Solar Choice

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Solar Choice Company News

Gannawarra Solar Farm opening ceremony [Photos & Video]

June 15, 2018

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After a five-year journey, Gannawarra Solar Farm has been two thirds commissioned and will soon be sending clean energy into the grid at full production. The project, at 60MW DC / 50MW AC, is the first large-scale solar farm in Victoria, and will also be home to one of two ‘big batteries’ planned for the […]

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An improvement to our Solar & Battery Storage Calculator

June 12, 2018

Our Solar & Battery Storage Payback Estimator is one of the most widely-accessed resources on the Solar Choice website, with thousands of visitors per month. We take pride in the fact that the tool is one of the most comprehensive freely-available calculators of its kind in Australia, and are constantly looking at ways to improve […]

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Battery Storage Price Index – June 2018

June 6, 2018

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Even with substantial changes to the database used to compile this month’s index, average battery storage system prices have moved only slightly from May. This seems to be an indication of the fixed hardware costs of battery storage systems (mainly the batteries themselves). Even as competition increases and more players come into the space offering […]

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Commercial Solar PV Price Index for June 2018

June 6, 2018

Changes in the composition of Solar Choice’s commercial solar installer network, combined with price updates from several companies have resulted in a slight upwards shift in average dollar per watt ($/W) prices for commercial solar systems – up about 3c/W from May 2018 to $1.19/W. Commercial solar system prices (10kW-100kW) All prices in the tables […]

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Residential Solar PV Price Index – June 2018

June 6, 2018

Average residential solar system prices have dipped down to $1.32 per watt ($/W) this month on the back of several factors, including changes to the composition of the Solar Choice installer network and updated pricing from installers that we work with. While not a historic low (we’ve seen $1.30/W in December 2017), it is the […]

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Solar Choice brokers 15kW solar system for Dovecare Medical Centre

May 30, 2018

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Solar Choice Commercial has brokered a 15kW solar system for Dovecare Medical Centre in Doveton, Victoria. The project is one of a number of medical centres that Solar Choice has assisted in making an informed decision about going solar. Dovecare’s owner approached Solar Choice in early 2017 seeking a solar system to help combat the […]

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Battery Storage Price Index – May 2018

May 4, 2018

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This month saw the most significant changes to battery installation prices since we started keeping track last November, thanks in part to an influx of data from companies in the Solar Choice network as they update their details for our price comparisons. While April saw an average increase in prices due to the addition of […]

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Commercial Solar PV Price Index for May 2018

May 3, 2018

Commercial solar system prices continue their (very) gradual decline, according to pricing data from Solar Choice’s network of installers. The average indexed price continues to sit at around $1.16/W – down from about $1.23/W a year ago. Commercial solar system prices (10kW-100kW) All prices in the tables below include incentives available through the federal Renewable […]

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Residential Solar PV Price Index – May 2018

May 3, 2018

Average residential solar system prices continue to sit at about $1.35 per watt ($/W) for the second month in a row, despite a number of pricing updates from installers in the network across the country. A basic 5kW solar system – one of the most popular sizes – costs just under $5,700 on average, while ‘premium’ and […]

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Gannawarra Solar Farm connects to grid (battery coming soon)

April 18, 2018

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The 60MW Ganawarra project in north-west Victoria – the state’s biggest solar farm, to date – has been connected to the grid, and will soon begin on the installation of a new Tesla big battery, to make it one of the biggest solar-storage installations in the world. Ganawarra, jointly owned by Wirsol Energy and Edify […]

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Tour the Hornsdale Power Reserve (AKA Tesla’s ‘Big Battery’) at energy storage conference

April 4, 2018

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South Australia is leading the way in renewable and energy storage with the state investing in major energy projects. The Australian Energy Storage Conference and Exhibition 2018 is giving attendees the chance to see these projects up close through exclusive tours to sites, including Tesla’s ‘Big Battery’. The Australian Energy Storage Conference and Exhibition 2018, […]

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Battery Storage Price Index – March 2018

March 26, 2018

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With another month of minimal changes to battery pricing in our database, we’ve used the opportunity to again alter the presentation of our ‘Our We There Yet’ Meter to focus on the situations where batteries are looking most attractive, as most of the figures for other situations are still out of the ballpark. In particular, […]

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Residential Solar PV Price Index – March 2018

March 14, 2018

Average solar system prices dipped slightly between February and March 2018 – coming in at about $1.38 per watt as opposed to $1.40/W last month – according to the most recent data from Solar Choice’s installer network database. While average prices decreased for most capital cities, Sydney and Canberra saw slight increases, due in part to changes […]

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Introducing our Commercial Solar System Payback Calculator

February 28, 2018

Commercial energy flows

Solar Choice has been managing tenders for commercial solar projects since 2010, during which time our engineering team has composed thousands of free Indicative Business Cases for commercial clients. On the back of this accumulated knowledge, we have decided to release a ‘lite’ version of our business case analysis engine to the world with our […]

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Commercial Solar PV Price Index for February 2018

February 19, 2018

Average commercial solar system prices continue to hover at around $1.17 per watt ($1.17/W) for systems between 10kW and 100kW that we track in our monthly index. Please note that we will soon be publishing general information about pricing for systems above this threshold (i.e. LGC projects greater than 100kW) in the near future. Commercial […]

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Residential Solar PV Price Index – February 2018

February 14, 2018

Average solar system prices (on ‘primary’ offerings) have slipped slightly upwards since the beginning of the year, coming in at around $1.40/W – as opposed to about $1.30/W in December – due primarily to increased prices in Hobart & Melbourne. Average pricing for ‘premium’ and ‘microinverter’ systems, meanwhile, has dropped to $1.49/W and $1.80/W, respectively. Average solar […]

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We’ve updated our ‘capital city’ pages!

February 12, 2018

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We’ve just spent a bit of time going through some of our most popular pages and making sure that the information they contain is up to date for 2018. Which pages are those? The ones dedicated to explaining the case for going solar in Australia’s capital cities. These pages need updating from year to year […]

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Two improvements to our Home Solar & Battery Calculator

February 1, 2018

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Following a major revamp of our Solar & Battery Storage Sizing & Payback Estimator midway through last year, we’ve just made a couple more significant improvements based on feedback from users. While these changes mean our calculator is now just a bit taller, it also means a higher level of sophistication and accuracy in results. Not […]

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Commercial Solar PV Price Index for January 2018

January 10, 2018

Slight decreases in most capital cities and across most system sizes resulted in an overall average commercial solar system price of about $1.17/W – the lowest on record since Solar Choice began keeping track of commercial solar system prices in May 2014. Commercial solar system prices (10kW-100kW) All prices in the tables below include incentives […]

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Residential Solar PV Price Index – January 2018

January 9, 2018

In this month’s Solar PV Price Index, the average price for a ‘primary’/standard solar PV system offering remains almost unchanged from December, at about $1.31 per watt ($1.31/W). The average for a premium system was $1.56/W, while the average for a microinverter system was $1.93/W – both up slightly from last month. Average solar PV […]

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Solar Choice office closing dates for Christmas/New Years holiday period

December 21, 2017

Solar Choice Christmas

Solar Choice will be closing up shop for the holidays on Friday afternoon this week. Please note that our office will be closed for two weeks from Saturday 23 December, reopening on Monday 8 January 2018. During this period some members of our team will be (mostly) unavailable via email and phone, and our 1300 number […]

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Battery Storage Price Index – December 2017

December 13, 2017

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Welcome to the second edition of Solar Choice’s Battery Storage Price Index – the companion to our Solar PV Price Index, which covers solar system installation prices around Australia. The aim of the Battery Storage Price Index is to assist you in determining whether batteries are right for your home. Average battery system prices for […]

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Commercial Solar PV Price Index for December 2017

December 12, 2017

This month’s Commercial Solar PV Price Index sees the introduction of 70kW solar systems for the first time (a long overdue addition). The average cost of installing a commercial solar system in Australia currently sits at around $1.19 per watt ($1.19/W) – nominally less than last month‘s figure of $1.20/W and a modest improvement over […]

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Residential Solar PV Price Index – December 2017

December 12, 2017

The average price per watt ($/W) for primary offerings was $1.30 this month – down slightly from November and a new low since we began tracking prices in 2012. The average for a premium system was $1.54/W, while the average for a microinverter system was $1.86/W. December marks the second month using our new Solar […]

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Commercial Solar PV Price Index for November 2017

November 29, 2017

Average commercial solar system prices remain at about $1.20 per watt (after STC incentive and GST are applied) for the month of November, according to data from the Solar Choice network. While the larger system sizes (30kW, 50kW, 100kW) remained mostly unchanged, average prices for 10kW systems dropped slightly – from $1.34/W last month to $1.30/W this […]

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Inaugural Manly Solar Beach Hub Drinks

November 22, 2017

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On Thursday 16 November Solar Choice held its inaugural Manly Solar Beach Hub Drinks on our ‘board room’ balcony overlooking Manly Wharf and Harbour. The get together was an enjoyable gathering of northern beaches based industry characters and businesses, with over fifty attendees during the evening to celebrate Manly’s ever-expanding solar energy precinct – and […]

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Residential Solar PV Price Index – November 2017

November 7, 2017

We’ve introduced some major improvements to this month’s Solar PV Price Index. Namely: We’ve added 7kW solar systems to all tables We’ve included in new tables & data for ‘premium’ and ‘microinverter’ system offerings We’ve drawn clearer distinctions between ‘primary’, ‘premium’ and ‘microinverter’ pricing We’ve dropped 1.5kW systems from our data tracking (because so few […]

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Residential Solar PV Price Index – August 2017

August 3, 2017

Average residential solar system prices have risen slightly following two consecutive months at their lowest levels since Solar Choice began keeping track in August 2012. This month’s higher average price – $1.55 per watt, as opposed to $1.45/W last month- is undoubtedly due at least in part to the recent drop in STC values and […]

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Commercial Solar PV Price Index for July 2017

July 24, 2017

Average commercial solar system prices remain mostly unchanged at about $1.19 per watt ($1.19/W) between June and July 2017. Commercial solar system prices (10kW-100kW) All prices in the tables below include incentives available through the federal Renewable Energy Target as well as GST, but do not incorporate meter installation fees or additional costs, such as ground-mounting, […]

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Introducing our new Home Solar & Battery Storage Systems Guide

July 19, 2017

Over the years Solar Choice has published thousands of articles on the topic of solar power and (more recently) battery storage. Much of this knowledge is spread across various parts of our website (mainly our blog), so we’re recently taken some time to consolidate all the most relevant materials in one place. The result is […]

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Big improvements to our Solar & Battery Sizing & Payback Estimator tool

July 13, 2017

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It’s been well over a year since we first released our Solar & Battery Sizing & Payback Estimator tool in February 2016. Through its life so far, this handy tool has been visited by over 50,000 people trying to determine whether solar battery storage is worth the the money. As a first effort, this tool was […]

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