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 […]
Category: Useful Solar System Tools and Resources
Solar Choice blog articles about tools that are useful in making decisions about solar power system size, positioning, and components
Big improvements to our Solar & Battery Sizing & Payback Estimator tool
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 […]
Can you go solar with a south-facing roof in Australia?
Anyone who has looked into installing solar panels in Australia would have quickly learned that north is the best direction for solar panels. If north is not an option, northwest […]
Beam Energy introduces a free ‘smart meter’ for solar & battery system size optimisation
When buying solar or batteries, most people would like to have an idea about how much money they would save with different capacity sizes before they go through with the purchase. […]
What is a “Tier 1” solar panel? Tier 2 or 3?
When purchasing a solar system, the quality of the components to be used is frequently a key consideration. However, differentiating one brand from another may not be so simple, especially […]
Levelised cost of storage: A better way to compare battery value
When it comes to choosing batteries for home or commercial battery storage, it can be difficult to sift through the multitude of options to find the IDEAL battery for your […]
Electricity demand tariffs in Australia – How to handle them
If you hear the words ‘Demand Tariffs’ and start scratching your head, don’t worry – you’re not alone. In this article, we’ll examine what demand tariffs are and how to deal […]
Should you oversize Solar Panels to your Inverter? Pros and Cons explained
After numerous questions about the relationship between solar panel power and inverter power, I decided to put together this blog post. Now logically, if you have (say) 3,000 Watts of solar […]
Solar panel cleaning: Why, how & how often? (Q&A with Lime Solar Cleaning)
Should you clean your solar panels? If the answer is ‘yes’, then how often should you clean your solar panels – and what’s the best way to clean them? How […]
Finally, a win-win solar solution for renters & landlords from Aussie startup Matter
Aussie technology company Matter has developed a platform to make it possible for renters and landlords alike to benefit from rooftop solar. They’ve done this by removing one of the […]
ResiLinked: A free online platform to track solar system maintenance, safety and more
ResiLinked is a free online platform for home owners and managers to keep track of maintenance and connect with service providers. ResiLinked is particularly useful for homes with (or looking […]
Which retailer is offering the best electricity plan for solar customers in Sydney (July 2016)
Getting a higher feed-in tariff from your electricity retailer looks great on paper, but it does not necessarily mean that you will save more money on your electricity bills. We’ve taken […]
Are you voting for solar this election? Check the Solar Scorecard
Solar advocacy group Solar Citizens have launched their Solar Scorecard tool for the 2016 election. The Solar Scorecard allows anyone to find out how the candidates in their local electorate […]
Seven habits of smart solar shoppers
Going solar is still a no-nonsense investment options for homes across Australia, with payback periods as short as 2-3 years in the right circumstances. This is due in great part […]
Introducing a (free) tool that allows solar homes to meaningfully compare retail electricity plans
Solar PV system owners – generally speaking – do not like their electricity retailers. Maybe it’s just the sense of independence they get from generating a portion of their own […]
What is the annual cost of running your air conditioner or Oil heater?
Have you ever thought about how much energy your AC unit or oil heater will use over the course of a year – or how much this energy will cost you? While […]
Solar Support Plus – Taking PV system warranties to the next level
Solar panels have a standard expected lifespan of 25 years and inverters should last 5-10 years; both products have product warranties whose durations reflect this. In the unfortunate event that […]
Monitoring Aussie solar output with updated APVI PV map
The contribution of Australia’s 1.3 million rooftop solar systems can now be monitored in real time, with the launch of an updated solar mapping service by the Australian PV Institute. […]
Sun MonitOZ’s hardware-free solar performance monitoring app launches in Australia
Sun MonitOZ, a hardware-free solar system performance monitoring app, has officially launched in Australia after its beta-testing phase. The web app, accessible via a computer or any mobile device, allows […]
APVI adds PV system output estimator to suite of solar maps
Australian households will now be able to estimate their rooftop’s potential for solar PV before installing a system, thanks to a new online modelling tool created by the Australian PV […]
Solar Mapper: Visualising your roof–and your savings–with solar
Anyone who has considered installing a rooftop solar system has wondered to themselves how many panels their roof could handle and what sort of power a system of that size […]
Online solar mapping tools that help you unleash your inner solar potential
You’ve heard the good news stories from your neighbours. You’ve seen solar popping up on rooftops in your suburb. It must make sense, you say to your-self. But what’s your […]
EU research project provides free, by-the-minute solar radiation data
Given the erratic nature of weather, is it really possible to predict exactly when, where and how strongly the sun shines? A group of European researchers seems to think so. […]
Green Homes Australia: Building clean, energy-efficient homes at affordable prices
The buildings best-suited for installing a solar photovoltaic (PV) system are those buildings that have been designed & constructed to use energy in the most efficient way possible–from an environmental […]
How does your LGA fare for rooftop solar? Check out the APVI’s solar map
The Australian Photovoltaic Institute (APVI, formerly APVA) has debuted an interactive solar PV status map on its recently re-launched website. The map, which uses data from the Clean Energy Regulator […]
PVz: Analysing energy bills for sizing solar PV systems
PVz is a tool designed by solar PV industry professionals to facilitate the process of analysing electricity usage in order to choose a solar system size most appropriate for the […]
The Australian Solar Council
The Australian Solar Council is a not-for-profit, membership-based organisation devoted to the advancement of solar power and complementary technologies in Australia. Its primary activities include the promotion of research, development, […]
Australians overwhelmingly in support of distributed energy: APVA/CSIRO Study
About 2/3 of the respondents in a study conducted by the Australian Photovoltaics Association (APVA) in conjunction with CSIRO expressed support for distributed energy solutions–solar PV panels, solar hot water, […]
The Australian Photovoltaic Institute (APVI)
The Australian Photovotaic Institute (APVI, formerly APVA) is Australia’s oldest PV industry body devoted to the development of the solar PV industry in Australia. The APVI’s activities include industry research […]
Solar Energy Map of Australia by the Guardian
Pertinent news considering the upcoming Australian election, the Guardian UK has created an interactive map of solar power in Australia by federal electorate. The map is based on data from Australia’s […]
Solar eCRM: Internet-based software for managing solar quotes, customers, and more
Solar eCRM is an online customer relationship management (CRM) software platform designed specifically for solar installation companies. Solar eCRM has features that allow companies to manage leads, compose quotes for […]
