G’day! In the heart of Victoria, Ballarat stands as a prime spot for giving off-grid solar systems a fair go. With our long, grey winters, getting enough sun to power our homes is a bit of a struggle. To tackle this, we’ve been beefing up our solar panel setups, aiming for a setup that can go the distance without needing a backup generator. But, fair dinkum, it’s a tough gig.

Take, for example, a local setup just a stone’s throw from Ballarat – a whopping 50kW off-grid system. The household chews through about 80kWh a day, meaning the solar panels need to work overtime. Despite this, the system’s generator still needs to kick in for about 10% of the year’s power needs. With a 67kWh battery bank, they’ve got enough juice to last a day, but it’s a close call.

For those dreaming of ditching the generator, you’d need to seriously upsize your solar and battery setup. But for a typical Ballarat household using around 16kWh daily, getting a system that can handle the load without breaking the bank is a fair dinkum possibility. It’s all about finding the right balance to keep your home powered up, even when the skies are as grey as a wombat’s whiskers.