Solar energy works by harnessing the power of the sun through a solar panel. These solar panels directly absorb the sun’s energy which, in return, you can use to power your household. If you want to use solar power at night, it’s recommended to have solar batteries. These batteries store the sun’s energy, so you can still go solar even when the sun is set.
It depends on factors like the number of people in the household, the usage of solar energy, and the appliances you will use it for. If you’re needing to power a big Kiwi home, you might want to consider a 10 kW system, or at least multiple 1.5kW or 3kW systems. If you only need to power a tiny home where a small family lives, a 3kW solar energy system is enough (but still highly dependable on your usage).
Solar energy systems in NZ have progressively become cheaper over the years. In 2008, the average cost of a regular 3kW was $40,000. In 2020, the same system costs an average of $8,000! Still, the costs of your solar power system will vary depending on how many panels you’ll need installed in your home.
It depends – there are various solar panels which can generate power, starting from 290W to 355W. Aside from the panels, the size of your household’s solar energy system also plays a factor. Panels also include varying sizes from 3 kW to 10 kW, which can be stored through your solar batteries. Take note that the larger your system is, the higher solar panel cost will be.
In the first few months, the savings aren’t much. However, you’ll be shocked at just how much you can save in the long run! A saving of $50 might not make that much of a difference, but imagine that in a year – that’s $600! In ten years, that’s a whopping $6000! Solar panels can surely pay for themselves in the long run.