A $4 million Western Australian pilot project by utility Western Power has installed six stand-alone solar and battery storage power systems to test different ways that electricity can be delivered […]
Aussie rooftop solar to reach 5GW by end of month
Australia’s total rooftop solar capacity is expected to break through the 5GW mark in July, reaching a remarkable milestone in a sector that was virtually non-existent in 2009. New data […]
ACT’s move to renewables brings price to stability amid turbulent electricity market
If current wholesale electricity prices continue as they are across Australia, the ACT will not just have zero emissions electricity by 2020 – it may also be getting most of […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – July 2016
Average residential solar system prices dipped down to $1.63/W this month – on par with the low seen in April this year and close to the all-time low of $1.59/W […]
ACT government receives 17 ‘extremely competitive’ bids in battery storage program
Round two of the ACT government’s battery storage tender has attracted a total of 17 bids from local and national businesses proposing to install more than 8MW of energy storage. […]
SunMate: Save more money by using the sun when you’re not home
The AWS SunMate is a device that takes your excess solar energy and pumps it into your hot water tank, potentially saving you more money than solar panels alone. The […]
Could the Renewable Energy Target once again be under threat with new government?
Australia’s biggest utilities and coal generators could push for another review of the federal renewable energy target, if the newly re-elected Coalition government is presented with a “workable” majority of […]
WA’s Horizon Power to lead the way on renewable microgrids
For Western Australian network operator Horizon Power, which averages one customer every 53 square kilometres and already operates 37 microgrids, the shift from centralised fossil fuel power generation to distributed […]
How much can a hot water diverter shorten payback for your solar PV system?
Solar PV systems are still an excellent investment in Australia, even as feed-in tariffs have fallen across the country. Installing a hot water diverter – a device that automatically sends […]
Australia makes top 10 in list of Solar Super States
Australia has been listed among the world’s top 10 solar states, per capita, in the latest annual ranking of Swiss not-for-profit group SolarSuperState. The list, illustrated in the table below, […]
Battery chemistry types for home energy storage
Home battery storage is the next frontier for home energy, but Australians consumers are still in the process of learning about their options. What are the main battery chemistry types […]
Aquion introduces newest battery line: A 24 volt ‘drop in replacement’ for lead-acid batteries
Pennsylvania-based ‘saltwater battery’ manufacturer Aquion Energy has introduced a new product line for off-grid, autonomous operation with solar panels. The Aspen 24S comes in the same casing as the company’s […]
Now approaching the solar minimum: What it means for rooftop PV
Our sun has ‘lost its spots’, according to a headline in the science/technology section of the Sydney Morning Herald last week. Rather counter-intuitively, a decline in the number of dark spots […]
Proposal could help boost financial prospects of battery storage on the grid
A proposal to change a relatively obscure energy market rule is being called for by large energy users, battery storage developers and some small energy retailers, in a bid to […]
Ampetus’ Energy Pod presents cost-effective battery storage option
Melbourne’s Ampetus Energy has introduced a plug-and-play battery storage system that could prove to be popular with homes that wish to affordably increase their energy independence. The unit, called the […]
Australia’s solar homes saving $1b/year: Solar Citizens report
Australians have invested more than $8 billion of their own money on residential rooftop solar, and are saving around $1 billion a year from their electricity bills, a new report […]
ARENA funding round results highlight falling large-scale solar costs
The final round of bidding for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s large scale solar funding program shows the costs of the technology are still falling, the Agency says, and will […]
Up to 1 million Aussie homes with battery storage by 2020: Morgan Stanley
US investment bank Morgan Stanley has predicted battery storage technology will be installed at rate four times quicker than Australia’s incumbent energy industry expects, in a new report. The report, Asia […]
Greens proposal would see solar on nation’s public housing stock
A new Greens policy would fund the installation of solar across Australia’s community and public housing stock, giving hundreds of thousands of Australians living in low-income housing access to the […]
Australian homeowners have invested $8b in solar: Solar Citizens report
Solar Citizens, the peak body that represents solar households around Australia has just released a report which details the incredible boom in Australian rooftop solar in recent years. And we’ve […]
Amount of Aussie energy from rooftop solar to quadruple by 2035: AEMO
The Australian Energy Market Operator has outlined some of the major impacts that rooftop solar and battery storage will have on the national gird, in its first major assessment of […]
Global solar & wind energy costs to fall to 5-6c/kWh by 2025: IRENA
A major new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency has predicted huge reductions in the cost renewable energy generation, that could see the average cost of electricity from solar […]
How AllGrid energy is reducing energy costs for remote communities and beyond
AllGrid Energy made a big splash last year after it announced a home battery storage product – the WattGrid – which the company claimed would rival Tesla’s much vaunted Powerwall. The […]
Victoria plans for 40% renewables target by 2025
The Victorian state government has revealed plans to set a renewable energy target of 40 per cent by 2025, making it the latest state in Australia to introduce a large-scale […]
Commercial Solar PV Price Index: June 2016
Average commercial solar system prices have remained virtually unchanged for the past six months, according to data from Solar Choice’s installer network database, sitting at around $1.33 per watt of […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – June 2016
Average solar PV system installation prices in Australia’s capital cities increased very slightly between May and June to approach $1.68 per watt. With the exception of 10kW systems, prices were […]
NSW government to support up to 8 solar farms
The NSW government has moved to boost the prospects of eight large-scale solar projects proposed for the state, by effectively guaranteeing the purchase of a significant proportion of their output. […]
1 out of every 12 panels in Australia is a Trina panel (Q&A with Trina Solar)
Trina Solar is the world’s largest manufacturer of solar panels, and one of the biggest players in the Australian market. The company prides itself on its record for success and […]
Solar and wind costs to plummet further over next decade: BNEF
Solar and wind energy costs will continue their stunning falls over the next decade, and by 2027 will be cheaper than existing coal and gas plants in most parts of […]
One third of Aussies would invest in battery storage even with 5+ year payback: Report
A new report from The Australia Institute has found that one in four Australians would consider investing in solar and battery storage as a means to quit the electricity grid. […]
Adelaide Sustainable City Incentive off to strong start
Adelaide City Council says the response to its expanded low-carbon technology incentive scheme has got off to a strong start, with 1MW of solar PV installed since July 2015. The […]
