REC onstruct
REC: Renewables Empowering Communities
In the wake of the devastation caused by the bushfires that tore through Australia last summer, REC – with the support of many partners – has developed a program to fund solar power systems and installations in these communities. The REConstruct program supplies not-for-profit community organisations such as schools, sporting clubs, community hubs and emergency services with premium REC Alpha solar panels and inverters as they rebuild – fully installed, at no cost.
The first organisation to benefit was a school in East Gippsland, Victoria. Clifton Creek Primary School, a tiny school of 14 students, was completely destroyed in the fires. Planning for the rebuild is already advanced, and the new school will source its energy from REC solar panels. The initiative will reduce the school’s annual running costs as well as give it greater independence from the grid.
Rebuilding with clean solar energy is a fitting response to the damage to the environment: overall, the fires burnt more than 12.6 million hectares of land and emitted 434 million tonnes of CO2.
REC regularly donates solar panels to community projects worldwide. From remote communities in Himalaya, to low-income families in Detroit, US, REC is helping to empower people worldwide through solar energy. We are proud to take this support to bushfire-impacted communities in Australia.
You can read more about the REConstruct program here.
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 Dicky Beach rooftop 2 |
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 Cooroy rooftop 2 |
 Skilled Team rooftop install |
 Rooftop - Packer Rd |
 Spiller rooftop |
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 Atkins Rooftop Arial |
Solar Rebates
Queensland Government Solar Feed-in Tariffs
When your solar system is producing excess power, this is exported back to the electricity grids for use across the network. You are rewarded for providing that electricity through feed-in tariffs from energy retails which vary depending on the provider.
There is no legislated market rate but the retailers are in competition so the tariff rates do sit around market value. This is called the market feed-in tariff and it is taken off your electricity bill by your retailer.
Small-scale Technology Certificates in Queensland
These small-scale technology certificates are available for solar energy and are issued by the Federal Government as a form of a rebate. This is a way that you can receive rebates for solar energy technologies to be installed on your home so that you can save money – an incentive to get more people to invest in solar technologies.
The value of these certificates vary and the amount of certificates you receive for installing solar systems also varies depending on which part of Queensland you are living in.
Solar Warranties - know what's covered
In less than 10 years over 700 solar companies (Courier Mail 16 September 2019) have gone bankrupt, leaving many solar owners in the dark when it comes to warranties. These ‘cowboy’ operators used inferior panels and left shonky installations in their wake. Unfortunately, some of these operators have reopened under a new business name so it’s best to do your homework when selecting a company for your solar installation to secure the warranty of the system.
If the manufacturer of the solar products supplied is no longer in business or Australia, it is up to the company who installed your system to replace any faulty equipment under the warranty. There are two types of warranty - a performance warranty and product warranty. A performance warranty can last up to 25 years (or possibly longer), but it considers the effect of ageing on a panel. This means the expected performance will reduce in a tiered manner over the warranty period.
We at SC Solar only use quality products from well-known and supported suppliers with global backing. So, don’t pay by price and pay twice, make sure your solar installation and solar products are quality guaranteed.