Solar (PV) installation overview
In order to install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof of your home or office, there are a few things you need to consider.
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Space — is their sufficient space available to site your panels?
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Strength — is your roof strong enough to support the panels? (Roof strength is generally not an issue but still needs to be considered.)
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Permission — you must check with local authorities (such as the ACT Planning and Land Authority) as to their requirements for planning permission, especially in conservation areas or on heritage-listed buildings.
Once these matters have been negotiated, there are several other considerations to be made before installation can begin. We summarise some other considerations below, including cost.
Sollar PV installation overview
There are three main parties involved in the processes for installation and connection of your solar system in the ACT.
- ActewAGL Distribution is the ACT's principal Distribution Network Service Provider (DNSP), and is responsible for the distribution of electricity to all distribution-grid connected customers within the ACT under a regulatory framework. ActewAGL Distribution design, install, upgrade, repair and maintain the network assets (poles, cables etc.) which make up the distribution network carrying the electrical energy to ACT homes and businesses.
ActewAGL has established technical guidelines that the solar system must adhere to. These guidelines are in place to ensure that the solar installation does not pose any safety issues for ActewAGL’s employees or have detrimental effects on ActewAGL’s network, and hence other customers. ActewAGL’s role in the installation and connection process is to ensure these guidelines are met and that the solar system is suitable for network connection.
- Your chosen installer/electrician will be designing and installing your solar system. They must ensure that the solar system and installation work meets the standard required by authorities such as ActewAGL, ACTPLA and the Australian Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE).
- Your electricity retailer will be the one who ‘buys’ the energy your solar system creates. You must contact them in order to find out more information on the available tariffs, or to apply for the ACT Feed-in Tariff scheme.
A typical home grid-connected solar system mainly consists of solar PV panels. However some additional parts are required to ensure correctness of output power and metering.
An inverter is required in the system as solar PV panels provide a direct current (DC) output which is not compatible with the alternating current (AC) that the national grid operates on. Domestic solar systems use an approved inverter to convert the DC electricity from the panels into standard 240 volt, 50 hertz, AC electricity suitable for use both in the home and export to the network.
An additional meter is also required to record the output from your solar array.
Set-up of a grid-connected solar system
Two meter readings are required for a grid-connected solar system.
The first meter reading measures electricity supplied from ActewAGL's network to your home (this is your existing meter). The second meter reading will measure the quantity of electricity your solar array exports back into the distribution network. In order to take this second meter reading ActewAGL will need to change your metering arrangement. This will be done in one of two ways:
- Add a second meter to work in conjunction with your existing meter, or
- Replace your old meter with a new dual-register meter which performs the functions of both required meters.
Either way, this may be done at ActewAGL’s expense, with possibly some minor charges to the customer.
A list of solar PV system installers with accreditation from the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) can be found on the Clean Energy Council's website.
While the running costs of solar generation are extremely low, arrays do have significant set-up costs. There may also be several other costs. They include:
- Installation costs charged by your installer / electrician — This is the labour and installation cost of your solar system.
- Potential metering costs — Customers are responsible for ensuring adequate space to accommodate the new metering arrangement in their meter box. Any meter box upgrade will be carried out by the installer / electrician at your expense.
- Potential network upgrades — In some cases, connection of a solar system to the network can only occur after a network upgrade has been performed. An upgrade will be necessary if the connection of the solar system will potentially affect the quality of supply of other customers. This will most likely occur in situations where the distribution network is deemed to be unable to operate adequately with the added capacity of your solar system unless an upgrade is performed. In this event, ActewAGL will notify you of the required work and the associated costs.