The demand for Electric Vehicles in Australia and around the world has surged in recent months and is only being hindered by availability. In Australia, EVs have even overtaken their ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) competitors on the most popular passenger vehicles charts. As COVID induced manufacturing and transport delays continue to ease, the presence of EVs will continue to grow.

SunPeople's managing director and co-owner Dave Love chats all things solar and business with Trever Molenaar from Molenaar + Mcneice real estate agency for Episode #4 of the Illawarra Business Leaders Interview, Series 2. 

As active members of the Illawarra community, SunPeople recently supported the Lighthouse Youth Initiative (LYI) in Yallah through the donation of a 3.3KW solar system. 

On the 21st of January 2021, SunPeople donated a 3.3kW solar system to Lighthouse Youth Initiative (LYI) at Yallah.

Here's three quick tips we think you should know;

1. Know your consumption patterns

It’s a good idea to find out how much energy your household consumes prior to installing a new solar system or an upgrade. It’s more cost-effective to self-use solar power rather than sell it to the grid. Therefore, if you use a lot of electricity during the day, or you can program your appliances to run during the day, a solar system can drastically reduce your power bills and can see shorter payback periods.

In contrast, if you only use electricity around typical work hours, you will see a longer
payback period on your system.

Solar systems do not necessarily require a battery. The battery is only required if you want to store excess energy

Because solar panels produce their electricity when the sun is shining, a battery is a great asset if you want to use solar generated electricity at night.

The short answer is yes.

• Installing a system of solar panels on your home can reduce your power bills and even provide a profit. 

• It costs approximately 5 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to produce solar power, and it costs approximately 26 cents per kWh to purchase from the grid.
  

• The general rule is that in NSW, a residential solar system can save around $400 annually, per kW of production capacity. A potential savings of $2000 annually.