Climate change or global warming and who did it?

[SPman]

Don't you get substantial subsidies when you buy/install Photovoltaic cells over there? (almost anywhere except NZ, I believe?)

There are subsidies, not as much now as when we bought our first 1.5kW unit, 4 yrs ago. Also, panel and inverter costs have dropped a lot. The subsidies are probably responsible for the one and a half million households that have installed solar over here in the last 5 yrs - and most of them are middle and lower income households. It's certainly hit the power companies peak spot price gouging, and they don't like it!

The Mad Monk is intent on disposing of all subsidies and incentives for renewables over here - he's convinced coal is the way forward.......

[Ocean1]

Our 4 Kw system cost around $7000. Now if they can just get the price of Lithium batteries down a bit more......

Bloke down the road has panels 22 yrs old which are still working fine - maybe a 5-6% drop on new.

Aye, a friend in Perth paid $8k for his 5Kw device a year ago.

And the same rig here at the time cost $18k.

Now, how much of that difference is subsidy and how much is the usual doubling of the price of anything headed for NZ I don't know.

I do know subsidies here don't work like they do there. When the subsidised insulation scheme was introduced here it was limited to material supplied through "licenced" installers. At which point the material cost for everyone else rose by precisely the value of the subsidy, and the price of the installation by the licenced installer was exactly the same as doing it yourself had been the year before. In short the licence holders pocketed the subsidy.

My sister, back in t' UK is getting panels fitted (at some point soon) when the new roof goes on and I believe that they're all but free.

You mean the price of the panels is paid by someone else.

[mashman]

You mean the price of the panels is paid by someone else.

If that's what a subsidy is, then yes.

[awa355]

Dont know about your place, but there was no global warming at my home today. Cold and wet.

I lit the fire tonight for the first time. I must ask the cat, dog #1, and dog#2 what it was like to stretch out on the floor in front of the firebox. The flames were nice to sit and watch, from across the room.