Fullscreen HTML5Med Res (??MB)HTML4

 SILICON CHIP www.siliconchip.com.au Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD Production Manager Greg Swain, B.Sc. (Hons.) Technical Editor John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.) Technical Staff Ross Tester Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc Nicholas Vinen Photography Ross Tester Reader Services Ann Morris Advertising Enquiries Glyn Smith Phone (02) 9939 3295 Mobile 0431 792 293 glyn<at>siliconchip.com.au Regular Contributors Brendan Akhurst David Maddison B.App.Sc. (Hons 1), PhD, Grad.Dip.Entr.Innov. Kevin Poulter Dave Thompson SILICON CHIP is published 12 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. ACN 003 205 490. ABN 49 003 205 490. All material is copyright ©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Printing: Hannanprint, Warwick Farm, NSW. Distribution: Network Distribution Company. Subscription rates: $105.00 per year in Australia. For overseas rates, see our website or the subscriptions page in this issue. Editorial office: Unit 1, 234 Harbord Rd, Brookvale, NSW 2100. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 9939 3295. Fax (02) 9939 2648. E-mail: silicon<at>siliconchip.com.au ISSN 1030-2662 Recommended and maximum price only. 2  Silicon Chip Publisher’s Letter Solar panel installations could have future costly implications Solar panel installations continue to proliferate all over Australia and it seems that these could become a liability in the future for owners of the homes and buildings upon which they are installed. These thoughts were prompted by a recent large solar panel installation quite near our own premises in Brookvale. The first point of concern is that of roof maintenance. Brookvale is quite close to the sea and if one takes a bird’s eye view of the industrial precinct there are countless rusty roofs which will ultimately have to be replaced unless the premises themselves are demolished and redeveloped. From my experience with the metal roofs of our own premises and my garage at Collaroy (even closer to the sea), they need to be repainted about every 10 years, otherwise rust and corrosion rapidly take a toll. Not only that but the screw fastenings tend to corrode more rapidly than the roof itself and they often need to be replaced, even if the roof is relatively sound. But how can that be done if there is a solar panel installation present? These installations are supposed to be there for 25 years or more but if the roof starts to leak, as it ultimately will if regular maintenance has not been done, the solar panels will need to be removed, repairs carried out and the installation restored. In fact, how do you even inspect a roof for corrosion and possible leaks if a major part of it is covered by solar panels? So who pays for all that work? My bet is that it won’t be the company that installed the array or the finance company backing them; they might not even still exist, throwing up the question of who owns the array and who is responsible for repairs. Typically, the larger installations are owned by the business occupying the premises and any grid feed-in is more or less incidental. But ultimately, in all cases it is likely to be the responsibility of the building owner to pay for all repair costs. Nor is this maintenance problem confined to metal roofs. Tiled roofs also deteriorate, with ridge capping and metal valleys being the first to leak, followed by cracked tiles due to wind movement and bird damage. Bird damage? Yes, crows like to pick up white stones and carry them aloft and then drop them (thinking they are eggs). The most common result is damaged cars and broken tiles. Finding a leak in a tiled roof can be nightmare, especially if it has insulation installed. A second point of concern is the risk of electrocution to fire-fighters from solar panel installations. An acquaintance of mine, when he heard about fire-fighters’ concerns, ridiculed them because “solar panels only put out about 12V don’t they?”. When I pointed out that a typical installation produced well over 300V DC and that 300V DC is far more dangerous than 300VAC, he was dumbfounded. In fact, fire-fighters have experienced severe shocks – just because the panel isolators may be open, they are still able to generate high and dangerous voltages. Those voltages are also recognised to be extremely hazardous to anyone climbing on to their roof to escape rising floodwater. And what about anyone who might want to wash dirt off their panels or to clear out accumulated leaf debris – important if you live in a bushfire prone area? So why aren’t there warning signs on every roof which has solar panels? Finally, one also has to consider the life of the inverter and the solar panels themselves. Solar panels slowly become less efficient as time passes and inverters do fail – we have already featured service stories about inverters that were no longer repairable and with parts that were difficult to source. How much worse will these problems be in the future? To summarise, solar panels are not without drawbacks. So if you are considering a solar roof installation, take off the rose-tinted glasses and think about those disadvantages. Leo Simpson, Publisher siliconchip.com.au