1. What if I have to replace part of my solar system under warranty?

The regulations or guidelines will exempt any product replacements undertaken under warranty from these new requirements.

2. What do I need to do if I no longer own the solar system (for example, I sell my house)?

The owner or operator of the solar system must notify their relevant agent of a change as soon as practicable within 7 days of the change. The relevant agent will then be required to notify the Technical Regulator so that the Technical Regulator can update and continue to maintain the register of relevant agents.

The relevant agent must also notify the new owner or operator of the solar system in writing of their existing role as the relevant agent for the solar system and seek the new owner or operator’s authorization for the continuation of the arrangement. We consider this an important requirement to ensure the new owner or operator is aware of the need to appoint a relevant agent.

The new owner or operator of the solar system may authorize the existing relevant agent to continue or may authorize another relevant agent.

If the existing relevant agent is unable to secure continued authorization to act as the relevant agent for the solar system, the relevant agent is required to notify the Technical Regulator.

3. Will my solar system and/or battery still operate when I am remotely disconnected from the grid?

Dependent on the design and initial setup of your solar system and/or battery, you may still be able to power your home from the system while it is remotely disconnected from the grid. However, not all solar and battery systems offer this function, and you will need to request this feature from your system provider/installer and ask them for information on how it works and what it will be able to power.

4. Will the new standards impact my feed-in tariff or return on investment?

These new standards do not mean eligible households will lose their feed-in tariff(s) and, since export reduction or disconnection will only occur during extreme circumstances to avoid the risk of blackouts, the new standards should have a negligible impact on power bills or return on investment.

5. What is solar energy?

Solar power is generated when energy from the sun (sunlight) is converted into electricity or used to heat air, water, or other fluids. There are two main types of solar energy technologies:

Solar thermal is the conversion of solar radiation into thermal energy (heat). Thermal energy carried by air, water, or other fluid is commonly used directly, for space heating, or to generate electricity using steam and turbines. Solar thermal is commonly used for hot water systems. Solar thermal electricity, also known as concentrating solar power, is typically designed for large-scale power generation.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) converts sunlight directly into electricity using photovoltaic cells. PV systems can be installed on rooftops, integrated into building designs and vehicles, or scaled up to megawatt-scale power plants. PV systems can also be used in conjunction with concentrating mirrors or lenses for large-scale centralized power.

Solar thermal and PV technology can also be combined into a single system that generates both heat and electricity.

6. Why solar energy?

Benefits to your pocket
A solar system with a Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, Why not claim benefits from the government?
• Get paid for the electricity you produce
• Recover your system cost in as little as 1-2 years
• Add value to your home investment property
• Insulate yourself from rising energy costs

Benefits to your property
Solar panels are extremely strong to prevent erosion by sunlight, wind, and rain. It just like a protective cover over your roof.

7. How much panel capacity do I need?

Nowadays you don't make much money from feeding electricity back into the grid. So you need to maximize your own use of your solar PV and minimize your export into the grid.
The panel capacity depends on your roof space and your current electricity usage.
At Energy Loop, we will design a system that will suit your needs.

8. How long will solar panels last?

Over 40 years, if it is good quality.
Many home array solar panels are guaranteed for decades, thanks to warranties that typically cover 25-30 years. But because their parts do not wear out easily, solar arrays are well-known to continue producing clean electricity even beyond these lengthy timeframes.

Unlike many other consumer goods, solar panels don’t ‘give up the ghost’ at the end of their warranty period and need to be replaced, but continue to still produce clean electricity, although at a slightly less efficiency each year. In fact, some decidedly old-school solar cells have been producing electricity daily for about 40 years or so and are expected to continue to power homes and businesses for decades more.

9. Monitor your system in the monitoring platform?

Our installer can register the site for you. Once registered you will receive a confirmation email with the link to the monitoring platform.

10. How Does Solar Work?

Solar energy works by capturing the sunlight energy and turning it into electricity for your home or business.
Our sunlight is a natural nuclear energy source. It releases tiny packets of energy called photons, which travel the 93 million miles from the sun to Earth in about 8.5 minutes. Every hour, enough photons impact our planet to generate enough solar energy to theoretically satisfy global energy needs for an entire year.
When photons hit a solar cell, they knock electrons loose from their atoms. If conductors are attached to the positive and negative sides of a cell, it forms an electrical circuit. When electrons flow through such a circuit, they generate electricity. Multiple cells make up a solar panel, and multiple panels (modules) can be wired together to form a solar array. The more panels you can deploy, the more energy you can expect to generate.
The benefits of solar are not only lower power bills but also cut carbon pollution.
Today, solar power is everywhere – collect sun energy from the home roof to empower your air conditioner and many loads. And thank goodness. It’s a win-win solution to the climate crisis that creates jobs, saves money, and helps cut the carbon pollution changing our planet.
Plus, when it comes to energy, solar might be the closest thing to free money out there – and we haven’t even begun to touch its full potential.
If you can invest small money to put a money machine on your rooftop which will last decades, why not?

11. Why Choose Energy Loop?

Energy Loop is one of the most trustworthy solar companies in South Australia. We have seen solar companies and solar products come and go, over the years we’ve had to adopt a large customer base of solar orphans where the manufacturer of the solar products and/ or the company who they installed them has gone into insolvency or are not willing or able to help. With our years of experience, we’ve learned that not only the quality of the products matters, it’s also the quality of the service and installation that counts.
If you want a safe, neat installation through a company that will still be standing to support you with your system for years, then Energy Loop is your right choice for solar installation.

12. Why Is the Panel Capacity Greater than the inverter capacity?

The practice of designing solar systems with a combined panel wattage of greater than the inverter’s maximum capacity is highly recommended by both manufacturers and designers. Your solar panel’s rating is based on the power that the panel will produce in optimum conditions of both light and temperature, meaning that earlier and later in the day, or on cloudy or very hot days your system will not produce as much power at the panels are capable of. By oversizing your solar module capacity, your system will generate more power during these times. “Clipping” (where the panels produce more power than the inverter is able to provide) will only occur during peak times.

13. What is the meter installation time frame and process?

Once we installed your solar system, we will prepare all the related paper works and submit it to your electricity retailer to request to upgrade to a smart electricity meter or activate the PV function, if there is a smart meter already.
Then your retailer will arrange for your new meter to be installed.
Please remember to call up your retailer to confirm when they will go to replace your meter, as their end customer, your voice is the key to make it faster.
• If no connection alteration is required, either on a date agreed with you or within 15 business days from when you the request.
• If a connection alteration is required, either on a date agreed with both you and your electricity distributor or with 15 business days from when you make the request.
• If a new connection is required, either on a date agreed with you and your distributor once supply has been confirmed or within 6 business days from when you make the request.
Exchanging a meter usually takes approximately 30 minutes to 2 hours to complete. Common causes for delays for installation schedules and timeframes are:
• Unsafe environments, such as a loose switchboard, exposed wires, or a point of attachment that is too high or low.
• Unclear access to the meter box.
• Locked gates or meter boxes.
• Installing the meter will cause interruptions in supply to other customers.
• If there is a requirement for life support at the property then a more coordinated plan between yourself the metering provider and your distributor is required and may take longer than usual.
• Complex meter exchanges that require pre-work to be completed by your distributor prior to the meter exchange occurring.
• If you haven’t agreed to a meter installation

14. What do I need to consider when choosing a relevant agent?

The owner or the operator of the solar system must provide written authorization to a relevant agent to manage the disconnect/reconnect requirement on their behalf.
There may be costs involved for the relevant agent to provide the service to remotely disconnect and reconnect the solar system for the life of the system. You need to consider these costs when selecting a relevant agent. It is likely that the solar seller may provide their consumers with information on proposed remote connect and disconnect technology as well as proposed preferred agent and costs at the point of sale.

15. What if I don’t agree to provide consent or appoint a relevant agent?

The owner or operator must give a relevant agent written authorization to remotely disconnect the system from, and reconnect the solar system too, the distribution network in circumstances where the owner or operator of the solar system is lawfully directed to disconnect or reconnect the solar system.
Under the new regulations, SA Power Networks is not permitted to connect a system without a relevant agent having been first appointed by the owner or operator of the plant. The owner or operator must indicate who the relevant agent is on the small embedded generation (SEG) approval form.

16. Under what circumstances and how often will my solar system be remotely disconnected and then reconnected?

This measure will only be used as a last resort to rebalance the energy system. In extreme circumstances, some people’s solar may need to be interrupted for a few hours on a few days a year.

17. Do solar panels work on cloudy days?

Solar panels do work on cloudy days – they just do not perform as well as they would on a bright sunny day. Though estimates range, solar panels will generate about 10 – 25% of their normal power output on a cloudy day.

18. Can I use my own solar power and get rid of the Grid?

Going off-grid is really costing, except you have been left no choice, stay with the grid is the best option. As we all know that Solar panels only can generate electrical power during the daytime. This is what happened during the daytime when you are not at home, your solar system will produce more electricity than your home is using, this excess electricity will feed into the grid ( Solar Feed-in Tariffs can be varied; depends on what contract you have from your current energy retailer ) with or without credit in your account, the different states have different rules, please check with your retailer's website for details and pick up the best plan for you.
There is a primary solution that helps to resolve that problem-solar battery storage technology that allows your solar system to store the extra energy that your solar system generated which you do not need during the daytime and supply to your house usage at nighttime.