An 8kW solar energy system might be perfect for you if you want to save on electricity bills and help preserve the environment.
Energy independence protects you from rising electricity bills. To get the best value for your money, you need the right solar energy system based on your needs and consumption habits.
Does your home have higher-than-average energy needs?
An 8kW system could be a good solution. 8kW solar systems are becoming more popular as many homeowners explore the benefits of the extra capacity offered over a 5kW system.
8kW systems are affordable, reliable, and make solar energy more appealing than before for homeowners.
Here’s what you should know about 8kW solar systems.
Is an 8kW Solar Energy System the best option for you?
The Basics
- Price: ~ $7,500 – $11,200
- No. of panels: ~ 27
- Power output: 35 units/day
- Savings: ~ $300 – $505 per billing cycle
- Payback period: ~ 2.5 – 3.5 years
- Suitable for: large homes, electricity bills $500+ per billing cycle.
How much does an 8kW solar system cost?
The cost of an 8kW system ranges from $7,500 to $11,200. The quality of the components is important. Yes, you can buy a cheaper system, but it might cost you more in the long run.
Buying a good quality solar energy system will give you excellent returns, and consistent high performance.
Quality manufacturers always support their brands. The solar energy systems we sell are among the best in the world. They offer proven performance, even in the toughest Australian environments.
As installers, Trione Energy provides warranty support in Australia.
How big is an 8kW system?
A typical 8 kW solar energy system comes with 21-28 solar PV panels. Each panel is approximately 1.6 m × 1 m. So ideally, your roof should be 34-45 square metres in size.
How much electricity does an 8kW system produce?
You can expect an 8kW system to generate 35 kWh of electricity, on average, per day.
The actual power output will vary because of factors such as:
- Location
- Climate
- Shading of roof
- Roof pitch
- Solar panel orientation
- Tilt angle
The designers and technicians at Trione Energy know how to optimize an installation to make maximum use of the sunlight available in your area.
With the correct positioning and adjustments, you can get the most out of your system.
Remember, a good design and quality components are key factors in getting the most out of your solar system. Higher performance, consistent output, and longevity will deliver real value for your money in the long run.
What about savings?
With an 8kW system, the exact amount of savings will depend on:
- Your electricity consumption profile
- The amount of electricity you export
- As a guide, if your 8kW solar system operates optimally, you might save between $300 and $505 each billing cycle.
For optimal savings, you should:
- Install a high-quality 8kW system
- Consume as much self-generated electricity as you can
Average payback period
Expect the payback period to be within 2.5 to 3.5 years. But, you begin saving from the moment the system starts to generate electricity. In short, you will save and get a return on what you invested on the first day.
What kind of solar battery do you need for an 8kw system?
By choosing the right solar battery for your 8kw system you get help store excess energy generated by the solar panels during the daytime, which can be used later on when needed (e.g. during the evening or at night).
Additionally, a solar battery may help improve the overall efficiency of your solar system, as it can help to reduce wear and tear on your inverter.
Finally, depending on your specific needs and situation, a solar battery may offer financial savings by allowing you to use more of the energy generated by your solar system.
What size solar batteries and brands are recommended for an 8kW solar system?
There are a few things to consider when choosing solar batteries for an 8kW system.
The first is the capacity – you’ll want to choose batteries that can hold enough power to cover your needs.
Second is the cycle life – how many times can the battery be discharged and recharged before it needs to be replaced?
And finally, you’ll want to consider cost and warranty.
Which specific brands and models do we recommend?
Our top picks for the best-value solar battery to use with an 8kW solar system include:
10kW battery from GoodWe
- High-performance system
- An integrated solar inverter, battery charger, UPS
- 10-year warranty
10kW solar battery from Sonnen
- Predictive charging for optimal output
- Smartphone monitoring app
- 10-year warranty
13kW solar battery from Tesla
Depending on the energy required, it can be a great option.
- No exposed wires or hot vents
- Fully integrated inverter, charger, and UPS
- Monitoring app
- Resistant to all weather conditions
- 10-year warranty
Find Out More About 8kw Solar Battery Options
What type of home benefits most from an 8KW system?
Do you have a large home? Does it have a reverse-cycle air conditioning system? Do you have a pool? Do you normally expect to pay $500+ for each billing cycle?
If you answer yes, an 8KW system might be perfect for your needs.
8kW Solar System Price, Output and Savings
Today, 8kW solar energy systems are becoming popular due to their lower installation costs. Find out more about how installation costs have come down from NREL, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Price range: 8kW Solar energy System, 2021
Good 8kW systems start around $7,000-$8,000. That’s fully installed. This type of system will give you potential savings on your electricity bills of about $3400 each year.
What do you get?
A top-quality solar inverter (e.g. SMA Tri-Power inverter), high-performance premium solar PV panels (e.g. Trina Honey 370W modules), and full installation.
Can you buy cheaper?
Yes, but what you get is solar panels with lower performance and non-Australian based technical support. You may end up calling China!
With an 8KW solar energy system, there are 3 things you should optimize:
- Reliability
- Output
- System longevity
Investing a little more in a solar energy system with good quality components can lead to bigger savings over the lifecycle of the system.
We provide full technical and warranty support in Australia, for all the solar energy systems we install.
What about savings?
For a good quality 8KW system, you can expect to save up to $3,400 annually on electricity bills.
But to make savings of $850 on a 3-month electricity bill you need to consume a lot of electricity during daylight hours. In the region of 40 kWh per day during the summer months.
It’s worth investing $13,000 in a top-of-the-range 8KW solar energy system if you can optimize its use. You could expect to cover the cost within the first 5 years.
The output of an 8kW Solar System
What the experts say
The Clean Energy Council suggests an 8kW solar system in Melbourne will generate 32 kWh/day on average. Output will be greater in summer and lower in winter.
Typically, the peak output of an 8kW solar system will be around 6-7 kWh during the middle of the day. Peak output will vary depending on the weather. This is a good example of output across the day with a system of this size when there is patchy shade from clouds.
Some experts say that the CEC guidelines are conservative. They suggest that a top-of-the-range 8 KW solar energy system will give an even higher output.
What do I do if my system produces more electricity than I need?
Consider solar battery storage. You can store the excess energy, use it later, or export it to the grid.
8 kW Solar Energy System Output
Key numbers at a glance
- Rating: 8kW
- Number of Panels: 22 × 370W
- Output: 32 kWh/day, average
- Potential Savings: $700-$850 per billing cycle
- Average Payback Period: 3-5 years
- Cost: ~$7500 to ~$13000
- Finance repayments: around $200 a month (5-year term)
What factors affect how much money I can save?
The exact amount you can save with an 8 kW solar energy system depends on how much of the generated electricity you use.
Depending on the exact tariff you pay, you could save 22-28 cents/kWh, plus GST, on the solar energy you use in your home.
You also need to consider the feed-in tariff paid by your local electricity retailer. This might be 5-12 cents/kWh for the energy you export to the grid.
Taking the above into account, with an 8kW solar energy system, you could save ~$700 to ~$850 every 3 months.
How many solar panels are in an 8kW solar energy system?
Between 21-28 solar panels. The larger the system, the more important it is to buy quality solar panels. High-quality panels ensure you maximize reliability, output in variable weather conditions, and the useful lifespan of your system.
Another consideration is available roof space. By using high-efficiency 370W panels instead of standard 300W panels, you can get more energy from less space, and with fewer panels.
8kW Micro-Inverter System
Our expert team can design an 8kW solar array that maximizes solar output under all conditions.
The main benefit of micro-inverters:
- Each solar panel is independent
- Greater design flexibility for optimization
- Solar arrays can have different orientations
- Each array can be angle-independent
One common system configuration involves half the solar panels facing north and the other half facing west. This setup optimizes the electricity generated throughout the day.
The benefit of this design is that it makes it easier for you to use more of the power generated during the day.
There is an advantage to having west-facing panels if you pay for electricity based on ‘time of use’. It can be beneficial to get more solar energy each day when the sun is in the west. Why? Because rates between 2 pm and 8 pm are typically 50c/kWh.
In big residential systems, the solar panels in the centre of the solar array can become quite hot in summer. This is because the under-panel air flow is adversely affected, and less than needed for optimal performance.
When panels overheat, the output significantly reduces. To overcome this problem, we recommend installing micro-inverter technology so each panel is independently optimized.
8kW Solar System for a Home on Single-Phase Power
You can now install a solar system with greater capacity than 5kW, in some cases, even if your house uses single-phase power.
The latest solar inverters allow any excess electricity exported to the grid to be limited to within permitted levels. This avoids any need to limit your solar energy system to just 5kW.
8 kW Residential Solar Power System
This type of solar system is designed to generate around 32kW of power during daytime hours. It is suitable for a home with high daily electricity consumption, or small business operations.
Typical features:
- Smart-grid compatible
- Battery ready
- Monitoring of electricity generated
- Monitoring of consumption
We can custom design your 8kW system to meet your exact needs, based on:
- Roof area available
- Budget
- Daily electricity consumption
We can help you save money by building your 8kW system using our range of high-quality solar panels and solar power inverters.
Solar Panels
- LG Mono X2 300W
- LG NeOn2 325W and NeONR 360W.
Get more from smaller roofs.
Solar Inverters
- Fronius Symo 3-phase or
- Primo 1-phase inverter
- SMA Inverter
- SolarEdge Inverter
- Enphase Micro-inverter
Other components
- Rack systems for all types of roofs
- Real-time monitoring: energy generation/consumption
Residential solar systems don’t come much bigger than 10 kilowatt (kW) capacity in Australia.
A 10kW system generates more solar energy than most Australian households can consume, without battery storage.
But an 8kW system might be a better choice than the popular 5kW systems many homes use. Especially if your home has higher-than-average electricity consumption.
The cost of installing a solar energy system is now more affordable than ever. More Australians now choose to install solar systems with a capacity bigger than 5kW, such as 8kW systems.
8kW Solar Systems: Factors Affecting Power output
Power output from an 8kW solar system will depend on several factors:
- System location
- Local climate
- Orientation and tilt angle of panels
- Shading
- Potential for panel overheating
- Capacity and quality of solar inverter used
- Performance of inverter, panels, and other components
The most important of the above is – the hours of average daily sunlight available where you live.
The solar industry measures this using a metric called the Peak Sun Hour (PSH).
What is PSH?
The answer: 1 PSH = 60 minutes of full sunlight.
When the sun moves across the sky, the strength of sunlight it emits over a specific location will vary. In most places, the sunlight intensity is weaker in the morning. It reaches its peak (full sunlight) at midday and then becomes weaker again in the afternoon.
Feed-in Tariffs in Australia
Nowadays, state-based feed-in tariffs for solar electricity are less important than before. The high tariffs offered were originally the main reason to adopt solar energy. But, now, in most Australian states, feed-in tariffs have become minimal or voluntary.
Electricity retailers are not obligated to pay you, or pay you much less than before, for the excess electricity you export to the grid. That’s why you need to understand how you can optimize your system to use as much of the solar energy it produces as possible.
So now your focus should be: maximizing self-consumption of the solar energy you generate.
Why should you maximize the self-consumption of solar energy?
You should use as much of the energy generated by your system as possible. By doing so, you will save the largest amount on your regular electricity bills.
Here’s why. It might cost you 18-27c/kWh to buy electricity from your supplier depending on where you live. Not optimizing your system for self-consumption and exporting excess electricity to the grid costs much more.
The feed-in tariff rates in most Australian states are now very low, the best being around 10c/kWh. So it makes sense to use all the solar electricity you generate, if you can, or maybe store any excess.
Each kWh of self-generated electricity you use in your home is one kWh less you need to buy from your local electricity supplier.
How can I optimize self-consumption?
To ensure you optimize your consumption of self-generated electricity, there are 2 steps:
1. Install the right size of system for your home and electricity needs.
2. Understand your consumption profile. How and when do you use the most electricity? Then optimize your use of electricity accordingly, based on your system.
Do I Need an 8kW Solar System?
If you are likely to benefit from an 8kW system, depends on various things.
For example:
- Do you run a small business? Commercial electricity consumers that use 30.8kWhs to 48.3kWhs daily would benefit most from installing an 8kW system. Doing this will reduce your regular electricity bills.
- Do you have a large family home? Do you consume more than 35-40 kWh of electricity daily?
Then an 8Kw solar energy system would be a good investment. It will save you money quickly by providing you with free renewable solar energy to use for decades to come.
Find out how Trione Energy’s solar energy solutions can help you save money on your electricity bills and become energy independent.
Our experts will be happy to help you understand if an 8kW solar photovoltaic energy system is a good choice for your home/business.