Just weeks after the federal government ordered the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to cease backing wind energy and rooftop solar in Australia, Victoria’s state Labor government has committed to drive […]
Commercial Solar PV Price Index: August 2015
This month Solar Choice upgraded its price reporting functionality to encompass a larger number of commercial installers – with interesting results. While average prices now appear as higher for 30kW, 50kW […]
New solar & storage-friendly electricity market rules delayed until 2020
New electricity market rules that could have encouraged Australian networks and consumers to take up solar PV, battery storage and demand management systems have been delayed for another five years. […]
Solar Choice brokers 30kW solar system for Gold Coast Central Seventh-Day Adventist Church
Solar Choice Commercial has brokered a 30kW solar PV system for the Central Seventh-Day Adventist Church on the Gold Coast, Queensland. The church’s congregation exhibited uncommon ambition in their clean […]
WINAICO Solar listed as tier 1 by BNEF
Industry analysts at Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) have classified WINAICO a tier 1 solar module manufacturer in their most recent PV Market Outlook report. Although the listing does not […]
Utility business model is in danger – and Australia is the proverbial ‘canary in the coal mine’
The point when the cost of solar electricity generation falls below that of the cost of the network is the real threat to traditional utilities, a new report has warned. […]
Aus energy markets in midst of ‘seismic shift’ thanks to solar, storage: Shorten
The leader of the Opposition has pushed the case for household solar and battery storage, in a speech at the University of NSW last Friday. Federal Labor leader Bill Shorten […]
Going with the flow: An introduction to redox flow batteries
Renewable energy technologies – solar PV in particular – are on the cusp of changing the energy landscape. In combination with the right load profile and in the right settings, […]
Solar Council launches campaign to oust Liberals in marginal Perth seat
The Australian Solar Council has launched a new campaign urging voters to stand up for solar and put the Liberal Party last in the up-coming by-election for the Perth seat […]
Report says world must install 53GW of PV per year until 2020 to stop climate change
The world will need to install solar PV at an average rate of 53GW a year from 2013-2020 as it transforms its energy mix to prevent dangerous climate change, a […]
Tesla’s Powerwall & Powerpack sales add up to $US1B – without marketing
Tesla’s residential Powerwall batteries and larger-scale Powerpacks have already notched up $US1 billion worth of sales, and the California-based EV maker says its delivery book to early 2017 is already […]
Solar Choice brokers commercial solar system for Kennards Hire in first stage of broader roll-out
Solar Choice Commercial has brokered a 15kW solar system for Kennards Hire in Rutherford, NSW. The project is the first in a wider roll-out for the national rental chain. Kennards Hire […]
July was best month yet for rooftop solar PV this year: Sunwiz
A surge in Australia’s commercial-scale solar PV market has helped deliver the highest monthly volume of PV capacity so far this year. According to the latest report from solar industry […]
Survey confirms: Over 80% of Australians prefer solar energy over other sources
Solar power is the preferred energy source of more than 80 per cent of Australians, a new survey has found. In its latest Climate of the Nation report, The Climate […]
Solar Choice launches Australia’s first battery storage comparison platform
On the back of the success of our free and impartial Solar Quote Comparisons and mounting interest in energy storage for solar, Solar Choice has launched Australia’s first comparison platform for […]
Energy storage Q&A with Bosch Power Tec
Bosch Power Tec recently introduced its BPT-S 5 Hybrid residential energy storage device onto the Australian market, along with a line of hybrid inverters. Solar Choice recently caught up with Bosch […]
Solar Choice survey provides snapshot of Australians’ thoughts on energy storage
Since the beginning of 2015 Solar Choice has seen interest in home energy storage grow steadily. We recently conducted a survey of our customers who have told us they would like […]
Australia sees emissions jump for first time since 2001
Australian has recorded the biggest jump in electricity sector emissions since 2001, as brown coal and black coal energy generation continues to grow after the repeal of the carbon price […]
Electricity networks propose connection fees for all homes – including off-gridders
Australia’s major power networks are calling for compulsory connection fees for all homes and businesses – even if they are not connected to the grid – and penalties for those […]
Fossil fuel subsidy reform “urgent as ever” for Aus, says IMF
The International Monetary Fund says fossil fuel subsidy reform is as “urgent as ever”, after the release of a report showing subsidies to the sector currently averaging at around $US1,000 […]
ARENA predicts ‘mega-shift’ towards energy storage as battery prices drop
A new report by published by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency has predicted solar households will drive a mega-shift to energy storage in the country, as battery technology prices plunge […]
Electricity network companies fighting for price increases in NSW
NSW electricity rates could once again skyrocket from next July if network companies win a legal challenge to a pricing determination made by the Australian Energy Regulator. Prices for this […]
Interest in solar energy storage growing rapidly
Energy storage is making its way into the mainstream media, with Sydney Morning Herald energy reporter Angela Macdonald-Smith writing about the growing level of interest in energy storage amongst Australian households. […]
NSW start-up Enova aims to foster community solar growth
A NSW start-up with plans to become Australia’s first community-owned renewable energy retailer – as well as its cheapest – is hoping to win local support for its venture ahead of […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index: August 2015
Average solar system prices rose for most system sizes in Sydney and Tasmania between July and August, while dropping or staying flat for all other cities and system sizes. The […]
Residential energy storage Q&A with Magellan Power
Magellan Power’s RES1 and RES3 are some of the first of the growing number of residential energy storage devices currently available in Australia. Solar Choice recently caught up with Magellan Power […]
Demand charge reduction could change attractiveness of solar for SA businesses
Rooftop solar might have become a less attractive proposition for businesses in South Australia, after electricity consumption rates for business owners were slashed by SA Power Networks to one-fifth of […]
Utilty-scale solar will soon be competitive with fossil power in USA – even without tax credit
Utility-scale solar in the US is likely to become competitive with fossil fueled energy generation sources in a matter of years, even if current tax credits are removed. That is […]
Reposit Power brings (solar-plus-storage) power to the people
Reposit Power has created a software package which allows PV and battery owners to trade generated electricity directly onto the wholesale electricity market. The software is designed to support and […]
What do homes need to know to take advantage of solar-plus-storage? CSIRO study
A new report by the CSIRO has flagged the importance of engaging consumers in the transformation of Australia’s electricity market – a shift to distributed energy that is largely being […]
Solar energy storage in Victoria
Interest in battery storage for solar power is growing rapidly in Australia – which has been described as ‘ground zero for energy storage’. What is the attractiveness of energy storage for […]