Average commercial solar system prices stay steady at about $1.20 per watt for the month of October. The average price of a 100kW system comes in at about $1.10 per […]
New QLD program unlocks benefits of solar for renters
Queensland Labor has opened the way for thousands more homes in the Sunshine State – including the largely untapped rental market – to gain access to rooftop solar and battery […]
Sonnen announces ‘suburban microgrid’ model for new-build Australian estates
A new Australian housing estate that will use solar and battery storage to create a kind of suburban microgrid is set to be announced by German home battery storage giant […]
The National Energy Guarantee: What it means if you’re thinking about going solar
There’s been no shortage of media coverage regarding the Turnbull government’s recently proposed plan to tackle Australia’s rising electricity bills (see here, here, here and here). But what does the […]
Getting the upper hand on your electricity bills with energy monitoring & management
Do you have a clear picture of what’s actually using electricity in your home and how much that costs? If you’re like most Australians, you almost certainly don’t. Historically, this […]
Household savings from National Energy Guarantee to be minimal over 12 years
Malcolm Turnbull’s new energy policy will see little reduction in consumer energy bills over the next decade, and that’s outrageous. In an era where renewable energy costs are plunging, where […]
Small-scale solar systems help save electricity sector billions: Study
A new study has claimed that without Australia’s more than 6GW of rooftop solar capacity, the aggregate cost of electricity would have been several billion dollars higher over the past […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – October 2017
Average solar system prices hold stable for the third month in a row, with the average price per watt ($/W) for an residential solar system installation coming in at about […]
Do I really need that? Also: Solar power takes many forms (Solartopia #6)
As I write this, I am running the dryer for the first time since moving into the house; it’s only the second time we’re had rain (and even, it’s just […]
What if you sent all of your solar into the grid? Is it worth it?
If you’ve got solar, the way to maximise your electricity bill savings these days is to use your solar energy directly within your home (or business). From an investment point […]
Global energy industry at ‘tipping point’ for coal, wind & solar: BNEF
The global energy industry is experiencing two major tipping points that mean coal will never be great again, and the age of wind and solar has arrived. Speaking at Bloomberg […]
New poll confirms that battery is popularity skyrocketing
A new poll has confirmed the increasing popularity of home battery storage in Australia, as households look to reduce their dependence on expensive grid-supplied electricity, and cut soaring power bills. […]
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 […]
Our presentation to Ryde City Council (NSW) about solar & batteries
A couple of months ago I was invited by the local council of Ryde, NSW to give a presentation about the state of the market for solar & batteries in […]
Standards Australia likely to dump proposed ‘battery bunker’ requirement
A controversial battery storage installation guideline that threatened to ban lithium-ion battery systems from being put in Australian homes or garages, looks likely to be dumped by Standards Australia, after […]
Residential battery storage installations ‘surge’ in 2017: Sunwiz
Home battery storage uptake in Australia is surging in 2017, as homes and small businesses seek to minimise their grid electricity usage, and maximise consumption of rooftop solar, to beat […]
Looking beyond solar feed-in tariffs: How to pick an electricity retailer
When solar system owners shop around for an electricity retailer, the first thing they tend to look at is the solar feed-in tariff rate that the retailer offers. The fact […]
Australia now has over 6 gigawatts (!) of small-scale solar after record August
Without googling the answer, do you know what the capacity of the largest conventional power plant in Australia is? I couldn’t, so I did google it – and now I […]
South Australian rooftop solar pushes state-wide electricity demand to record low
South Australia’s high rooftop solar penetration has helped to deliver record low demand for the state over the weekend, hitting 786MW at around 2pm on Sunday.At the time, rooftop solar accounted for […]
Let’s follow Turnbull’s lead on solar & storage to keep the lights on
Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull is proud of the upgraded 14kW rooftop solar array and 14kWh battery storage system installed at his harbourside mansion in Sydney’s Point Piper: “My son Alex is very […]
Thoughts about solar feed-in tariffs (Solartopia #4)
Spring is here, and it finally feels like it with two consecutive warm days yesterday (high of 28C) and today (high of 32C). The main implication of this is that […]
How to read a Solar battery storage specifications sheet?
Talking about home battery storage can be confusing, and if you’re confused you’re unlikely to feel confident about making a big investment like a home battery bank. There are quite a […]
Queensland regional solar feed-in tariff now available to systems up to 30kW
In a stroke of very good news for solar power in the Sunshine State, the Queensland Competition Authority (QCA) has announced that the solar feed-in tariff available to solar system […]
Energy blindness: The anxiety of not knowing (Solartopia #3)
A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article about the ‘Energy Awareness Factor‘ in household energy savings. This was prompted in part by having just moved into a house […]
Solar panel reliability testing: More relevant than tier ranking for solar homes & businesses?
Deciding whether you’re happy with a solar installers’ panel offering can be tricky business in a market flooded with different options (as is the case in Australia). Fortunately, DNV GL […]
Coal port of Newcastle to get 5MW solar farm
Plans to develop a 5MW solar farm on a former landfill site in the NSW coal port city of Newcastle are set to go to tender, after eight companies were […]
Pro-battery changes to energy market rules delayed to 2021
The Australian Energy Market Commission’s decision to put off changing the settlement period for the electricity spot price has been slammed by leading experts, who say the delay will reinforce […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – September 2017
Average residential solar system prices are roughly on par with last month’s figures – about $1.43 per watt for a fully installed system. 5kW systems continue to offer the best […]
Commercial Solar PV Price Index for September 2017
Average commercial solar system prices continue to hover around $1.20 per watt for the month of September, following an STC-driven increase between July and August. Commercial solar system prices (10kW-100kW) […]
Export control & grid protection for commercial solar installations from BCJ controls
BCJ Controls is a solar technology company set up by ex-utility industrial electricians. Between them they have significant experience in electrical grid protection and switchboard building, as well as dealing […]
First week in a solar house: Why do we keep running out of hot water? And other fun questions. [Solartopia #2]
It’s been just over a week since I moved into my solar-powered house in suburbs of the beautiful Newcastle, the largest coal port in the world. (You can almost taste […]
