-light/overcast days.
- Whenever possible, run your high-consuming appliances during the day when the sun is directly hitting your solar panels, or if you’re not home, use delayed start features or timers, making the most of free electricity. You can also buy clever devices called ‘smart relays’ which allow appliances to ramp up or down, depending on whether there’s enough free energy to only power them from the sun.
- Negotiate a Solar Feed-In Tariff with an energy retailer. We can guide you on which retailers have the best solar deals.
We make installing solar easy
We’re a bit different from your average solar company. For us, it’s not about making a quick sale; it’s about helping you get the right system for your needs.