HawthorneVillager.com

Good to see that there is some interest in solar power here!
Yes, Deep, you're right, you get a rate of 80.2 cents for systems of UP TO 10 kW, so smaller ones still get the same rate.
And the 5% return is on our example, where you have to pay 4% for the mortgage you're taking the money from. If you are able to invest the 40K WITHOUT having to take on a loan, then your return all of a sudden goes up to somewhere around 15%, I guess that sounds better, no?

The maintenance costs are actually not that high, considering the solar modules are practically maintenance free and normally come with a 25 year manufacturer's warranty. The only part that (most likely) will NOT LAST through the whole 20year term of your contract with Hydro is the inverter. They normally have a lifetime of around 10years, meaning you have to replace them once or even twice during the 20years. To be prepared for that, we normally recommend to put a relatively small amount aside per month, in our example for the 5kW System it's roughly $16 per month.

Now for even better news: You don't need any batteries for our systems! They are GRID-CONNECTED solar systems, which means that you feed the power from the solar panels into the Hydro-grid and get paid for that. This is a cost-advantage, because normally the batteries are a very expensive part of the overall system.

Hopefully our answers help you and you come closer to a decision regarding a solar system!

I think to invest 40k into Solar with a ROI of 15% is pretty good.My bank wouldnt even give me 3%.

For the Solar you get a seperate meter.
You wanna feed everything to the grid because you get paid 80 cent/kwh.
You still buy your own power,paying maybe 8 or 10 cent/kwh.
After the 20 year contract is finished you can use the solar installation to feed your own house.Then you still have 5 years warranty left on your modules.And in 20 years from now,hydro will be probably 5 or 10 times more as what it is now.
A 10KW system would be 75k.We charge 7500$/KW.

Deep,
in this case the square-footage of the house doesn't matter that much, it's only the area on your roof that's facing south that matters!
For a 5kW installation you are already looking at 22 panels, so a 10kW system is double!
Like I said, the real costs I can probably give to you at a later point. And you're right, it's for sure not minimum wage. As a starting point, take whatever hourly rate the guy charges that installs the dish on your roof, that should be a comparable technician.

Another question...

Is the 80.2 cents/kwh rate (or more if taking into consideration inflation) guaranteed over the next 20-25 years? Will the government always be offering a higher rate for solar technologies?