At the start of 2014, solar PV system prices are up in Canberra and steady in other capital cities, except among 1.5kW solar systems. Although included for all other cities as per usual, pricing data for Tasmania is under review for the new year, and consequently has been left out of this month’s graphs and charts.
Average prices by solar system size and location
All prices in the table below are inclusive of the federal STC discount.
Solar system prices for January 2014: $/W averages, highs & lows
With Tasmania left out of the calculations, Melbourne is now home to the highest average system prices in the country. Sydney and Perth are as usual home to the lowest averages, while Perth has the the lowest prices (in absolute terms) of any of the cities included.
About STCs
STCs accounted for a discount of approximately 72c per watt (W) for Zone 3 cities (Sydney, Canberra, Perth, Adelaide, and Brisbane), whilst this discount was around 58c/W for Melbourne.
Solar system components
The table below contains the brands of components used in each of the cities included in installer pricing details.
| City | Panel brands used | Inverter brands used |
| Adelaide, SA | ReneSola, Hanover, Q-Cells, Munchen, BenQ/AU Optronics, Sun-Earth | SolarMax, SMA, Power-One Aurora, Fronius, Growatt, EnaSolar, Samil, Delta |
| Brisbane, QLD | ReneSola, Perlight, Canadian, Q-Cells, ZNshine, DaQo, EC Solar, REC, LG, Seraphim, Hanover | SolarMax, JFY, Eltek, SMA, Samil, Sharp, iEnergy, Growatt, Power-One Aurora, Zever, Fronius |
| Canberra, ACT | ReneSola, Q-Cells | SolarMax, Growatt, Fronius, Power-One Aurora, Samil |
| Melbourne, VIC | Trina, ReneSola, Q-Cells, Phono Solar, BenQ/AU Optronics, SolarWorld, Ulica, Yingli | SolarMax, Power-One Aurora, Latronics, Samil, Growatt, Fronius, SMA, Enphase |
| Sydney, NSW | Conergy, Hanover, ReneSola, Trina, Munchen, Phono Solar, Yingli, Jinko, GermanSolar | SMA, Power-One Aurora, Growatt, SolarMax, Sungrow, Fronius, Delta, Samil |
| Perth, WA | GY, DaQo, Hanover, Yingli, REC | JFY, Sharp, Growatt, GoodWe, SMA, Power-One Aurora |
Average monthly solar PV system prices to date
About this data
Tables and charts included in this article were compiled using data from Solar Choice’s installer network database, which contains regularly-updated pricing and product details from over 125 solar installation companies across Australia. Prices do not ordinarily incorporate meter installation fees or additional costs for difficult installations. The discount available to Solar Choice customers is also excluded from calculations, as are prices for ‘premium’ installer offerings.
About Solar Choice
Solar Choice is a solar PV installation and advice service based in Sydney, NSW, providing free Solar Quote Comparisons for residential solar customers Australia-wide. Solar Choice’s commercial wing, Solar Choice Commercial, manages tenders for medium- to large-scale solar projects for a wide range of clients. Solar Choice also develops large-scale and utility-scale solar projects of its own.
© 2014 Solar Choice Pty Ltd
He is now the communications manager for energy technology startup SwitchDin, but remains an occasional contributor to the Solar Choice blog.
James lives in Newcastle in a house with a weird solar system.
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