Solar Panels.

[Leinster Lad]

I am seeing 5kw systems being sold there in the Philippines, but they say you need to email them for the cost of the kit. Let me know if you run in to any decent systems in the 3kw to 5kw range. Got to start out small!

Hi Ron,
Here in Perth, a mid/high quality 5kW system, fully installed is about $7500  ( PHP300,000 )
Systems are normally "oversized".
This means that it is common to put 6kW or 7kW of panels on a 5kW inverter. I have 5.7kW on a 5kW inverter.

You can see my system live..... here   http://pvoutput.org/intraday.jsp?id=2894&sid=2217

( 5kW inverter is the maximum size allowed in Australia )


Now, i know that things are different in the Philippines....... but that should give you an idea.

Panels mainly come out of China, so shipping to the Philippines should be cheaper than shipping them down here.
Inverters are the same, China or Malaysia or Taiwan. The best ones ( SMA ) come out of Germany.
Labour (installation ) is definitely cheaper in the Philippines.

I do believe that there is a massive market for soalr in the Philippines, if only people are not so obsessed with ripping people off.
The government and power companies ( Meralco ) certainly are not helping due to the fact that they really have no idea what is going on.
Even though there were laws passed on this very subject over 4 years ago.........
Maybe the power companies are scared of losing income if people become self-sufficient ?

[lelang1130]

HI  Leinster Lad, thanks for your thoughts. Will tell my brother. I'm no techy person just like you^^ I let my brother handle all this matter....I don't know how my bro does this things with an inverter but I do have confidence in him because we had been using solar panel now in my hometown for the past few months. Solar panels nowadays had cut down its prices dramatically. A 75 watts solar panel used to cost Ph8,000 but now prices has gone down to Php4,000 (made in Germany) and you can find them in Raon, Quiapo.

Hi Ronnsb, great job on your girl! Installing solar panel is a must nowadays for places that usually runs out of electricity/black out just like my hometown in Camarines Sur! Please let us know how well things are doing once your solar panel has been installed.

Hi Art, believe me I know how expensive they are that's why I need my few months salary saved just to be able to install one in my apartment. I'm no rich woman but I seriously consider long term savings. If you guys need any help with a solar panel, I can have my bro speak with you or help in any way.

[fred]

Tell him to look in CDR king.. The prices of panels seem to have gone up a bit but an 80 watt panel is now about 3,200..
Ive seen some pretty good reviews about them online from people that have had them for a couple of years.

Hi Shewmake,

I will check with my brother as he's the one who installed our solar panel and I'll get back to you with details including costing :-) The only info I can give is our additional 75watts solar panel which we purchased in Raon, Quiapo two weeks ago costed us Php4,000 but because we already have existing solar panel in our house back in Cam Sur, we did not buy inverter and battery anymore.

[lelang1130]

Panels from CDR are china made. My bro prefers Made in Germany due to quality.

[Art, just a re(tired) Fil-Am]

Hi Art, believe me I know how expensive they are that's why I need my few months salary saved just to be able to install one in my apartment. I'm no rich woman but I seriously consider long term savings. If you guys need any help with a solar panel, I can have my bro speak with you or help in any way.

I'm a retired aircraft technician by trade for 30 yrs and if only I was 20-30 yrs younger, it wouldn't be a problem for me to install our own solar powered system in our home here in the Philippines, but since I am no longer able to do manual labor anymore, I guess we just have to forego with the solar powered system, unless they come down in price for parts and labor during my lifetime! 

[Art, just a re(tired) Fil-Am]

To add to my OP, I have nothing against solar powered systems, far from it! For me, it's the cost of renovating our home, because I still want to construct a terrace out in back with a trellis with adjustable solar panel arrays on top of the trellis!
Just imagine how much we would have to spend on constructing a terrace approximately 20ft x 60ft and trellis just slightly smaller than that with solar panel arrays on top at the entire back yard of our home with a view without any obstructions? I would roughly estimate it at over $40,000!
Our little home here in Sta Rosa, Laguna NCR of Luzon back in 1999 cost us about $70,000 (including our little lot of only 187 sq. meters) to build our home from scratch from start to finish in only 6 months, since our home is of a prefabricated construction building method with a Spanish style tile roof made from molded cement! 
So in other words, construction cost has risen about 40% since 1999, but it's still in the back recesses of my mind of the possibilities to still construct our future plan for a terrace, trellis and a solar powered system all at the same time, but within our budget and possibly during my lifetime! Anyways, It's all in the planning when one is still young and earning a good living to afford it to reap their investment after 5 to 7 years and or out of necessity in one's area with constant power outages! 
I just don't want to break into our piggy bank just yet, but we'll see in a few more years from now to determine if it will still be a go ahead signal!

I couldn't find an actual similar design of our purposed terrace construction with a trellis and solar panels, but the below pics should to do to get an idea of what we want constructed in our back yard attached to our home:

Example of the trellis I want to be on top of our purposed terrace construction
http://tinyurl.com/o9noe39

My purposed similar solar panel array arrangement on top of the trellis
http://tinyurl.com/lctemrd
 

[ronnsb]

I am seeing 5kw systems being sold there in the Philippines, but they say you need to email them for the cost of the kit. Let me know if you run in to any decent systems in the 3kw to 5kw range. Got to start out small!

Hi Ron,
Here in Perth, a mid/high quality 5kW system, fully installed is about $7500  ( PHP300,000 )
Systems are normally "oversized".
You can see my system live..... here   
Maybe the power companies are scared of losing income if people become self-sufficient ?

I saw your stats...cool! And yes, I agree about the oversizing. I will be in the Philippines in Feb of next year and I will look into solar and pricing. My main job will be to get my girl on the internet, so we can save about $150 (PHP6,570) per month in communicating with each other!

You are probably right about them losing money if too many people start installing solar!

[ronnsb]

Hi Ronnsb, great job on your girl! Installing solar panel is a must nowadays for places that usually runs out of electricity/black out just like my hometown in Camarines Sur! Please let us know how well things are doing once your solar panel has been installed.

Thanks Lelang! I'm so proud of her taking on the initiative to do this! They have not had power in most of her brgy (close to Tapaz) since the typhoon last November, and just to get even a little bit of power would help. I am going to have to look up where your hometown is. I plan on being in Iloilo next Feb and I may have questions for your bro. I will definitely let you know when her system is up and running.

[iamjames]

Here's a wonderful Solar Powered idea being availed of to utilise used Telephone Kiosks in the UK. It is designed to recharge Cellphones etc. as a short term solution - and is solar powered. When they get the new faster charger systems developed it will only take 3 mins to charge a phone.