Rooftop solar has become mainstream in Australia and covers the vast majority of the systems installed in Australia. Some households and businesses don’t have the convenience of suitable roof-space and […]
Category: Solar System Products
Solar Choice blog articles and reviews about components for solar power systems, including solar inverters, solar cells, solar modules, and solar batteries.
How is Solar Energy used? Self-consumption explained
When it comes to solar power in Australia, lots of things have changed in the last few years. If you’re currently shopping around for a solar system, perhaps the most important thing […]
Solar Analytics Monitoring – A complete review
I’ve had Solar Analytics installed on my home now for about 3 months. Since that time I’ve referred to and shared screenshots of their app & web portal on numerous […]
A Complete Buyers Guide to Solar Panels 2019
On this page How do Solar Panels work? Different Types of Solar Panels Three tests to determine if a Solar Panel brand is good Industry Standards for Warranties How much […]
South Australia’s Tesla big battery to add 50MW/65MWh
Plans to give South Australia’s Tesla big battery a 50 per cent boost in capacity have been confirmed by renewables developer Neoen, in a bid to expand the grid services […]
Wollongong Uni develops breakthrough sodium-sulphur battery tech
A breakthrough in sodium-sulfur battery technology could see it emerge as an attractive option for large-scale energy storage, according to new research published in the journal Nature Communications. University of Wollongong […]
Sizing residential solar & battery systems: A quick guide
What size solar panel array do you need for your home? And if you’re considering battery storage, what size battery bank would be most appropriate? This article includes tables that […]
AEMC says electricity markets need to think more like AirBnB
The emergence of distributed digital technologies means electricity markets will have to think along the lines of digital marketplaces like Airbnb or eBay, a new report from the Australian Energy […]
NSW to benefit from 400MWh of large-scale batteries
Major Australian gen-tailer AGL Energy will join forces with renewables developer Maoneng to roll out four large-scale batteries of 50MW/100MWh each in NSW, in a deal that heralds the arrival […]
AGL suggests EVs will drive a 20 fold increase in battery storage
Major Australian energy generator and retailer AGL has signalled a new focus on the “shared economy” in electricity and transport, with the prediction that electric vehicle uptake will drive a […]
Battery Storage Price Index – November 2019
Solar Choice has previously been publishing average solar PV system prices on a monthly basis since August 2012 in our Solar PV Price Index, which focused on household solar prices […]
Home Energy Management Systems – a smart way to save?
Knowing what solar system is best for you and your home comes down to a multitude of factors, examples being; your energy consumption, when and how you consume energy, your […]
Simply Energy’s VPP offers customers up to $216 p.m.
Simply Energy’s virtual power plant in Adelaide, South Australia is offering some of the most generous terms to customers to participate in their trial. The VPP offers customers up to […]
Townesville Gigafactory Proposed to Cost $3 billion
A battery “gigafactory” proposed for the north Queensland city of Townsville is expected to cost around $3 billion to build, according to its developers Magnis Energy Technologies, and will […]
Home storage to be taken over by EV’s?
Electric vehicles will become a key asset for the Australia’s energy market operator to manage the grid, and could even make home batteries redundant in the long-term, an industry insider […]
Can you go off the grid with a 10kW solar system plus battery storage?
We previously wrote an article about the feasibility of an Australian home going off-grid with a 3kW solar system – quite a small system size for such an ambitious endeavour. […]
Spectacular solar success in Europe
A new report out of Europe has confirmed that solar PV is by far the cheapest form of bulk energy in many parts of the world, even with the addition […]
Is home solar battery storage worth it?
Since 2015 Australians have been talking about home battery storage being on the cusp of financial viability. Are home batteries worth the investment in 2019? We’ve crunched the number for […]
Battery pricing, incentives & virtual power plants
Victoria’s home battery storage incentive came into effect from 1 July this year; South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory have also introduced incentive programs that […]
Is home solar battery storage worth it? (updated 2019)
This article has since been updated for 2019. Click here to see the updated version. Since 2015 Australians have been talking about home battery storage being on the cusp of […]
ABB to exit solar inverter business
ABB have announced yesterday (9th July) that they have signed an agreement to sell their Solar Inverter business to FIMER S.p.A. for an undisclosed amount. ABB’s solar inverter business has […]
Hybrid & ‘battery-ready’ solar systems: What’s the go?
As more and more Australian households investigate (and install) solar battery storage, the more we get questions about battery-ready or hybrid solar & battery storage systems. What is a hybrid/battery-ready […]
How do lithium batteries work? [Animated Infogaphic]
Lithium has become the chemistry type of choice for grid-connect home solar battery storage in Australia (although lead acid still rules the off-grid space – for now). There are actually […]
Inverter maker SolarEdge adds “smart panels” to rooftop offering
Israel-based inverter maker SolarEdge has branched into the other key ingredient to rooftop solar systems – the panels – with the launch of its own PV offering on the Australian […]
A Virtual Power Plant case study: Vermont USA
As Solar Choice is currently undertaking the early stage preparations and structuring for a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) that can be made available for household, commercial and government premises across […]
Backup power with home solar battery storage: What are your options?
Home battery storage is becoming increasingly popular in Australia, and one of the most in-demand features is backup power, which provides electricity to a home even when the grid is […]
9 things you should know if you’re considering home battery-storage
For several years now, home solar battery storage has been a hot topic in Australia, and 2019 looks set to be the best year yet for batteries. If you’re actively […]
Redflow lands potentially massive battery supply deal with Soul Energy
Energy storage company Redflow has inked a deal with New Zealand-based infrastructure outfit Soul Energy, that could yield order for hundreds of its zin bromine flow batteries. The ASX Redflow […]
Time of use vs flat rate electricity tariffs with solar & batteries
If you’re connected to the grid and own your home, you pay for electricity. In most places, in Australia, there are basically two types of tariffs: Flat rate tariffs (aka ‘peak […]
Battery Storage Price Index – November 2019
Solar Choice has previously been publishing average solar PV system prices on a monthly basis since August 2012 in our Solar PV Price Index, which focused on household solar prices […]
Kilowatts vs kilowatt-hours in solar power & battery storage: Power, energy or capacity?
If you’re shopping around for solar panels or a battery storage for your home, you’re undoubtedly come across the terms ‘kilowatt’ (abbreviated as kW) and kilowatt-hour (kWh). These terms might […]
