Most likely, YES. Off grid solar systems with battery backup can produce zero electricity bills. A solar system can help you reduce your electricity bill and in many instances by a significant amount, if you use the electricity at the time it is created. Nevertheless, zero-dollar future bills are next to impossible to achieve nowadays other than with off grid systems. In Australia with Net Metering, the electricity produced though your solar system is fed directly during the daytime into your home, office or commercial enterprise. This helps you to offset your consumption which you would have otherwise paid for. The bigger the system the more likely it will be that more solar power is generated than is used and the excess will be fed back into the grid

To expand your solar system, the best and most robust option is to get a second, independent system installed instead of extending an existing one. With extension comes a load of complications like the inverter capacity and solar panel compatibility. Adding new panels to some old existing system will inhibit the performance of the new panels. With a new system, you will have the guarantee and the piece of mind of it working without any problems.

Depending on the panels, this could be an issue, At NRG7, we recommend the REC approved Tier 1 panels which have been tested and used in all weather conditions. We will only recommend panels that are proven in low light conditions and have shown to offer a bigger spectral response.

For a general cleaning, simply use a standard garden hose to wash the face of the panels during either the early morning or in the evening. Avoid spraying cold water onto hot panels or you could risk cracking them! Some Companies offers solar panel cleaning services where you can get some professional cleaners. This is a better choice for panels that are too high to reach well with a garden hose or if you want a more thorough cleaning. Standard solar panel maintenance is the best way to make sure they are always producing efficiently.

The Renewable Energy Target (RET) is the main driver of rebates at the Federal level, these take the form of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). This rebate for solar installations is available anywhere in Australia. RECs come in 2 forms: Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs) for renewable energy generators up to 100 kilowatts (kW), and Large-scale Generation Certificates (LGCs) for systems whose capacity is greater than 100kW.

Read more about the federal government’s incentives for large-scale and small-scale solar power

In addition to RECs, most states also offer support for solar and other renewables via Feed-in Tariff schemes. Under these schemes system owners are paid for each unit of power that they export to the electricity grid. Eligibility for Solar Feed-in Tariffs depends firstly, on whether a state or regional scheme is in place, but other factors include date of system installation and system size. Feed-in Tariffs rates offered can be non-existent or pay as much as 68c per kilowatt-hour. Most states either currently have or previously had a Solar Feed-in Tariff in place. 

Read about state-by-state Solar Feed-in Tariff incentive schemes