Infographic about Solar Power for New Zealand

If you are having a hard time reading all of the facts in the infographic, below is word copy of the information.

This infographic is about solar power for New Zealand.

The question on a lot of kiwis minds are "why aren't there more solar power system on the roof tops of New Zealand homes", that's a good question.

Lets start of with some facts about solar power. As of August 2011 Australia has 513,585 solar power systems installed. New Zealand is lagging behind with currently only 400 homes installed with grid connected solar power systems.

In the infographic there is a picture of what a standard solar power/photovoltaic panel looks like, don't get it confused with solar hot water collectors, they are very different technologies.

Lets continue with dispelling some myths about solar.  Some people say that solar is too expensive.  In 2008 a three kilowatt system cost $40,000, now in 2012 that same system only costs $14,000, so I guess you could say "well it was too expensive", now it is a lot more affordable.

Some people say that there is not enough room for solar panels.  See the orange square outlined on the Sahara Desert, that area covered with solar panels would produce enough power to meet mans total annual energy demand.

Lets get back to some more interesting facts about solar.  The oldest working solar panel is 62 years old, therefore solar panels produced today are also expected to last a really long time.  Photovoltaic cells made of silicon from 1 ton of sand can produce as much electricity as burning 500,000 tons of coal in a power plant.  Space mission have been using solar energy to power spacecraft's since 1958.

So what is a grid connect solar power system? A grid connect solar power systems allows you to export excess solar power from the system to the grid for credits so there is no need for storage.  When using appliances in your home you will either use power from your solar power system if the sun is out, and at night when the sun is down you will draw power from the grid.

As explained before the price of solar has decreased dramatically, so you can now earn around a 10% return on your investment with a grid connect system.

Synthia says "Fantastic ' this month we received a $0 power bill!"

The average New Zealand home would need a 5-6kW system to eliminate their power bill, which is around 30 standard solar panels.

Electric vehicles can also be charged up from the solar power system, simply by plugging the vehicle into the houses mains.

So the question is "how can we get more solar on the roof tops of New Zealand?"

We will see more solar on the roofs of New Zealand now as the return on investment for a grid connect solar power systems has just reached a 10% return on investment. Because solar is now more affordable, New Zealand doesn't need subsidies for solar, we just need legislation that obliges energy retailers to buy excess solar power from small scale systems at a premium price that is guaranteed for a given long-term period, typically 20 years.

Why is legislation so important?

Currently electricity retailers do not have to buy back power from you. At present Meridian and Contact have good rates that they offer to buy back your solar power energy.

It is now affordable to be your own solar power producer.  Be power independent.  Join the solar power revolution.