By Evolution Solar Sunshine Coast

5th December 2012

With the multiplier being slashed at the end of the year, the solar power industry has become a mad rush of people trying to capitalize on the savings and install solar power before the end of December 2012. To help put customers mind at ease Power-one have increased their warranty on all Aurora inverters throughout December.

Power-One have announced that they will be offering an EXTRA 5 year warranty on all Aurora inverters in December 2012. This brings the total standard inverter warranty for the month of December to 10 years. It is always quite a long, tiring process to deal with warranty claims but not when you deal with a company like Power-One. In the rare, unfortunate event that a Power-One inverter is experiencing problems, they announced that they would send out a replacement unit for a faulty one within 2 days of completion of the necessary paperwork, guaranteeing a speedy solution to any warranty issue.

If that wasn’t enough to cement our confidence in their product, Power-One has now become the second largest provider of solar inverters in the world. With over 40 years experience, their focus is on high-efficiency and green power – they provide quality products built to last. Their Aurora inverters are compact, lightweight and easy to install. They use high speed Maximum Power Point Trackers (MMPT) enabling them to produce real-time power tracking and improved energy harvesting. Certain models transformerless or include dual input sections enabling them to process two strings of solar panels independently. With efficiency ratings of up to 97%, the Aurora range is superior in quality, reliability and pedigree.

It has previously been said that this cut in the solar credits mechanism creates the opportunity to rush and make expensive mistakes. The increase in warranty of Power-One Aurora products shows confidence and helps point customers in the direction of quality.

By Evolution Solar Sunshine Coast

The Clean Energy Council (CEC) has released its Solar Power Australia 2011-12 report showing statistics of Australia’s use of solar power. With 17% of suitable houses installing solar panels, double that of 2010, Australia now has 3.2% of all electricity generation coming from solar power installations.

The report has smashed the myth that solar power is for the rich saying that more than half of solar power customers earn less than $100 000 per annum and even more than a quarter of customers earn less than $65 000 per annum. The Australian Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics (BREE) say by 2030, solar PV is like likely to be the cheapest for of energy generation available. Solar is available to a wide range of communities around Australia with many choosing to invest in the industry. The highest earning suburbs do not represent the highest uptake of solar power further dispelling the myth that solar power is for the rich.

The report also acknowledges that the high exchange rate has helped bring the price of solar panels and components down but should not be taken for granted as circumstances can change in the blink of an eye. In 2009 we saw solar prices skyrocket when the Australian dollar crashed, drastically increasing the payback period of solar power systems.

In 2011, $5b was invested in the solar industry and 15 500 people were directly or indirectly employed in the industry. 859MW of solar PV was installed with a total accumulative capacity of 1.29GW – 95% of this was residential sales.

Solar power has never been more affordable than it is today and it will become, if it is not already, the most cost effective way to generate power.

The full report is available to Clean Energy Council Members on their website.