Solar Panels Northern Rivers NSW

About the Northern Rivers

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The Northern Rivers of New South Wales is one of the most beautiful parts of Australia. With unspoiled beaches, beautiful hinterland rainforests, lots of sun, and a population passionate about sustainability, it’s easy to see why Northern Rivers residents love renewable energy like solar panels and batteries.

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Geographically, the Northern Rivers region stretches from in-between Grafton and Coffs Harbour in the south, to Tweed Heads in the north, and as far west as Kyogle, Casino, and Lismore. The Northern Rivers is mostly east of the great dividing range, and also features the most eastern point of the Australian mainland - the popular town of Byron Bay.

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We are Northern Rivers locals and proud to install high quality solar panels, batteries, and EV chargers throughout the whole region.

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The Northern Rivers Climate and Solar Installations

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The Northern Rivers has a mild subtropical climate, even though it sometimes doesn’t feel that mild with very hot and humid days in the summer months! As the name Northern Rivers suggests, the area is known for its many rivers which originate from the stunning mountain ranges in the west. These rivers add lots of moisture to the atmosphere, and when combined with the abundant heating from plenty of sun plus moist air masses originating from the ocean, severe storms and rain events can result.

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Such storms are common particularly throughout the wetter months of January through February, with flooding sometimes occurring.  This means that particular care needs to be taken during installation to ensure your solar or battery system can withstand lots of rain and wind, or in the case of flooding events, components like the inverter and battery are mounted as high as practically possible.

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Our team are Northern Rivers locals and know first-hand the importance of particular system design and installation care to withstand our unique weather events and protect your investment.

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What Types of Solar and Battery Systems Are Popular in the Northern Rivers?

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As many Northern Rivers locals embraced solar panels relatively early compared to the rest of the country, we see a diverse range of clients from people that want to go fully off-grid through to those who have an old solar system that is due for replacement, and everything in between.

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Grid-connected battery installations are also steadily growing in popularity in the Northern Rivers as those clients who have an existing solar system in decent condition look to protect themselves from falling feed-in tariffs and blackouts, which are somewhat common in certain parts of the region.

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There are also some small pockets of the Northern Rivers where new housing estates are being built. Most of these houses have large roofs and air conditioning, if not a pool as well. Many of these new build homeowners are choosing to have a larger-sized solar and battery system installed to be as close to grid-independent as possible.

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What Rules Apply to Having Solar and Battery Systems Installed in the Northern Rivers?

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The distributor (or DNSP) that owns/operates the poles and wires in the Northern Rivers is Essential Energy. Whilst they’re not the company you buy your electricity from (that’s your electricity retailer), they do approve or reject the applications that come through from homeowners to connect a solar or battery system to the grid. You must get permission to connect before the system is installed.

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Certain sized solar systems over 6.6kW may require export limiting, which is where Essential Energy limits the amount of energy you can feed back to the grid. This depends on the supply to your home (single, two, or three phase) as well as where you’re located in Essential Energy’s service area.

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Fortunately, we’re very experienced in dealing with Essential Energy. Our team will take care of all of the paperwork hassles for you to get your solar system safely and legally connected to the grid so you can start enjoying your savings quicker.

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There's no DA or council approval requirements to install solar in the Northern Rivers.

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What Rebates or Incentives Exist for Solar or Battery Installations in the Northern Rivers?

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For new solar system installations on the Northern Rivers, you'll likely be eligible as a Zone 3 household for the Australian Government’s Small Scale Technology Certificates (STC) solar incentive. This incentive is generous and can total many thousands of dollars, depending on the size of the system you're having installed.

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As part of our consultation process, we’ll calculate exactly how much the STC solar incentive is for your system and it will be clearly stated on your proposal. We then offer this to you as an upfront discount and claim the money back from the government later.