5 kilowatt (5kW) photo voltaic techniques have turn out to be one of the vital standard sizes in Australia, due to the mixture of excessive power yields and nice value-for-money that they ship. What are the value ranges, electrical energy yields and monetary returns {that a} family can anticipate from a 5kW photo voltaic PV system? This text takes a glance.
What number of panels & how a lot roof area for a 5kW photo voltaic system?
A contemporary-day 5kW photo voltaic system will likely be comprised of between about 15-20 panels and would require about 25-35 m2 of roof area, relying on the wattage of the panels and the way they’re tilted. You will see that photo voltaic panel sizes fluctuate relying on model and whether or not they’re designed for business or residential use, however mostly panels are round 1.7 metre by 1 metre on a 5kW system.
How a lot do 5kW Photo voltaic Methods value?
Australia is dwelling to a few of the lowest photo voltaic PV system costs on this planet, due to a broad mixture of world and native elements. In line with the Photo voltaic Alternative Value Index, the common value of a 5kW photo voltaic system in Australia as of March 2022 is about $1.03 per watt – or about $5,170, with a low of effectively underneath $1/W ($2,050) and a excessive of about $1.40/W ($7,000).
The graph beneath exhibits how the price of a 5kW photo voltaic system has declined over the previous decade, damaged down by state capital cities across the nation.
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How a lot energy will a 5kW Photo voltaic System generate?
Relying quite a lot of elements, the precise energy output of a 5kW solar energy system will fluctuate. These elements embrace:
-Geographical location of the system and the anticipated every day and annual photo voltaic irradiation and cloud cowl ranges there
–Orientation and tilt angle of the photo voltaic panel array
–Whether or not there may be any shade forged on the panels
-Precise working temperature of the panels
-The efficiency of the person elements (e.g. the panels and the inverter)
As talked about within the first level above, completely different areas obtain completely different quantities of daylight. The quantity of sunshine falling on a photo voltaic panel array has a direct impression on the system’s output. As a tough determine, a rooftop in Australia can anticipate to obtain round an annual common of 4.5 hours of ‘peak solar’ (peak solar hours, or PSH) per day, though this quantity might vary as excessive as 5.8 PSH per day in locations like Darwin or as little as 4.2 PSH per day in Tasmania. That is solely the annual common per day, and it is very important take into account that there will likely be extra solar in the summertime and fewer within the winter months.
Instance: An optimally tilted, 85% environment friendly, north-facing 5kW photo voltaic system in Sydney, for instance, would produce about (3.5 PSH x 5kW x 85% =) ~15kWh of energy on a day within the peak of winter, whereas in the summertime output from the identical 5kW photo voltaic system could be round (6.2 PSH x 5kW x 85% =) ~26kWh. (Figures are solely to be taken as tough estimates.)
What’s the monetary return on a 5kW Photo voltaic System?
The monetary returns from a 5kW photo voltaic set up are a bit more durable to work out, and primarily contingent on whether or not or not a photo voltaic feed-in tariff is obtainable to the proprietor/operator of the system. Photo voltaic Feed-in Tariff schemes pay photo voltaic system house owners a set quantity for every unit of solar energy that they export to the electrical energy grid.
There are community limits on whether or not you’re allowed to export power out of your Photo voltaic PV system, and feed-in-tariffs obtainable additionally fluctuate enormously state to state.
Examples utilizing Photo voltaic Alternative’s solar energy system ROI calculator
Utilizing Photo voltaic Alternative’s Photo voltaic PV System Return on Funding Calculator, we’ve calculated indicative payback durations, annual inner charges of return (IRR) and annual financial savings (in 12 months 1) utilizing 5kW photo voltaic techniques for frequent utilization conditions in some main cities primarily based on common system costs as of February 2022.
Payback instances rely closely on the quantity of photo voltaic power that you just devour instantly vs export to the grid (‘photo voltaic self-consumption ratio’), so we’ve included each ‘low’ (30%) and ‘excessive’ (50%) situations.
If you don’t or can’t use a lot electrical energy throughout daytime, you’re extra more likely to be on the ‘low’ finish of the self-consumption spectrum, whereas in the event you do use a variety of power throughout the day (e.g. since you’re dwelling or as a result of you may run gadgets like dishwashers whilst you’re away) then chances are you’ll be on the ‘excessive’ finish.
| Indicative returns for 5kW photo voltaic techniques @ common costs | ||||||
| Location | Value | Power Fee | Feed in Tariff | Self Conumption Fee | Annual Saving | Payback Interval |
| Sydney | $4,620 | 22c / kWh | 10c / kWh | 30% | $996 | 4.6 Years |
| Sydney | $4,620 | 22c / kWh | 10c / kWh | 50% | $1,258 | 3.6 Years |
| Brisbane | $4,880 | 20c / kWh | 9c / kWh | 30% | $976 | 4.9 Years |
| Brisbane | $4,880 | 20c / kWh | 9c / kWh | 50% | $1,216 | 3.9 Years |
| Melbourne | $4,660 | 19c / kWh | 6.7c / kwh | 30% | $763 | 5.9 Years |
| Melbourne | $4,660 | 19c / kWh | 6.7c / kwh | 50% | $1,023 | 4.4 Years |
| Perth | $3,770 | 29c / kWh | 5c / kWh | 30% | $1,090 | 3.4 Years |
| Perth | $3,770 | 29c / kWh | 5c / kWh | 50% | $1,580 | 2.4 Years |
Key Assumptions:
- We now have assumed that the family consumes a median of 25 kWh per day
- We now have used power charges and feed in tariffs in direction of the sharper finish of whats available on the market
- Pricing relies on the Photo voltaic Alternative Value Index from March 2022
Attempt plugging some figures into our photo voltaic system ROI calculator your self.
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