Our top 5 tips are:

1) Do not rely on what the salesperson tells you – if they tell you their panels are the best ask them for independant proof. REC panels have just been voted No1 performer in Photon magazine tests and are top performers on our own test system

2) Do not be fooled by a name. Some solar panel manufacturers ave brand names that can mislead the consumer for example Canadian Solar Panels are not made in Canada they are Chinese and German Solar Panels are not made in Germany they are also made in China.

3) CEC approved panels means nothing – it is not a guarantee of quality it simply means that panel has passed a limited number of tests.

4) Ask who stands behind the solar panel warrranty? It is generally the responsibilty of the importer of the panel to provide the warranty for it and as soon as that importer decides to close his or her business you do not have any warranty at all.

All solar panels we sell have full Australian warranty support giving you peice of mind

5) If it sounds too good to be true it is – don’t be fooled by very cheap prices you will end up with a poor quality system that won’t perform well and will inevitably break down

The BSA has also issued a warning to consumers about Mr Kelly and his companies.

The courier mail reported that NEPV owes more than $1million to Chinese panel manufacturers and $1.8m to Gold Coast company Ecovation plus hundreds of thousands to other creditors including installers and the ATO.

The message is clear – deal with a long standing company you can trust. Sunshine Coast Solar Centre has more than 30 years experience in the solar industry and has been trading from Kayleigh drive for almost 20 years. If you would like a great deal on quality solar then contact us today.

The Photon Field Performance Test measures how many kilowatt hours of electricity a module generates throughout one year in real life conditions.  Two modules from each supplier are being tested at the laboratory location in Germany. The results published in the industry magazine Photon Profi state that the highest performance ratio of 90.8 percent and also the highest yield of 1150.4 kWh/kW were measured for the REC module.

The Photon Test is currently the most recognized field performance test, comparing international solar module brands over several years, during different seasons and in different light conditions. Using scientific methodology, the test helps consumers select the best module supplier based on product performance in the field. These results show the excellent bankability of REC modules, as their additional output allows consumers to have a faster return on their investment.

Over the last 24 months, REC modules have maintained a leading position in the Photon Test, ranking second overall in 2010. As the world’s most integrated solar company, REC delivers high performing products by controlling the complete solar value chain with production from silicon to cells, wafers and modules to systems development.

Bloomberg and Reuters recently reported that, Q-Cells, a German company manufacturing solar panels in Malaysia, had announced that they may be unable to repay a 202 million euro debt when it becomes due in February. The announcement forced the resignation of the CFO and saw Q-Cells shares plummet to a record low of €0.37 euro cents as investors question whether the company can survive. Q-Cells held a series of crisis talks with creditors after a court decision prevented deferral of the debt repayment.

Conergy faced similar problems in 2010 and has now been taken over by hedge funds. As yet no hedge funds have shown interest in Q-Cells.

Q-Cells has now agreed with bondholders to restructure the debt in return for equity in the company which some sharemarket analysts believe will be a negative for shareholders as it significantly dilutes their holdings. Although the current crisis appears to be over it remains to be seen whether Q-Cells will survive or will join Evergreen Solar, Solar Millenium, Solon and Solyndra LLC in bankruptcy.

It is apparent that the solar manufacturing industry will continue to undergo an intense period of consolidation and only robust companies will survive. REC – a fully integrated solar panel manufacturer and supplier of raw silicon, wafers and cells to others will be one of the survivors as it has manageable debt levels, a solid balance sheet, strong sales and a proven high quality product, REC solar panels will remain at the forefront of the industry.

Sources: Bloomberg and Reuters

These projects are amongst the largest grid-connected solar power plants in the UK, located in locations with excellent irradiation. They are also among the first PV plants in the UK to receive project financing for the UK feed-in tariff scheme. Given the changes in the FiT, REC had to ensure a quick construction of the Durrants project in order to achieve the completion and connection of the plant to the grid by the July 31 2011 incentive scheme deadline. The successful completion is a result of cooperation between REC Systems, Kronos Solar GmbH who originally developed the Durrants project and Vogt Solar GmbH who were subcontracted to undertake the construction and systems integration. Kronos Solar is a Munich-based project developer with a track record in project development in Europe. Vogt Solar is a Berlin-based system-integrator, who also developed and constructed the Ebbsfleet project.

Both projects were project financed by Bayern LB’s London branch which provided £36 million of debt including portions funded by the German Development Bank (KfW). The Durrants project was sold to a fund managed by Bluefield Partners LLP. Bluefield is a London based fund manager focused on solar and renewable energy investments which will also manage the Durrants project on behalf of its investors. “REC is pleased to work with Kronos, Vogt Solar, Bayern LB and Bluefield to realize this landmark project. Excellent collaboration throughout the development and construction process made it possible to realize this project in a very short period allowing us to effectively manage difficult market conditions. The sudden change in solar policy has brought challenges for large-scale developers in the UK. REC hopes that the government will provide a predictable framework to support the growing solar industry in the country”, said Terje Pilskog, SVP REC Systems.

In Europe REC Systems have offices in Munich, Germany and Milan, Italy, managing the development, design, installation and financing of large scale rooftop and free field projects. During 2011, REC Systems developed and constructed more than 70 MW of PV projects

Wholesale: 40.2%
Distribution: 33.6%
Retail: 12.1%
Transmission: 6.0%
LRET (Large Scale Renewable Energy Target: 3.8%
Feed-in tariff: 2.8%
SRES (Small Scale Renewable Energy Scheme):  -0.8%
Other state based schemes: 2.3%

If you want to protect yourself from these massive price increases then contact us today for an obligation free quote.

From the Australian

THE federal scheme to promote the installation of rooftop solar panels and hot-water systems will have a cumulative cost to consumers of $4.7 billion by mid-2020, adding to pressure on household power bills.

The prediction is contained in advice to the nation’s energy ministers, which also forecasts rises in residential electricity prices of about 37 per cent in the three years to 2013-14, with an average annual hike of 11 per cent.

The predicted rise shows prices may increase faster than previously expected, with predictions in July suggesting the three-year rise was expected to be in the order of 30 per cent.

The advice also shows that the carbon tax is likely to hit electricity prices hardest in Queensland and NSW, where power prices are tipped to rise by 42 per cent over the next three years – compared with a 32 per cent rise without a carbon price.

This is broadly in line with Treasury modelling, which suggests that the carbon tax will add about 10 per cent to power prices from 2013-17.

They are followed by South Australia, with a predicted rise of 36 per cent; Victoria (33 per cent), Western Australia (30 per cent), Tasmania (25 per cent); and the Northern Territory (16 per cent).

The reports, by the Australian Energy Market Commission, were released by the Ministerial Standing Council on Energy and Resources.

After the meeting, federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson announced a Productivity Commission inquiry into aspects of electricity network regulation.

Mr Ferguson said that significant investment was required in electricity networks to replace and upgrade ageing assets, to meet growing levels of demand and facilitate a transition towards clean-energy technologies.

“Critical to delivering our energy needs is ensuring that our network regulatory frameworks are delivering efficient and reliable outcomes for consumers,” Mr Ferguson said.

But the energy network businesses hit back, saying network prices had to rise to ensure safe electricity supplies to consumers and because the costs of raising funds offshore was increasing.

The AEMC reports found that on top of the $4.7 billion from small-scale renewable projects, energy consumers would also pay for the costs of state-based feed-in tariffs for households for injecting power back into the grid over the life of systems that have already been installed.

The AEMC found if the states adhered to caps on feed-in tariffs – which several states are imposing in an attempt to rein in generous rebates – then the take-up of the small-scale renewable energy scheme should fall from existing levels.

“But forecasts of higher retail electricity prices and reductions in the technology costs for solar PV will still provide incentives for some consumers to take up the SRES,” the AEMC found.

As the SRES is a national scheme, decisions by state governments on their feed-in tariffs hit all consumers, as retailers are required to buy certificates that are then “passed through to all consumers in Australia”.

By the middle of this year, about 400,000 households had PV solar systems installed.

The number of solar rooftop panel installations could reach more than 1.5 million by 2019-20 – accounting for more than one in every four owner-occupied households – if a carbon price starts next year.

The main beneficiaries of the green policy have been people living in houses and semi-detached homes in suburbs with low population densities, young children and often have three cars to a dwelling. By contrast, young people, those renting, the very affluent and people in higher population density areas were unlikely to tap the scheme.

The majority of the new solar installations were expected in NSW and Queensland, with a significant number in Victoria and Western Australia.

Sunshine Coast Solar Centre Director, Brian Fawcett said today that the move would allow us to offer a greatly expanded range of solar options for our clients including installation of solar on caravans and RV’s.