FAQs

There are two benefits customers receive with going solar. The first one is The Small-Scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) which is a subsidy provided by the Federal Government. The Solar power systems can create a Small-Scale Technology Certificate (STC) that can be sold to offset the price of the system incurred by the user.

The second one is Feed-In Tariff (FIT) that provides ongoing financial incentives rather than an upfront price reduction.

These tariffs may vary with Energy Retailers, so it’s best to ask our Business Development Executive for a (free of cost) good recommendation on different market retailers.

An inverter transforms the DC power from the Solar panel to AC power, this is the same type of power as your mains power. It also exports any excess power back into the electricity grid. An inverter’s quality is partly measured by how efficiently it converts the DC electricity to AC electricity.

kW stands for kilowatt. This is a measurement of power. A kilowatt is 1,000 watts. kWh stands for kilowatt hour. This is a measurement of energy.

No, how much your solar PV system will produce will come down to how many panels and the wattage of panels you have at your home. The function of the inverter is to convert the DC power of your panels into usable AC power for your home..

If you have a “grid connected system’ this means your solar will only work while the network is functioning. Due to safety reasons, when a blackout occurs your solar PV system will automatically stop producing electricity. This is due to a mandatory safety requirement in place to protect technicians working in your immediate area. Once the grid is backup, your system’s ability to generate will resume. However, we do recommend you check your system has turned back on.

If you have a hybrid system with a battery this system will need to have back up functionality connected and charge in your battery for you to have power when the network is down.

There is no simple answer to this question. It will depend on many different factors such as how much electricity you need to generate via PV, however at Think and Grow Renewable our Technical Solar Advisers can personalise a system to each individual and let you know what system will provide you with the best financial return, Contact us today to speak to one of our technical solar advisers.

The placement of panels will vary for each customer, this is dependent on which way your roof is facing, and if there is any shading or any other obstructions on your roof. At Think and Grow Renewable we have internal CEC accredited designers who will let you know the best placement for your panels to give you the most financial return at your property.

String Inverter – Rows of solar panels are connected together into strings and the DC power is wired back to this inverter located in a central location. This will than convert the DC power into AC power for all of the panels at the same time.

Micro Inverter – This is a smaller inverter installed behind each panel. The DC power is convertered into AC power in each inverter for each panel.

There are advantages for each type of inverter. To understand what inverter would be most suitable for you at your home, Contact us today to speak to one of our technical solar advisors.

Your solar PV system production is variant on the amount of sunlight hitting your panels and the temperature of this. As we have shorter days in winter and more overcast days your system will produce less compared to Summer when the sun sets later and has clear sky. At Think and Grow Renewable we can provide you with a panel layout and yield report of what your solar system should produce each month. Contact us today to get your free panel layout and yield report.

Think and Grow Renewable can provide you with multiple options to help you be battery ready. To help us understand what would be most suitable system for you at your home, call today to speak to one of our technical solar advisers.

Shading is critical. Minor shading can result in significant loss of energy. Since PV modules are linked together in series, the module with the lowest amount of irradiation falling upon it determines the operating voltage of the string in which it is connected. Our CEC accredited designers will be able to advise the best position for your panels and provide you with your our put estimate prior to install.

The first thing to look at is the material difference between the composition of the silicon substrate used to create Monocrystalline and Polycrystalline panels. Monocrystalline means ‘a single crystal’ while Polycrystalline means ‘many crystals’.

The question of which is best has been an ongoing debate in solar industry since both products were introduced to the market. Each panel has its advantages. Contact us today to speak to one of our technical solar advisers about personalising a solar system to give you the best return on investment for your home.

Your solar system should last longer than the warranties provided, and the life span should exceed this by many years or decades.

Definitely, producing and consuming your own power will always give you a greater return on investment instead of purchasing all of your power from your electricity retailer. To find how much you can save off your electricity bills Contact us today to speak to one of our technical solar advisers about personalising a solar system for your individual needs.

Yes, the current government incentive is called STC’s (Small scale technology certificates). The number of STC’s you are eligible for is based on the amount of electricity your solar PV system will produce and this is recovered by Think and Grow Renewable to help offset some of the costs of purchasing your solar PV system. This scheme is currently being phased out and will reduce by one fifteenth of its current rate of each year until 2030.

In addition to the Federal government incentive, Solar Victoria currently offers a rebate of $1850 off the price of solar panels for eligible households.

Yes, the rate you receive (known as a Feed-In-Tariff) will vary by electricity retailer. From July 2019 in Victoria, the single-rate minimum feed-in tariff is set at 12 cents per kilowatt hour (c/kWh), Customers on the time-varying tariff should receive off-peak rate of 9.9 c/kWh, a shoulder rate of 11.6 c/kWh and a peak rate of 14.6 c/kWh.

Solar Batteries are in high demand and battery storage prices are reducing significantly. The question is will your solar and battery system pay for itself before the battery warranty or life cycle ends? The answer to this is dependent not just on how much power you use but also the time of day you use your power. Solar Victoria is currently offering a $4174 battery subsidy in selected area.

To help us understand if batteries are worth it for you, Contact us today to speak to one of our technical solar advisers.

A Feed-In-Tariff is a rate that your electricity retailer will pay you for the electricity that your solar system generates which is not used in your house and is fed back into the grid.

The price variance often comes down to the quality of the products used in the installation. Cheaper products use can mean a cheaper system price and better-quality solar products will mean paying more for the system.

Prices can also be affected by the type of service a company can provide for you. Before installation service and after installation service and support years down the track.

Depending on the size of your solar PV system in most cases the installation will be completed in less than a day. For larger size systems or commercial installations, install time frame will be advised to you on the day of booking your installation date.

Think and Grow Renewable has an easy 3 steps process from our solar consultation through to having your meter works completed by us. Read more about our approach for a detailed explanation of this process.

Think and Grow Renewable offers a full 5-year workmanship warranty on all our installations.

We also only install Tier 1 products. Meaning all our panels have a minimum of a 10-year product warranty and a 25-year performance warranty. All our inverters also come with a 5 to 10-year warranty.

For more information on warranties, check out the solar brands we offer.

In most states you can switch electricity companies or contracts and continue to receive your existing Feed In Tariff rate once your eligibility has been established. It is always worth checking the market regularly to see if there is a better option available to you. Before switching, check for any exit fees under your existing contract.