Solar power installs at record levels

On 30 June, the Federal Government incentive allowances for solar panel installations will be reduced. According to O’Donnell Griffin National Service Manager, Andrew Cross, this change has spurred a rush in consumers requesting to have solar panels installed ahead of the drop.

“Consumers have realised the systems needed to be installed, not just ordered, by this date,” Cross said. “This could mean savings of $1200 on a 1.5 kW system.

“The latest figures from the Clean Energy Council 2010 Report found that more domestic solar power was added to the Australian power grid in the first nine months of last year than the sum total previously installed to date in the country.

The report said there is now more than 10 times the amount of solar power installed in Australia than at the end of 2008. Australia installed 301 MW of electricity from domestic solar panels from January to October 2010.

An extract from the Clean Energy Council report states: “Governments of all levels have vastly underestimated the Australian public’s appetite for solar power over the past 18 months - and the uptake of the systems under a range of different incentives. In the absence of an emissions trading scheme, everyday Australians are investing in solar power to respond to climate change and to combat rising electricity bills.”

For national rooftop solar panels installer O’Donnell Griffin, which installs on behalf of Origin Energy, these figures coincide with its own milestone of now completing more than 10,000 installations of the systems in Australian homes over the past two years.

“It’s a figure which will get a boost in the first six months of 2011 as domestic customers rush to have systems installed before June 30 this year when the government’s current multiplier (financial incentive for each customer) is reduced significantly,” says Cross. “The strong domestic demand for solar PV systems in Australia will certainly provide momentum for the uptake of solar PV in commercial markets. At O’Donnell Griffin, we have been involved in quite a few commercial solar PV projects ranging from 50 to 100 kW.”

O’Donnell Griffin recently installed a 90 kW solar PV array system at the Perth Zoo. This project was stage 1 of the Zoo’s 250 kW solar station program for various buildings within it facility. Overcoming the challenge of a curved shelter roof for the reptile centre, O’Donnell Griffin installed a 30 kW solar PV array using a complex frame design to maximise the energy efficiency of the system.

“We are developing our capabilities, and utilising new technologies, in the design and construct of energy-efficient power generation solutions,” said Cross. “Along with solar PV, O’Donnell Griffin has completed large-scale projects in Australia utilising wind energy, hydro-electric and co- and tri-generation power.”