One of the best locations in the nation (and the globe) to install a solar power system is Perth, WA. Perth's retail electricity rates are growing along with the rest of Australia's, while the cost of solar installation has decreased dramatically in recent years.
It's helpful to know what to anticipate while owning a solar system in Perth because more sunlight translates into greater savings. Perth is one of Australia's top solar cities, receiving an average of 5.8 hours of "peak sunshine" per square meter per day annually, according to PV Watts. (Australia's own Bureau of Meteorology has a slightly lower figure of 5.3.)
The "fuel" for a solar system is these 5.3-5.8 hours of sunshine. More of this fuel can be captured by the system and converted into usable energy as it gets bigger. In Perth, typical energy output for solar PV systems of various sizes is shown in the table below (assuming a system efficiency of 75%, which is on the low side, to be conservative/safe).
Estimated solar panel power production in Perth for popular system sizes | ||
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Solar panels Perth system size (kilowatts) | Avg daily system output (kilowatt-hours) | Annual output (kilowatt-hours) |
6kW | 20-22 kWh | 7,665 kWh |
7kW | 28-30.5 kWh | 10,694 kWh |
10kW | 40-44 kWh | 15,330 kWh |
There are two ways that solar power can help households to save energy on their electricity bills:
The feed-in rate is substantially lower (2.75c-10c/kWh) than the price you pay for power from the grid (29.33c/kWh), therefore using your solar energy yourself is much more valuable to you than selling it back to the grid. Perth is one of the greatest locations in the nation for installing battery storage because of this disparity and the low cost of solar energy in the city.
In a nutshell: Having a solar system on your roof is basically like owning your own power station: The You can use energy from the solar panels to power your home's appliances, allowing you to forgo your electricity retailer for a portion of your energy requirements. Naturally, you don't use all of your electricity during the day (when your solar panels generate power), therefore you will occasionally need to "import" energy from the grid after the sun has set or when your usage exceeds what your solar panels can provide.
The amount of energy used by a household varies depending on the number of people living there, the appliances they use, and how often they are used, but as a "base case," a three-person household uses on average 20 to 25 kWh per day over the course of a year. Your home's electricity use habits will determine how much solar energy you'self-consume,' however we advise trying to use at least 30% of the energy generated by the sun.x
Households and companies installing systems up to 100kW are eligible to earn what is essentially an upfront "discount" off the cost of installing a system under the federal government's small-scale technology certificate (STC) programme. This is a fantastic incentive for anybody wishing to instal solar panels in Perth. The beauty of the programme is that you don't have to claim the incentive for yourself – it is passed through to you by the company that sells you your system, so all you have to do is compare prices they are offering you. The precise amount of this discount depends on a number of factors, including the system location, system size, and certificate price.
This reduction typically covers about 30% of the system's initial cost in Perth. Using the Clean Energy Regulator's calculator as an illustration, we can see that a typical 6.6kW system would provide 82 STCs, or small-scale technology certificates. and at the present certificate price of $36.9, that would result in a refund of $3,025. The quantity of certificates that a solar system will produce decreases year on January 1st, thus there is an incentive to instal solar as soon as possible.
Since 2020, Solar 365 has published the national average solar prices broken down by cities and system sizes in the Solar 365 Price Index. The network of prescreened solar installers that are included on our free solar quotation comparison tool are what this average is based on.
Using this information, we can determine that, after the STC refund, the typical cost for a 6.6kW solar panel installation in Perth is $4,900.
The price of installing a solar system in Australia has evolved over the past ten years, as can be seen in the table below. Especially noteworthy is the fact that Perth has consistently tracked at a lower average price than the rest of Australia, indicating intense competition for residential solar installations.
What is the financial return for solar panels in Perth?
For homes and companies all throughout Australia, rooftop solar has become a no-brainer. However, based on our data, Perth is unquestionably one of the finest places for going solar. This is a result of the mix of expensive grid electricity, inexpensive solar systems, and lots of sunshine.
As was already mentioned, using solar energy inside your home or place of business is the key to financial savings with solar in Perth. You can save a lot of money by using the solar energy yourself instead of purchasing it from the grid. Your energy bill will be reduced the more solar energy you can use on your own. If you are home during the day, this may be simple to accomplish, but it may also be beneficial to invest in a home energy management system to automate some tasks for you.
Some typical Perth solar installation scenarios are shown in the table below. Please be aware that you might only be able to use a 5kVA inverter, which can support up to 6.6kW of solar panels, if you don't have 3-phase power. 6.6kW of solar panels are hence by far the most typical size for household systems installed in Perth.
Please keep in mind that we've used conservative average pricing figures in the examples below; even greater results might be possible if you can locate a better deal and raise your solar self-consumption rate.
Indicative savings and payback periods for solar panel systems in
Perth
– Updated March 2022 – |
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Solar Panel Size | Average Cost | Average Daily Energy Usage | Self-Consumption Rate | Annual Savings | Payback Period |
5kW | $3,770 | 15 kWh | 40% | $951 | 3.9 Years |
6.6kW | $4,540 | 20 kWh | 40% | $1,263 | 3.5 Years |
10kW | $8,500 | 40 kWh | 40% | $2,299 | 3.6 Years |
Perth is one of the best places in Australia to install a solar battery
Batteries still cost a lot more than solar panel technology, and Perth residents cannot take advantage of any discounts. In spite of the high cost, installing a battery makes sense in Perth because of the high cost of electricity, especially if you are a larger energy consumer and on a Time of Use (TOU) rate.
In our article titled "Are solar batteries worth it?," we assessed the return on investment for the last five years across all Australian cities using our own proprietary algorithm. The results of the three typical use cases we created are shown in the table below for Perth.
Flat Rate Tariff of 29.33c / kWh | ||||
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User Case | Solar and Battery Solution | Total Year 1 Savings | Payback Period Solar & Battery | Payback Period Battery Only |
Young Adults / Older Family | 5kW of Solar Panels and a 3.5 kWh battery | $820 | 10.8 years | > 20 years |
Retirees / Young families | 6.6kW of Solar Panels and a 6.5 kWh battery | $2,204 | 6.1 years | 15.8 years |
Big Energy User | 13 kW of Solar Panels and a 13.5 kWh battery | $3,789 | 7.0 years | > 20 years |
Time of Use (TOU) Tariff – Peak 55.77c, Shoulder 29.21c and Off Peak 15.36c / kWh | ||||
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User Case | Solar and Battery Solution | Total Year 1 Savings | Payback Period Solar & Battery | Payback Period Battery Only |
Young Adults / Older Family | 5kW of Solar Panels and a 3.5 kWh battery | $1,751 | 5.8 years | > 20 years |
Retirees / Young | 6.6kW of Solar Panels | $2,784 | 5.1 years | 9.7 years |
Big Energy User | 13 kW of Solar Panels and a 13.5 kWh battery | $4,931 | 5.7 years | 8.4 years |
Solar 365 connects solar PV clients with installers who serve their region as Australia's free Solar Energy Brokering and consultation service. We offer thorough quote comparisons for solar energy installations around the nation, including in Perth. You may instantly receive an apples-to-apples comparison of solar quotes (including pricing, product & warranty information) from a number of businesses that operate in the Perth area by requesting a Quote Comparison through our system by filling out the form on this page. Use the comparison tool below if you're seeking for the best solar panels and installation in Perth