German battery storage maker Sonnen has flagged establishing manufacturing operations in Australia if the local market proves as strong as predicted. Sonnenbatterie – the biggest selling battery storage product in […]
Solar Choice’s Gannawarra Solar Farm approaches ‘construction ready’ milestone
The first 50 megawatt segment of Solar Choice’s largest Victorian project – the Gannawarra Solar Farm – is slated to be ‘construction ready’ in the next two months. The farm, […]
Fronius offering $2,000 rebate for homes to upgrade to 3-phase connection
Inverter manufacturer Fronius are offering an interesting rebate for homes who opt to install one of the company’s two energy storage packages. Until 30 June 2016, the company will cover […]
Commercial Solar PV Price Index: March 2016
The average price of a commercial solar system has increased slightly between February and March, according to figures from Solar Choice’s installer network database. The average price of an installed commercial […]
Year-to-date Australian solar uptake lags behind previous years
A total of 100MW of rooftop solar was installed around Australia in the first two months of 2016, according to the latest data supplied by Green Energy Markets. With more […]
Solar & wind farm ‘co-location’ holds promise for Australian renewable potential
A least 1GW of large-scale solar could be added to existing Australian wind farms, boosting renewable energy generation and smoothing its delivery to the grid, according to a new report […]
Battery prices will drop 50% by 2020: Enphase
US inverter maker Enphase has predicted that battery storage costs and prices will halve by 2020, as it prepares to launch its first product onto the Australian market. Enphase on […]
How the South Australian government is supporting renewables & energy storage
South Australia is one of the most progressive states in the country when it comes to renewable energy. Roughly 30% of the homes in the state already have solar PV […]
What’s a partial off-grid solar-plus-storage system?
Going partially off the grid is a smart alternative for homes who want to become completely energy self-sufficient. A partial off-grid solar system is one that runs a few essential […]
What if the QLD government offered battery incentives in the form of a (voluntary) feed-in tariff buyout?
There are tens of thousands of Queensland households benefitting from the state’s Solar Bonus Feed-in Tariff Scheme, which offers a generous rate of 44c per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to those who […]
Solar forecasting held to a higher standard: Reuniwatt’s Soleka
Reuniwatt is a solar forecasting company born out of some of the most stringent electricity market conditions on the planet. Founded on France’s Reunion Island, Reuniwatt’s Soleka forecasting tool has […]
SA government to award $250k for innovative green ideas
The South Australian government will award a total of $250,000 in prize money as seed funding for the best ideas tackling clean energy, green transport, waste and liveability. The funding […]
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 […]
New NSW legislation aims to preemptively smooth transition as Solar Bonus Scheme ends
New South Wales has gazetted new legislation that it hopes will address some of the issues facing nearly 150,000 solar households when their premium feed-in tariff ends at the end […]
Sharing the sun in the ACT: How SolarShare is facilitating community solar power
Not everyone can own a solar PV system – particularly if they don’t have a roof to put one on. Canberra-based SolarShare is one of the first companies in Australia […]
Going mostly renewable on WA grid more cost-effective than ‘business as usual’: SIREN
A high penetration renewable energy system would be cheaper than one based around existing fossil fuel generation, according to new modelling from a group of engineers, energy analysts and IT […]
The thousand-member volunteer army keeping Australia’s solar strong
Do you own a solar system? Are you seriously thinking about getting one for your home or business? Are you a member of Australia’s solar industry? If you can answer […]
Tesla’s Powerwall in Melbourne, Vic: Compare prices
Melbourne remains one of Australia’s top spots for rooftop solar power. With solar homes receiving only a pittance for their excess energy and the state’s Transitional & Standard Feed-in Tariffs […]
Bucking global trend, Aussie renewable energy jobs continue to decline
Employment in Australia’s renewables industry continues to decline, according to new data, bucking the global trend of jobs growth the renewable energy sector. The latest jobs data from the Australian […]
Four WA farmers go off-grid – with the help of local utility Horizon Power
Four farmers in the bushfire-affected WA town of Esperance have elected to go off-grid, using a dedicated solar and storage system that is being provided by their network operator, Horizon […]
How Australia can claim its large-scale solar birthright: Q&A with HST Solar
HST Solar – formerly a manufacturer of ground-mounted dual-axis trackers – has undergone a dramatic metamorphosis into a developer of a cloud-based solar farm project management toolbox. The company claims […]
Residential solar PV price index – March 2016
After two consecutive months of increases, average solar PV system prices have dropped slightly for the first time in the new year, currently sitting at about $1.65/W. Average solar PV […]
Redflow looking to raise money for residential flow battery marketing push
Australian battery storage developer Redflow is seeking to raise $12.9 million for marketing and fine-tuning production of its household “plug and play” battery storage product, which is set to launch […]
CEC calls on government to implement battery-friendly energy market reforms
The Clean Energy Council has called on governments and industry to work together to ready Australia’s electricity market for the rapid uptake of residential and commercial battery storage, and to […]
Whitsunday Solar Farm to be included in ARENA funding round shortlist
The Whitsunday Solar Farm has become the second project developed by Solar Choice and our partner Edify Energy to be shortlisted for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s large-scale solar funding […]
ARENA report shows potential for cost-reductions in large-scale solar
New data released on the Australian Renewable Energy Agency website has revealed some interesting information about the costs of large-scale solar projects in Australia. It suggests that solar energy could […]
Victorian government makes it easier for homes to install solar
Rooftop solar uptake in the state of Victoria is set to get a boost, with the introduction of a new bill by the Andrews Labor government that will make PV […]
Western Australia study to investigate viability of renewables-based microgrid
Western Australian will spend $300,000 on a feasibility study for the creation of the country’s biggest edge-of-grid solution – a renewables-based micro grid to cut costs and improve energy security. […]
Rooftop solar meeting 7.4% of electricity demand in SE Queensland: Energex
Rooftop solar is now accounting for around 7.4 per cent of total electricity demand in Queensland’s south-east corner, including Brisbane and the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. The figure is […]
SA real estate developers increasingly interested in microgrids, says SAPN
South Australia’s electricity network operator says real estate developers are taking a growing interest in renewable energy-based micro-grids, to combat the soaring cost of establishing new networks for housing developments. […]
What could a federal incentive for home solar battery storage look like?
Strong government incentives paved the way for rooftop solar power to achieve the prominence that it has in Australia. Home battery storage is the next frontier in distributed energy, but […]
