How much do solar panels cost?
The cost of solar power systems
As you would expect this will vary based on several factors. Technology is moving fast and solar panels become more efficient every year. Most new panels manufactured are now ‘N’ type as opposed to the older ‘P’ type. Despite all the improvements the price has continuously reduced over time.
The Australian Government subsidy scheme (known as STC’s) was introduced approximately eight years ago and was designed to run for 15 years gradually reducing every January 1st until it runs out in seven years. This leads to a small increase in price of panels every January 1st and is used by salespeople as a great trick to pressure quick sign ups in December of each year.
In reality the panel prices reduce a little every year and it makes no real difference to the system prices. Don’t be pressured into signing – always get three quotes.
This is a rough idea based on current prices for Solar Systems.
A basic 3 bedroom house with 4 people and normal power usage typically uses around 21.355 kWh/day. However, these numbers give a general idea only and don’t consider specific things that can make your household use more electricity such as clothes dryers and air conditioning.
This would require a minimum of a 6.6kw system , around 16 panels $5,500 – $9,000
Solar System Rebates for Qld
The solar rebate is based on how many panels you have. You are allowed to add panels over and above the inverter capacity (up to 33% more). This means that if you have a 5kW inverter, the rebate covers most of the cost of adding an additional 1.6kW to bring it up to 6.6kW total.
To find out the current rebates for QLD you can visit the government website here