From the category archives:

What are the right solar PV cells for you?

SunPower Solar Panels: The world-leader in efficiency

October 6, 2011
Thumbnail image for SunPower Solar Panels: The world-leader in efficiency

The world record for solar panel efficiency goes to SunPower‘s solar panels: 24% cell efficiency (sunlight  –> usable electricity in laboratory conditions) and 19.6% conversion efficiency (sunlight –> usable electricity in real-life conditions) with the SunPower E19 / 320W solar modules. SunPower prides itself in its hard-earned reputation for world-leading technology and excellent customer service. [...]

Read the full article →

Off-grid solar power system in Sydney’s Western Suburbs

September 27, 2011
Thumbnail image for Off-grid solar power system in Sydney’s Western Suburbs

Nev and Linda Sweeney have been living on their 500-square-meter suburban plot in Sydney’s St Clair Suburb since the early 1980s, and have been trying to live sustainably using the resources on their land for almost just as long. Their approach includes innovative energy generation and efficiency strategies (including off-grid as well as grid-connected solar [...]

Read the full article →

Electricity price comparisons: Choosing a retailer

September 19, 2011
Thumbnail image for Electricity price comparisons: Choosing a retailer

You’re interesting in bringing your home into the 21st century by going solar. Great. This is not likely a decision that you’ll make lightly. Calculating what size solar system your household needs and deciding which type of panels are right for you will at some point involve looking at what electricity pricing and billing options [...]

Read the full article →

Q-Cells Q.Pro and Q.Smart Solar Panels: Yes, the “Q” stands for “Quality”

September 16, 2011
Thumbnail image for Q-Cells Q.Pro and Q.Smart Solar Panels: Yes, the “Q” stands for “Quality”

Q-Cells solar modules are some of the most innovative and reliable solar systems in the world; the Germany company believes that “Claiming Leadership Means Proving It”, and the “Q” in the company’s name boldly stands for ‘quality’. A number of features of Q-Cells’ solar panels (including their Q.Pro G-2 and Q.Smart panels) support their claim [...]

Read the full article →

Conergy Solar Panels: Reliable German-Engineered Technology

August 24, 2011
Thumbnail image for Conergy Solar Panels: Reliable German-Engineered Technology

Conergy is one of the world’s most reliable names in all things solar, including high-end, high-efficiency monocrystalline solar panels. The Hamburg, Germany-based company has been in the solar power industry since 1998, and in addition to manufacturing solar modules, also produces grid-connected and off-grid solar inverters, performance monitoring systems, batteries, and battery charge controllers. Conergy Australia [...]

Read the full article →

SilexSolar SLX Panels: Australian solar power

July 19, 2011
Thumbnail image for SilexSolar SLX Panels: Australian solar power

Silex is Australia’s leading home-grown solar panel manufacturing brand, offering 3 sizes of solar panel–all assembled at Silex’s Sydney Olympic Park facility, the largest solar panel manufacturing plant in the southern hemisphere. In a market where the vast majority of panels are imported, Silex is an easy choice for those who want to support Australian industry. The most [...]

Read the full article →

Desert Knowledge Solar Centre: Solar Panel Performance Comparisons

July 19, 2011
Thumbnail image for Desert Knowledge Solar Centre: Solar Panel Performance Comparisons

If you are looking for a direct comparison between different or competing brands of solar panels in Australia, you would be wise to visit the Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre. With funding from the Australian Government and oversight and management by the Northern Territory Government, the DKA Solar Centre is an initiative that has been [...]

Read the full article →

Suntech Solar Panels: efficiency, dependability, and affordability

July 18, 2011

Suntech is the largest manufacturer of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules and produces some of the most efficient and affordable commercially available solar panels in the world. Suntech’s 350-person strong research and development (R&D) team spans three continents and allows the company to stay at the technological forefront of the solar power industry. Although Suntech’s head office [...]

Read the full article →

Solar PV Windows: BIPV Technology by Pythagoras Solar

July 15, 2011
Thumbnail image for Solar PV Windows: BIPV Technology by Pythagoras Solar

As it currently stands with most buildings, the sun’s light is often a burden, especially in summer, when it heats up exteriors and necessitates energy to be spent on cooling.  Pythagoras Solar is a company that has created an innovative building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) technology that could revolutionise the way that buildings generate and use energy. This [...]

Read the full article →

The other type of solar power: Concentrating solar power (CSP)

May 7, 2011
Thumbnail image for The other type of solar power: Concentrating solar power (CSP)

  When most people think of solar power, they imagine solar photovoltaics, the technology whereby sunlight is turned directly into (dc) electricity via the p-n junction of a semiconductor material, such as silicon. In fact, in Australia, most solar installations are this type–the solar panels used in most residential solar installs are either poly-crystalline silicon, [...]

Read the full article →

MIT produces glass-like solar photovoltaic cells

April 20, 2011
Thumbnail image for MIT produces glass-like solar photovoltaic cells

A potentially major breakthrough for the future of solar photovoltaic power has been achieved at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): organic solar cells that are transparent for visible light, but which collect infrared radiation for electrical power production. This promising technology could offer savings on construction costs as well as operational costs (i.e. less [...]

Read the full article →

Flexible Thin-film Solar photovoltaics

April 13, 2011

In a previous Solar Choice blog entry, Prateek Chourdia wrote about some emerging trends in the future of photovoltaic solar technology, including thin-film solar power. This entry will summarise some of the salient points regarding thin-film technologies, otherwise known as flexible photovoltaics, and discuss their possible future direction. Blog this! Digg this post Recommend on [...]

Read the full article →

How to install a solar panel mounting system on your roof

April 12, 2011
Thumbnail image for How to install a solar panel mounting system on your roof

For most people who decide to mount solar panels on their roof, a mounting system is necessary. This short entry explains the basics of what needs to be taken into consideration when putting a solar array on your roof. -Read about Solar Panel Tilt and Orientation in Australia- (Get a free comparison of solar quotes of the [...]

Read the full article →

Solar-powered carports

April 7, 2011
Thumbnail image for Solar-powered carports

The number of small, simple ways to put solar power to use in daily life seems virtually endless, and opportunities present themselves at every corner. Solar carports are one innovative way to turn an ordinarily passive, mundane, everyday item into an electricity generation system that works for you. It’s the sort of thing that, when [...]

Read the full article →

BIPV: Building-integrated Photovoltaics, the future of PV

April 1, 2011
Thumbnail image for BIPV: Building-integrated Photovoltaics, the future of PV

Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) is exactly what the name indicates: solar power generation modules that are integrated directly into a building in the place of ordinary building materials. BIPV differs in a number of ways from the PV arrays that most of us are familiar with: the roof-mounted or rack-mounted PV arrays that are retrofitted onto [...]

Read the full article →

Ever-improving PV technology dilemma: Should I wait to buy my solar array?

March 5, 2011
Thumbnail image for Ever-improving PV technology dilemma: Should I wait to buy my solar array?

You are thinking about getting a solar PV system for your home, and in your research have come to understand what the major considerations are: your electricity demand and how to save energy, what types of panels are on the market, where to put your array so that it doesn’t suffer from the effects of [...]

Read the full article →

Can We Trust Solar Energy Panels From China?

March 22, 2010
Thumbnail image for Can We Trust Solar Energy Panels From China?

With China being in the news for toy’s being coated with lead paint and other controversial issues with quality control it is quite normal to have concerns with their products and whether their solar panels will work for as long as they say it will or will there be any unexpected defects? So how do [...]

Read the full article →

Get a discount by buying in bulk – set up a Solar Community

January 27, 2010
Thumbnail image for Get a discount by buying in bulk – set up a Solar Community

Setting up a solar community is a great way to do a big thing for the environment. If you’re a local council, it’s a great way to reduce the carbon footprint of your municipality and provide a helpful service and discount to your residents who would like to go solar. Here is a description of what they are, [...]

Read the full article →

How much energy will my solar cells produce?

Thumbnail image for How much energy will my solar cells produce? January 19, 2010

The electrical energy output of solar cells is obviously one of the crucial things that you need to know when looking to install a solar system. Some solar energy companies are giving a wide variety of unreferenced numbers, so we have done our research and provide you with fully referenced and reliable information for you to consider. Blog this! Digg this post [...]

Read the full article →

Physics 101 – what is the difference between power and energy?

January 19, 2010
Thumbnail image for Physics 101 – what is the difference between power and energy?

For the non-scientifically inclined, all this talk about power and energy can get confusing. It gets worse when people start saying kilowatt and kilowatt hour, and then using the letters k, W and h everywhere. What does it all mean?  Blog this! Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Share on Linkedin Share with Stumblers Tweet about it [...]

Read the full article →

Putting solar cells on your holiday home – a nice little earner

Thumbnail image for Putting solar cells on your holiday home – a nice little earner January 15, 2010

For those of you luck enough to own a holiday home you no doubt already know that renting it out to friends and the public is a great way to earn some extra money. Now there’s another way to earn some extra money from your lovely little holiday shack – putting solar cells on it. Blog this! Digg this [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries