Welcome to MLEC Solar, Your Trusted Local Solar Company

A solar system is actually quite straightforward.

1. The solar panels installed on your roof consist of photovoltaic cells that capture sunlight and convert it into direct current (DC) electricity. This then gets sent to your inverter, which converts it into alternating current (AC) electricity—the kind that’s suitable for your home.
2. Your inverter is connected to both the electricity grid and your home, and sends the energy that your solar panels generate into your home electricity supply. If there’s no energy being generated, like at night or on a cloudy day, your inverter imports electricity from the grid instead. If you’ve generated excess energy that you’re not using, this gets fed back into the grid.
3. A bi-directional meter system measures the electricity you import from the grid and the excess energy your solar system exports. Much like a regular electricity connection, you then get billed for the grid electricity you used—minus any electricity you exported to the grid.
4. By generating your own electricity, you reduce your reliance on the power network, resulting in lower electricity bills. The savings build up over time, especially during sunny periods when your solar system produces more energy than you consume. Even better, the WA government offers a Distributed Energy Buyback Scheme, where eligible customers get paid a specific amount per kilowatt hour of electricity they export to the grid, which varies depending on the time of day.

If you’re installing a new solar system you’ll need approval from both Synergy and Western Power. We can manage these for you.

Once you’ve approved your quote, all you need to do is provide us with a Synergy bill. We’ll then send this off to Synergy, along with your system details, and they provide us with a reference number. We then send this to Western Power, along with your system design and details, to get their approval to connect your solar system to the electricity network.

How you pay for your solar system and installation all depends on how you prefer to handle your money and your cashflow.

We offer two payment options: paying outright and a financed option.

Paying outright means you have to have the funds available, which can range anywhere from $6,000 to $10,000.

Alternatively, we offer Buy Now Pay Later financing options in partnership with Bright, Humm, and Plenty. Simply choose your preferred provider and we can organise your payment plan with them.

With so many solar installation companies around at the moment, all promising different things, you want to make sure you’re making the right choice. There are some simple ways to tell a reputable solar company from a bad one:

• They have a physical presence at a local address, and you can actually visit them and discuss your solar needs in person. We recommend making a drive to their location too, just to make sure it’s actually legitimate.
• They have an electrical contractor’s license number. Unlicensed electrical work is dangerous and unsafe, and an electrical contractor’s license number means they have trained, qualified electricians performing your installation. Also, if anything dodgy occurs, you have recourse to report them to Energy Safety.
• They use an in-house installation team. This means there’s no outside relationship, and you’re working directly with the company itself—which again is ideal should anything not be quite right with your installation.
• They’re happy to come to your property to view your home and arrange a quote on-site. Pushing for a sale over the phone, without even viewing your property, is suspicious. While a good company may ask for a deposit, they won’t push for it: they prefer to let the quality of their work do the talking.
• They have some experience under their belt. Sure, you might have chosen a new company that’s just starting out, and that’s fine. But be sure to ask for a bit of information about their history and background. If there’s absolutely no available information about the company, it’s almost like they’re hiding something.
• Google reviews, and of course, good old-fashioned word-of-mouth

The physical difference between single-phase power and three-phase power lies in the number of electrical phases or circuits each one uses.

Single-phase power has just one live conductor and one neutral conductor, and supplies
240 volts of power—roughly the same power as a standard home powerpoint. Most households in Australia receive single-phase power.

Three-phase power has three live conductors and one neutral conductor, and can supply both 240 volt and 415 volts of power. This effectively provides three single-phase lines to the property, tripling the amount of power available. Most commercial and industrial properties have a three-phase power connection.

You can typically tell whether you have single- or three-phase power by looking at your switchboard. If your switchboard has a single pole main switch, you have single-phase power. If you have a three-pole main switch, you have three-phase power.

STCs (Small-scale Technology Certificates) are a government incentive aimed at promoting renewable energy adoption. They apply to small-scale solar systems, like the residential solar system that you’re getting installed.

STCs are essentially given out when you buy your solar system. The number of STCs generated depends on the size and location of your system.

Now, it’s not technically a Government rebate. What’s actually happening is the Government gets businesses in emissions-producing industries to buy STCs from solar energy generators— in this case, you. This money then goes towards lowering the cost of your system.

The government provides an STC calculator to estimate the number of certificates your new solar system will receive.

To actually receive your STCs, you don’t have to do anything. At MLEC Solar we can handle the paperwork for you to ensure you get the STC certificates, and savings, that you’re entitled to.