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 […]
Category: Installation advice
Solar Choice blog articles about what to consider when installing your solar power system.
Solar power reaching grid parity in parts of NSW
Even taking into account the overhead cost of purchasing a solar power system, the price of solar has for the first time dipped below below that of coal-fired generation in […]
Ford and SunPower: Solar Power and Electric Vehicles made affordable
Automobile manufacturer Ford and the US solar panel producer SunPower have teamed up in a strategic partnership to encourage both renewable energy and electric vehicles (EVs). The program, given the […]
Solyndra Solar Tubes: Installations growing in Australia
Solyndra solar tube technology has been widely praised as one of the most innovative approaches to solar electricity generation in the world. Solyndra modules utilise ordinarily lower-efficiency (compared to mono- […]
SilexSolar SLX Panels: Australian solar power
Update 30 May 2012: SilexSolar has ceased solar panel manufacturing. As SilexSolar parent company SilexSystems is remains operational, however, warranties on SilexSolar products will still be serviceable. Silex is Australia’s […]
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. […]
Suntech Solar Panels in Australia
Suntech is the largest manufacturer of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules in the world. Suntech’s 350-person strong research and development (R&D) team spans three continents. Although Suntech’s head office and manufacturing operations […]
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 […]
South Pacific Solar Power
We are all familiar with the large scale solar projects sweeping developed countries, producing Megawatts, if not Gigawatts of solar electricity. But what about the 1.4 billion people without access to […]
Residential Solar System Warranties: What to look for, what to watch out for
When thinking about installing a residential solar power system, it is important to carefully consider the types and durations of the warranties offered by solar system installers. This article explains […]
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 […]
First international solar-powered flight
The Swiss-engineered Solar Impulse is set to make its first international flight on 2 May 2011 (yesterday in Australia as of the time of this writing, but today in Switzerland!) […]
Oversizing your solar PV system’s inverter for future array expansion
Some households and businesses, when considering whether to install a solar power system, are tempted to oversize their inverter with the idea of later expanding their solar panel array to […]
Photovoltaic and Solarthermal hybrid technology: MIT and Boston College
Researchers at Boston College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have produced a single technology that accomplishes what is currently only accomplished with two separate units: thermoelectric and photovoltaic […]
Solar Panels and trees: both share an affinity for the sun…
The Solar Choice blog is full of good advice. We have written about how to orient your solar panels, how to determine what size system you’ll need, how much you […]
West Australia’s first 100% renewable-powered mine: Wind and Solar
Lithium producer Galaxy Resources is planning to be operating West Australia’s first mine powered by 100% renewable energy within 3 years. The mine is already partially powered by solar panels […]
Solar 2: New York City’s solar-powered education centre
New York city will soon have its first-ever net-zero energy, carbon-neutral building, to replace its current environmental education centre, Solar 1. The new building is to be rather cleverly named […]
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, […]
NSW electricity prices to rise by up to 18.1% by July 2011–IPART
The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has recommended that the price of electricity in NSW increase by between 16.4% and 18.1%. Changes will come into effect from 1 July, […]
Major commercial solar power project planned for Queensland
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced plans for a massive commercial-scale solar power for Australia’s Sunshine State. 44MW of supplementary solar power will be added on to a preexisting coal-fired Kogan […]
Flexible Thin-film Solar photovoltaics
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Renewable Energy: Charging Electric Vehicles
How will the transportation of the future reduce its reliance on fossil fuels? Despite all its advantages, one of the biggest disadvantages of photovoltaics (PV or solar power), and most […]
Purchasing Green Energy vs Feed-in Tariffs for Solar Power
If you are environmentally-minded, you may have asked yourself at some point whether it is a better idea to install solar power on your roof (referred to as ‘micro-generation’) or […]
Stand-alone solar power to be set-up in Japan refugee centres
As part of the relief effort for the 11 March 2011 Northeastern Japan earthquake and tsunami, Sharp and Shin-Kobe Electric Machinery are planning to assemble and provide 250 solar power […]
Troubleshooting your grid-connected solar power system
On our blog we often receive comments from people who have installed solar power systems but, for some reason or other, are not seeing the optimal or anticipated performance from […]
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 […]
Ground-screws for ground-mounted solar power systems
Ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are ideal for those who have space to spare on their property. The are becoming increasingly common. In fact, there is a movement to recruit […]
Asbestos in my roof! Can I install solar panels?
You are now mentally and financially prepared and willing to go ahead with a solar panel (photovoltaic) installation on the roof of your home. The only problem is, after having […]
