Well dear reader, it’s been determined by the inverter manufacturer Fronius that it is cactus and needs a replacement. It wasn’t something that could have been mended, which was disappointing to say the least.
Something else that’s come to light is that due to electrical regulations for solar PV systems, the isolation switches have to be replaced. As well as that, due to the inverter being completely replaced, the system has to be inspected again.
So here’s the quote by Energy Matters (aka SunEdison);
| Item | Cost (incl. GST) |
| 1x Fronius Galvo 3.0 Light | $1881.00 |
| 4x DC Isolators | $933.97 |
| 1x Earth Fault Alarm | $7.24 |
| 1x Label Kit | $79.21 |
| Service (labour, shipping & installation) | $385.00 |
| Site Inspection | $140.00 |
| Total | $3426.42 |
A fair bit out of pocket, and I estimate that it will need at least 3½ years of operation to pay itself back. Not too bad, but it was certainly not an expense I expected after only 9 years of operation.
Installation day September 2007.
I will have to draw down on my mortgage to pay for it, so that means I have to work longer to pay it off. Swings and roundabouts I suppose because it has been due to our very low electricity bills since 2007 that we’ve been able to pay down our debt rapidly in the first place.
The only way to proceed is forward, so I’ve asked the work to proceed. Once the installation starts, I’ll give you another update. Hopefully nothing else goes wrong in the process.
Make sure you get some other quotes. Our original system was from Energy Matters, and they were quite competitive. When I got quotes for an additional system they were right at the top end of the quotes. I think being corporate owned (by a failing company) has put a lot of pressure on them to have higher margins.
Good advice, thanks Stephen.
My first comment was a four-letter word. My second would have been to ask if you had other quotes, but I see the first commenter has beaten me to it. Not looking forward to having my inverter fail as it probably will one day! Will be interesting to see how satisfied you are with the company doing the replacement.
Hi Bev, got a second quote about the same. So far this company’s communication has been good.
It is disappointing to have this sort of expense after only 9 years. I just went and checked our paperwork (handed over by the previous owners) and our system is 8 years old. Fingers crossed it will last a lot longer. Ours is a Latronics inverter and they are made on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. The company has been around for years in case anyone is interested.
Indeed. It was a very unexpected expense. Lantronics is a reliable brand and at least they offer good support.
We recently installed a whole 3kw system for less than that.
Yes, I agree Megan, however it was with the assistance of the Solar Credits program in the form of Renewable Energy Certificates.
With this repair, there is no such financial assistance.
Is the inverter battery-ready? for when you may want to add batteries?
Or have you considered upsizing the inverter? if your system isn’t covering your use now and you want to add panels later.
Both good questions Sarah. I’ve thought about both and came to this conclusion. By the time my premium FIT runs out and considering how long it took for this one to die, I will just replace it or bolt on an island unit. Unfortunately I cannot upsize the inverter as that would disqualify me from the Premium FIT which is worth more than hedging my bets for a future upgrade. Gav