A tsunami of broken & busted solar systems around the North West

The tsunami of broken busted solar systems around the north west coast is continually on the rise. We are typically doing 3 or 4 solar inspections per week these days. Some of those are just checks but most are repairs. If you want to have a look at some of the damaged components we have recently removed from roofs check out our DMS Energy facebook page. Ive recently posted some photos of some close calls. Keep in mind, none of this would of happened if they were our super safe SolarEdge systems.

Last week we replaced 2 inverters and a couple of roof top inverter isolators. These inverters were just out of their warranty period and of the cheap Chinese inverter variety. The solar system as a whole had probably only just paid for themselves and the poor old customer has to cough up quite a bit of money to keep it going.

Now I should make it clear these were not DMS Energy Solar Systems but the cheap and cheerful ones we see offered our TV usually solar with a glowing reference from some retired cricketer or footballer.

How much do you think I know about cricket and football?

I’m going to be honest here not a hell of a lot. I’m not your go to person for an accurate description of what is going on with people chasing around leather balls.

You know what, if someone was going to pay a swag of cash to endorse football or cricket i would be the most exuberant endorser or whatever code of sport was cutting the cheque. Mate I would be like Eddie McGuire. After all, I would only have to read a script.

But as we have determined I know nothing about sport so lets not engage my services.

What do I know an awful lot about?

Solar systems, how to design them, what components work best and how to install them. So lets go back to one of the cheap and cheerful solar systems we repaired last week . The system had paid for itself (mainly due to the old legacy feed in tariff) so it had neutralised its purchase cost but now this should of been the cream period of for this solar system. But nope the customer has to cough up $1000 for another Chinese inverter or around $2,000 for a proper European inverter.

The longer your solar system components will continue to function after it has recovered its costs is the more money it will make you. A very simple economic principle. I was to buy a bag of spuds for $10 and then sell it for $10 have I made any money? But if I was to buy a bag of spuds for $10 and sell it for $20 I have doubled my money.

Buying cheap low quality solar products over the time generally do not yield as much in the way of financial return. Now not all the cheapies fail but so many of them do. That’s what makes them a punt.

My first solar system I installed on my old house in 2009 (and I might add this is when solar systems were nearly double or triple the price they are now) has an Austrian made Fronius inverter and while it only had a 5 year inverter warranty is now 11 years old. Ive already doubled my money on that system.

Now we use SolarEdge as our main inverter and Fronius as our preferred entry level inverter. The SolarEdge inverter has a 12 year full replacement warranty from one of the biggest solar manufacturers in the world. We have been installing this system for 10 years and our first inverters still have the best part of 2 years left. This isn’t a punt its an iron clad investment. Our LG and Qcell Panels both have a 25 year build warranty so every part of a well designed well equipped DMS Energy solar system is backed up not only by DMS Energy one of the oldest solar suppliers in Tasmania but by some of the largest Fortune 500 listed manufacturers in the world.

Aussies love a punt but the smart ones love an investment.

Every time the power prices go up, your return on investment increases. Every year your system keeps on going after it has achieved return on investment it just puts more money back in your pocket.

Anyone thinking about solar I would just ask them to stop, take a breath and take in this one fact; solar power success is not sprint its a marathon. A marathon of electronic equipment exposed to the worst conditions Mother Nature can throw at them over time. Be smart and inoculate yourself against retired sportsmen earning their latest cheque and talk to strong, knowledgeable and local suppliers with a track record of positive results for their clients.