A developer of solar power systems in Australia predicts that solar energy will become less expensive compared to wind power in the coming years, which could further encourage more Australians to invest in solar photovoltaic panels.
Solar Power Cost Predicted to Drop
First Solar recently predicted that large-scale solar projects will comprise a bigger chunk of the clean energy capacity in the next few years. The solar power systems developer added that it foresees the costs of solar power to drop significantly by the turn of the new decade.
Despite the cynicism from the Abbott government, the renewable energy sector in Australia has remained robust with investments from the private sector continuing to come in. The country, which used to be a global leader in renewable energy research and development, remains an attractive market to many solar system power companies because of its steady exposure to solar radiation.
Trust Mark
Given the positive projections on Australia’s solar industry, the Australian Solar Council recently launched a new trust mark that is expected to become the industry standard. The move is also in response to the rapid increase of photovoltaic cells in the country. To date, more than 1.25 million households in Australia have solar panels.
Australian Solar Council chief executive John Grimes recently said that the new trust mark would become the standard for government buyers. Under the program, solar panels will be scrutinized to ensure that these are made of high quality materials and underwent required production processes.
Grimes said that part of the trust mark initiative will ensure that solar panels are checked and tested, and that only those that will meet the Australian standards will be certified under the council’s positive quality program.
The official added that another incentive of this initiative is that it would reduce the costs of product assessments which are often pointed as a reason why some government buyers inhibit in the purchasing of panels.
Buyer’s Guide
With the positive forecasts on the solar power sector, more consumers will be interested in buying a solar system panel for their homes. Experts suggest that consumers should browse and read a buyers’ guide in purchasing solar power systems. This would help them understand how solar power systems work and more importantly find a good deal.
Solar power systems are composed of three components— solar panels, solar inverters, and mounting system. Solar panels are the most important of three. Solar panels would depend on the energy needs of the house, with the capacity of the panel in producing electricity identified by figures like 190watts. This figure represents the power output of the panel.
Solar inverter is the component that converts the captured solar power to electricity. An optional feature of this component is the ability of tracking the energy produced by the panels, enabling owners to see if the solar panel system is operating efficiently.
The third component is the mounting system which allows the solar panel to be installed on the rooftop. Experts suggest that consumers must be familiar with the type of material used in their roof so they can buy a mounting system that matches with it.
