Does anyone have a dedicated solar panel set up for their herp collection????

[reptalica]

As per my subject heading was wondering if anyone on here has a dedicated solar panel system for their herp collection. Given some of us here have some relatively large collections it would seem cost effective to go down this path.

Or do u run an alternative power source. And no not the sun for you people in the sunny states. Not fair!

I am looking at this option.

May prove just as cheap to do the whole house anyways which I think is around 5-7 panels.

Thoughts? Ideas?

 

[pinefamily]

We have recently gotten back into reptiles, and Are curious to see how much difference three tanks and 1 click clack will make to our bill. Currently we get a credit each quarter from our 18 panel system.

 

[congo_python]

Interested?/

 

[Moreliavridis]

You would struggle to fit a system on a house to sufficiently run a herp room of a large size. If you did have the room you'd be looking at over 30k to have a system to run a herp of a large size.
Basically the only option you would have is a grid connect system to help offset your power cost. Which you's be looking to be out of pocket around 2k depending on the system size.

5 panels is around a 2Kw system which is what most grid connect systems are. A stand alone solar which makes you "off the grid" generally requires a large amount of panels and batteries.
Grid connect systems are great (depending on which state and what rebates/tariffs are available) so you will definately reduce you power bill by installing one.

 

[gozz]

I have a 10 kw system going great so far ,my collection isnt massive around 200 animals ATM

 

[thesilverbeast]

We have a system that cost us around 40k on our roof. Theres quite a few panels and to my knowledge it makes a difference to the bill, but doesn't cut it down completely. I think we worked out that over the last two years we've saved around $2,000.

Having said that our bills are always massive because we aren't connected to any services. Our water is supplied by a pump on a tank and everything is electric like cooking, water heating, house heating etc.

 

[lizardwhisperer]

We have a system that cost us around 40k on our roof. Theres quite a few panels and to my knowledge it makes a difference to the bill, but doesn't cut it down completely. I think we worked out that over the last two years we've saved around $2,000.

Having said that our bills are always massive because we aren't connected to any services. Our water is supplied by a pump on a tank and everything is electric like cooking, water heating, house heating etc.

That's a huge investment and a terrible payback rate ( 40 year payback ! so if you were in business you'd never give it the go ahead as a project ) . .

I'd like one day to put a 3 kW system w/storage on my detached unpowered double garage and maybe a 10 kW system w/storage on the house to become more self dependent but at the cost of panels and their current efficiency I wont be doing this soon. I do however keep abreast of how the technology is developing and eventually the efficiency will improve (more W / m-squared) and the price per m-squared of panels will fall dramatically as the Indian's and Chinese get going on mass producing them - just like everything else.

When the payback reaches 2 or 3 years I'll be interested.

 

[Snowman]

Most panels have a life of 10 years. Each year they get less and less efficient.

 

[reptalica]

Most panels have a life of 10 years. Each year they get less and less efficient.

Geeze mate you'd hope they'd improve the efficiency and longevity of these things. Most are chinese made I'm led to believe.

 

[Moreliavridis]

Most panels have a life of 10 years. Each year they get less and less efficient.

Not to mention it takes more power to make a solar panel than that solar panel will ever produce in it life span.

The other down fall of solar is that the system will run at the lest efficient out put panel. So if you have shade across one panel all the panels on that string will run at the panels Wattage, or if you north roof will on fit say 2 panels out say 6 and you put the remaining 4 on the west, the 2 panels on the north will be running at the same output as the west. People thought that having the two panels on the north would boost the efficiency of that system wen in actual fact it did nothing but cost them more for installation.
I'd often got to jobs and talk people out of buying the system due to shading issues, some would listen, some wouldn't then in a year I'd get a phone call saying that the solar wasn't working.

 

[geckoman1985]

I've often thought about this it Venice to know that keeping my reptile was not contributing to the potential demise of all others I am mad keen about the weather here in aus and ha e been for long time so I know that we are causing the planit to warm. The question is this i would pay extra for more efficient power sepoy but as I live in my mum and dads house i really can't get them to change who we get power from I do how ever try to run stuff only when needed. To this day I never lost reptiles due to cold weather the same can not be sead for them getting to hot last year singleton in nsw got fave days of extremely hot weather and I did loose some southern leaf gex from it. My dad shed were I keep my reptile is insulated and has aircon. Of witch the air con at the high temps we experienced did not cope well.
as for winter here it cold very cold as you may not be ware I'm from Queensland on the central coats were I had nt heat for my reptiles up there most of the year.
we try so hard to make shoure there environment is kept right.i think we all as a whole should be doing something towards clean energy. Many one day I might be able to adored to my my reptile 100% running on clean energy but at this point it is far to expensive who knows many my mum and dad might change to solar power one day.
In the mean time I will use as little as possible energy to keep my reptiles ok

 

[andynic07]

You would struggle to fit a system on a house to sufficiently run a herp room of a large size. If you did have the room you'd be looking at over 30k to have a system to run a herp of a large size.
Basically the only option you would have is a grid connect system to help offset your power cost. Which you's be looking to be out of pocket around 2k depending on the system size.

5 panels is around a 2Kw system which is what most grid connect systems are. A stand alone solar which makes you "off the grid" generally requires a large amount of panels and batteries.
Grid connect systems are great (depending on which state and what rebates/tariffs are available) so you will definately reduce you power bill by installing one.

I am not sure what setups there is in NSW but up here in Queensland I have heard of 30 KW systems, my mate has three of them on his hobby farm making him more money than the cattle he raises. It is quite common to have 5 KW systems also on a lot of houses. We have just changed legislation making only 5 KW systems and smaller eligible for the solar by back scheme which is now 8 c/KWH as opposed to the 50c/KWH originally given for solar connections. The high by back price was the cause for the larger 30 KW systems. Now people are more trying to match their solar system to the amount they use during the day to offset the 27c/KWH they are paying for the day tariff.

 

[Moreliavridis]

I am not sure what setups there is in NSW but up here in Queensland I have heard of 30 KW systems, my mate has three of them on his hobby farm making him more money than the cattle he raises. It is quite common to have 5 KW systems also on a lot of houses. We have just changed legislation making only 5 KW systems and smaller eligible for the solar by back scheme which is now 8 c/KWH as opposed to the 50c/KWH originally given for solar connections. The high by back price was the cause for the larger 30 KW systems. Now people are more trying to match their solar system to the amount they use during the day to offset the 27c/KWH they are paying for the day tariff.

It was the same in NSW when it was first jntroduced it was 60c/KWH on a gross tariff so everything you produced you got paid 60c/KWH. So when I first came out it was good and you would make money back. Now it's a nett tariff so you use the solar power first and any excess power gets fed back into the grid which you get paid anywhere from 4c/KWH up to around 8cKWH depending on what company. So the return is quiet small now.

 

[andynic07]

The problem with solar power if you are trying to use if save the environment is whilst you are still connected to the grid the power generators have to run at a capacity to supply your power anyway because solar can not be relied on. What this means is the same amount of carbon is produced by the power stations and then you have the extra carbon produced by making and shipping the solar system all the way around the world. Also with solar they are not at their full efficiency until the sun is directly above the panel and also over time the panel gets dirty and will not let 100% of the available sun through to produce power.

 

[Snowman]

I remember seeing very dangerous pictures of people stealing power when I was an apprentice. I bet it's even more common now. The cost of electricity in Australia is crazy.

 

[Moreliavridis]

I've seen them aswell snowman and also seen some of the stuff people are doing around Sydney.

 

[reptalica]

Don't blame me I need to "jump" power to run my "hydroponics" set-up.

 

[andynic07]

Don't blame me I need to "jump" power to run my "hydroponics" set-up.

Funny that you say that, it is more the people stealing power that get caught for that and the hydroponics set up found after that than people getting caught for the drugs followed by getting caught for the power.