Meet up to 100% of your home’s electricity needs, virtually eliminating your electric bill

Reduce your carbon footprint and gain energy independence

Take advantage of federal, state and local incentives

Protect against increasing electricity costs

SunPower designs, manufactures and delivers the highest performing solar PV systems worldwide.

SunPower™ high-efficiency solar panels generate up to 50% more power than conventional panels

Our panels have an attractive appearance and blend naturally into the design of your home

Because we have the highest efficiency panels, our panels produce more energy per square metre, which means that you can maximise the surface area of your roof, which is great for constrained roof space due to shading or other factors.

In general, the cost is about $10,000 - $12,000 per kilowatt (kW). The average system size in Australia is around 1.5kW. System pricing is highly site specific. Some of the factors that can determine price include:

 

Size of your current electricity bill (and the amount you want to offset)

Location of your home

Shape and height of your roof

Roof accessibility

The various rebates and incentives that may apply

It is a great time to go solar, especially with the federal and state incentives currently available. These incentives allow you to offset initial installation costs and maximise your monthly savings. It is an objective of the Australian Government to increase the number of energy efficient homes and buildings. 

 

Federal Solar Credits programme

The Federal Government has announced that it will honour its commitment to grant owners of small systems a 5-times multiplier of the value of the renewable energy certificates (RECs) issued. This multiplier applies to the first 1.5kW of the system. At today's REC values, this means that a typical homeowner could receive an upfront cash payment of up to $5,500 to offset the cost of the system. Unlike the previous Solar Homes and Communities rebate, this programme is not 'means-tested.

 

How many RECs will I be entitled to?

Your entitlement will vary depending on your location in Australia and the size of your system. 

Find out more about this programme by visiting:   http://www.orer.gov.au/sgu/index.html#calc

 

State incentives

These vary from state to state but are consistent in the fact that they have been set up to reward solar users by saving them money. For example, depending on the state, utilities may offer a credit on a homeowner's bill for excess solar electricity provided to the utility but not used by the home. Such incentives make a solar investment even brighter.

 

For more information about state incentives, click here.

Permitting and liability issues normally prevent tenants from purchasing solar systems. Permission from the house owner would be required prior to installation.

You might be. You will need to own the roof and have your own electric meter. It is best to check with your local building jurisdiction authority.

A customer representative will contact you within two business days for a quick solar pre-qualification. The representative will refer you to the SunPower partner in your area who will then contact you within five business days to schedule an on-site evaluation.

A SunPower partner is a professional retailer/installer of SunPower residential systems who meets our stringent qualification standards. These standards include comprehensive training, number of systems installed, high scoring on random system inspections and top-level ratings on customer satisfaction surveys.

Net metering describes the regulatory ability to earn credit for any electricity you generate with your solar system in excess of the power you are consuming at the same time. Exact provisions vary with each state, but the effect is to allow you to generate excess power during the day to use at night.

Gross metering is the regulatory ability to earn credit for ALL of the energy generated from renewable sources such as solar, normally at a higher price than the prevailing retail cost of electricity. This is also referred to as a Gross Feed-in Tariff. Again, exact provisions vary with each state, but the general effect is that solar becomes very financially attractive and will drive good returns on your solar investment.

Net metering only covers the electricity portion of your utility bill.

SunPower only provides residential solar systems that can be installed by our authorised partners.

Yes. Your partner can offer you a solution for installing a SunPower system on a tile roof. Please schedule a consultation with a SunPower partner to find out more.

In certain situations, a non-roof installation, such as a ground-mount system, can be designed. You can discuss this with your partner during the initial solar assessment phase.

Your partner will handle all permitting issues related to the installation of a solar system on your property.

The actual on-site installation only takes a couple of days and does not result in any inconvenience or disruption to your life. The installation process can, however, take up to six months if the installation requires incentives and permitting to be approved. Our partners are expertly trained at navigating the administration process and limiting delays.

With very few moving parts, a solar system is relatively maintenance free. An occasional cleaning of panels ensures optimal performance.

No. While the panels are made of tempered glass, they are strong, durable and robust. They are tested against extreme weather conditions and pass all tests, including hail.

Your SunPower solar system can last for a long time and you won’t have to worry about spending extra money for maintenance. In fact, SunPower solar panels have a 25-year power output warranty which is the best in the industry and a 10-year warranty on the panels and workmanship. We offer inverter warranties of up to 10 years.

Energy conservation systems and renewable energy sources are likely to add value to a home. Surveys have shown that for every $1,000 saved per year, $20,000 may be added to a home's value. Solar energy can be one of the best home improvement investments you make.

When certain semi-conducting materials, such as certain kinds of silicon, are exposed to sunlight, they release small amounts of electricity. This process is known as the photoelectric effect. The photoelectric effect refers to the emission, or ejection, of electrons from the surface of a metal in response to light. This is the basic physical process in which a solar electric or photovoltaic (PV) cell converts sunlight into electricity. (All SunPower solar systems are PV-based.)

Sunlight is made up of photons, or particles of solar energy. Photons contain various amounts of energy, corresponding to the different wavelengths of the solar spectrum. When photons strike a PV cell, they can be reflected or absorbed, or they can pass right through. Only the absorbed photons generate electricity. When this happens, the energy of the photon is transferred to an electron in an atom of the PV cell (which is actually a semi-conductor).

With its newfound energy, the electron escapes from its normal position in an atom of the semi-conductor material and becomes part of the current in an electrical circuit. By leaving its position, the electron causes a hole to form. Special electrical properties of the PV cell—a built-in electric field—provide the voltage needed to drive the current through an external load (such as a light bulb).

SunPower uses monocrystalline silicon in its solar cells and panels. Monocrystalline is proven to be the most efficient at converting sunlight into energy when compared with other PV types such as polycrystalline and amorphous panels.