StevieF8 Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 AUSTRALIANS put more household solar panel systems on their roofs than anyone else in the world last year, new data from the Clean Energy Regulator and the International Energy Agency show. The statistic astonished many in the solar industry, given Australia's small population compared with renewable energy market leaders such as European Union countries, China, Japan and the United States. About 392,500 new household solar systems were switched on last year. Australia still generates far less solar electricity than those countries, but the nation's preference for small, individual panels mounted on detached, owner-occupied suburban homes means a greater number of systems were actually installed. ''It took me by surprise that we were first, because Germany and Italy are so big,'' said Ric Brazzale, the president of the REC Agents Association, a body representing traders and creators of renewable energy certificates. ''Australian support for solar has had a lot of support at the residential level, and all political parties in the country have supported residential solar. Elsewhere in the world, most policy is geared towards much larger-scale commercial projects.'' Altogether, 785 megawatts of solar power was installed in Australia last year, virtually all in the form of small-scale panel systems on homes and businesses. This meant Australia just scraped in ahead of Japan and Germany, which deployed about 759 megawatts of small-scale solar power - although that represents only about 10 per cent of total German solar production. Similarly, in other big solar nations such as the US and China, government incentives emphasise big solar power plants, and only a small proportion of renewable energy comes from household rooftop panels. The end of generous state feed-in tariffs, such as the NSW Solar Bonus Scheme, had created a late rush to get panels on roofs, said Nigel Morris, the director of market analyst Solar Business Services. Mr Morris analysed the data, which was then scrutinised by others in the industry and found to be accurate, after cross-referencing with International Energy Agency figures for last year. ''In terms of total megawatts, Japan and Germany still beat us,'' he said. ''In Australia you have a combination of factors, but especially the renewable energy certificate system that's optimised for [rooftop solar] systems of 1.5 kilowatts. Our market is designed to favour small systems.'' Based on an average household size of 2.5 people, nearly 4 million Australians now live in a house or work in a business with solar panels on its roof. The amount of electricity generated by rooftop panels has increased almost tenfold between 2009 and 2011, and continues to grow despite rebates and tariffs being wound back. Altogether, renewable energy made up about 7 per cent of Australia's total electricity generation last year. Much of that came from hydroelectricity in the Snowy Mountains Scheme, the federal government's most recent Energy in Australia report shows. Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/energy-smart/australians-lead-in-fitting-solar-panels-on-homes-20120817-24dxd.html#ixzz24Ie6aqs0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 How do they fit them to the tin roofs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieF8 Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 How do they fit them to the tin roofs? Easily...and btw, they're steel rooves, I would have thought someone who worked on a building site, building these houses would know that? Oh and some are tiled.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Easily...and btw, they're steel rooves, I would have thought someone who worked on a building site, building these houses would know that? Oh and some are tiled.... [ATTACH=CONFIG]16297[/ATTACH] We always called them "tin roofs" in Oz.. oppps forgot you never worked in oz...sorry. cheap and nasty roofs BTW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieF8 Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 We always called them "tin roofs" in Oz.. oppps forgot you never worked in oz...sorry. cheap and nasty roofs BTW When have I ever said I never worked in Oz? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Ahhhh but ..... Per head per population, there's more solar panels fitted in a certain area of the UK, it is a micro climate area where the sun shines all year round, it's Stratford upon Avon, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 When have I ever said I never worked in Oz? on building sites? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 (edited) Ahhhh but ..... Per head per population, there's more solar panels fitted in a certain area of the UK, it is a micro climate area where the sun shines all year round, it's Stratford upon Avon, lol. Because Stratford is classed as one of the most historic towns in the world satellite dishes and solar panels are not allowed in many areas. Edited August 22, 2012 by Perthbum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieF8 Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 on building sites? When have I ever said I never worked on building sites? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieF8 Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 Because Stratford is classed as one of the most historic towns in the world satellite dishes and solar panels are not allowed in many areas. By who? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 When have I ever said I never worked on building sites? very poor. try harder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 We always called them "tin roofs" in Oz.. oppps forgot you never worked in oz...sorry. cheap and nasty roofs BTW Keep on track please. If you knew your roofs PB you would know that there are different qualities in steel and some are cheap, yes, but a lot are very expensive. We have clip lock and it was not cheap. You gets what you pay for. You may also know that it used to be law that to have a rain water tank you had to have a steel roof. Also you may know that plumbers are licensed to roof with steel and anyone who is not one can be fined in Vic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Keep on track please. If you knew your roofs PB you would know that there are different qualities in steel and some are cheap, yes, but a lot are very expensive. We have clip lock and it was not cheap. You gets what you pay for. You may also know that it used to be law that to have a rain water tank you had to have a steel roof. Also you may know that plumbers are licensed to roof with steel and anyone who is not one can be fined in Vic. Steel roofs are cheap and quick to install, thats why they use them so much in Oz, decent roofs are expensive, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Steel roofs are cheap and quick to install, thats why they use them so much in Oz, decent roofs are expensive, That is complete rubbish, steel roofs can be very very expensive depending on the gauge of the steel. Of course shonky builder use steel as thin as they can get away with. Steel roofs are better for insulation, heating and cooling, have you done the research into it. Tile and Brick retain the heat so in summer cooling costs will rise. Its also easier to have the panels on steel roofs, better water quality for water tanks etc. We have sixteen panels on our roof and we do not pay much for electricity at all as we live in Australia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieF8 Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 That is complete rubbish, steel roofs can be very very expensive depending on the gauge of the steel. Of course shonky builder use steel as thin as they can get away with. Steel roofs are better for insulation, heating and cooling, have you done the research into it. Tile and Brick retain the heat so in summer cooling costs will rise. Its also easier to have the panels on steel roofs, better water quality for water tanks etc. We have sixteen panels on our roof and we do not pay much for electricity at all as we live in Australia. Look who you're replying to..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 That is complete rubbish, steel roofs can be very very expensive depending on the gauge of the steel. Of course shonky builder use steel as thin as they can get away with. Steel roofs are better for insulation, heating and cooling, have you done the research into it. Tile and Brick retain the heat so in summer cooling costs will rise. Its also easier to have the panels on steel roofs, better water quality for water tanks etc. We have sixteen panels on our roof and we do not pay much for electricity at all as we live in Australia. Sorry you are wrong, a decent steel roof costs the fraction of a decent tiled roof in cost and man hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 That is complete rubbish, steel roofs can be very very expensive depending on the gauge of the steel. Of course shonky builder use steel as thin as they can get away with. The roofing material for metal roofs is generally more expensive per sq m than tiles and the like. However they are quicker (therefore cheaper) to install and you can have a much cheaper roof structure that holds up the roofing sheets as they weigh a lot less - about half what a tiled roof weighs. Steel roofs are better for insulation, heating and cooling, have you done the research into it. Tile and Brick retain the heat so in summer cooling costs will rise. Hmm, not really. Depends on the type of metal roof again, steel heats up quicker and will generally reach a higher temperature than clay or concrete tiles from radiant heat (sunlight). You can counteract this easily though with reflective coatings and pale colours. The actual heat energy stored in the metal roof is likely to be less as there is a lot less material. It doesn't really matter though, if you have insulation between the roof surface and the inside of the house - as you should have - the heat load from the roof is pretty much negligible in terms of internal temperature conditions Its also easier to have the panels on steel roofs, better water quality for water tanks etc. Definitely true. Shame about the restrictive trade licensing BS rearing its head again though! We have sixteen panels on our roof and we do not pay much for electricity at all as we live in Australia. Well done. I'm really pleased to see this news item, Australia has a perfect climate for PV panels as there are so many sunlight hours. If we ever get round to building we'll be having a metal roof with PV and solar water collectors, government grants or not. I like metal roofs a lot, we use them worldwide for all virtually all commercial buildings for good reasons. It's also worth pointing out they are the most durable and reliable material in terms of how long they last and how good they are at resisting leaks, hands down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieF8 Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 From a Oz Building Forum: I'm building with a medium project home company in Pennant Hills in Sydney. The standard contract price inculdes tiles from Monier, however I asked if I could have Colorbond. Is it reasonable that they wish to charge an additional $2920 for Colorbond? Friends of ours are having colourbond and they are paying more for it We've been quoted $7000 more for colourbond. Apparently the materials for colourbond are far cheaper - but the labour to install is far greater because of guttering work et cetera We recently finished building our house and had the same dilemma. We had to pay $5000 extra for colorbond My builder gives the choice of either for no cost differance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 From a Oz Building Forum: I'm building with a medium project home company in Pennant Hills in Sydney. The standard contract price inculdes tiles from Monier, however I asked if I could have Colorbond. Is it reasonable that they wish to charge an additional $2920 for Colorbond? Friends of ours are having colourbond and they are paying more for it We've been quoted $7000 more for colourbond. Apparently the materials for colourbond are far cheaper - but the labour to install is far greater because of guttering work et cetera We recently finished building our house and had the same dilemma. We had to pay $5000 extra for colorbond My builder gives the choice of either for no cost differance. Weird and not really credible. All roofs need gutters and installing metal roof sheets is way easier than laying tiles unless there are a million cuts The costs sound right/believable though. It's not a cheapo option Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AKA63029 Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 I must admit Stevie that there are a lot of solar panels in the UK, around my area anyway, which is surprising. And compared to thirty odd years ago when I first came out here there are a LOT in OZ, makes perfect sense in the long run. Make use of the earths assets as it were if you have the means. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus1 Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Our panels are being installed next week. Unfortunately due to the shape of the roof we can only fit enough panels on for a 2kw system but it all helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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