A new system that would warn ahead of too much rooftop solar in the grid – and of the need for some installations to be shut down – has been […]
Search Results for: remote
Is An Off Grid Solar System Worth It?
Solar systems in Australia have become more popular over the last 10 years, mostly due to the price of renewable energy dropping materially. It comes to no surprise that some […]
Plans for big solar thermal micro-grid at Mt Isa gain momentum
Plans to establish a major hybrid renewable and battery storage microgrid that would include novel solar thermal generation technology have gained momentum this week, with a call for expressions […]
Sun Cable submits plans for gigawatt-scale solar manufacturing plant in Darwin
The Sun Cable consortium behind $26 billion, gigawatt-scale solar export plans has lodged a development application for the first phase of a solar manufacturing and assembly facility in Darwin. The […]
New solar inverter standard rushed through, as AEMO pushes for tighter controls
Strict new inverter standards to control Australian rooftop solar systems, battery storage devices and electric vehicle charging could come into play as early as September this year, after being fast-tracked […]
A Story from Dr Larry Fingleton – NSW Solar Pioneer
A note from Solar Choice: Dr Larry Fingleton was one of solar power’s early adopters installing a 10kW ground-mount solar system back in 2009. Over a decade later he has […]
Microgrid feasibility funding awarded to 17 projects in first round of federal scheme
Seventeen microgrid projects scattered across five Australian states and territories have been named as the winners in the first round of the federal government’s $50.4 million Regional and Remote […]
Major power stations consider isolation to protect workers from Covid-19
Australia’s energy companies indicated they may look at the total isolation of power station staff in a bid to prevent any impact to electricity supplies from the spread of […]
Solar projects, some wind farms hit by more transmission downgrades
Some of Australia’s key solar farms and wind projects have been hit by yet more transmission downgrades, while some have won a reprieve, in the latest draft inter-regional marginal […]
Solar Analytics Monitoring – A complete review
[This article was originally published in May 2018] I’ve had Solar Analytics installed on my home now for about 3 months. Since that time I’ve referred to and shared screenshots […]
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 […]
Western Power to take customers Off Grid
What does the “distributed” and “democratised” future of electricity look like? And how will the transition unfold given the huge sums of money already invested in the status quo? […]
Innovation: Use sunlight and air to create mineralised water
SOURCE is the worlds first and only Hydropanel, a technology that uses only sunlight and air to make pure mineralised drinking water for every person, every place. With a large […]
Wind, solar and battery microgrid at W.A. gold mine an “Australian first”
An innovative renewable microgrid that will combine 18MW of wind with solar and battery storage to power a remote Western Australian gold mine has won $13.5 million in grant funding […]
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 […]
Queensland councils say solar rule change will kill regional jobs
A new Queensland regulation that will restrict the installation of solar panels on projects of 100kW and over to licensed electricians only, has come under fire from local governments. The […]
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 […]
Northern Territory indigenous communities convert to solar
The Northern Territory Government through the Power and Water Corporation has partnered with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to bring solar to remote Territory communities. The Solar Energy Transformation […]
SwitchDin paves the way for virtual power plants & microgrids
SwitchDin is a Newcastle-based energy technology startup aiming to crack open the enormous potential of distributed energy resources (like small-scale solar and battery storage) in Australia’s energy future. The company […]
Reposit First energy monitoring system reviewed
Since February of this year I’ve had Reposit Power’s Reposit First monitoring system installed at my Newcastle home. The goal has always been to write a review of how the […]
Renewables, energy storage & the distributed grid: AES 2018 roundup
At the 2018 Australian Energy Storage Conference & Exhibition, it’s very clear that big, unstoppable things are happening in Australia’s energy sector. Adelaide was a fitting venue for the event, […]
Major free showcase of energy storage technologies
More than 60 leading companies in the Australian and global energy storage industry will come together at the Australian Energy Storage Conference and Exhibition (AES 2018) on 23-24 May to […]
The biggest barrier to microgrids
The establishment of viable business cases for different applications is the main barrier to the continued uptake of microgrids in Australia, according to Greg Allen, Executive General Manager, Carnegie Clean Energy. Mr […]
Electricity meter board complications & partial monitoring success (Solartopia #7)
It’s been more than a few weeks since I last posted an update about the progress of my own personal solar project. In addition to just being generally busy, I […]
Getting the upper hand on your electricity bills with energy monitoring & management
Do you have a clear picture of what’s actually using electricity in your home and how much that costs? If you’re like most Australians, you almost certainly don’t. Historically, this […]
Shiftable energy loads: What can you move into the ‘solar window’? (Solartopia #5)
We here at Solar Choice harp on a lot about solar self-consumption – the idea that you need to put your solar energy to direct use within your home to […]
The ‘energy awareness factor’ and how it helps households save money
For most of us, for most of our lives, electricity bills and our consumption have both been something of a black box. We know that we get a bill every […]
Newly formed battery giant Fluence aims to take on Tesla
Energy giants AES and Siemens have combined their energy storage divisions to take on upstarts like Tesla and other industry rivals, in an effort to dominate the soaring global battery […]
A guide to community microgrids
carbonTRACK Community microgrids are a way for neighbourhoods, villages, towns and cities to meet their energy needs locally. Increasingly, community microgrids are being eyed as an option even in areas where […]
Diversification the key to a resilient energy market
Australia’s energy markets are becoming more complex due to battery storage and rooftop solar, and diversifying the mix of energy sources can ensure the grid remains resilient, according to Dr […]
“Mobile solar” plants to challenge diesel for use in mines, construction sites
Australian developed “mobile solar” technology will be tested at the 1MW scale in New South Wales, after winning a new grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. The modular, mobile […]
