Quality performance monitoring should be an essential component of any solar energy system, but is sometimes the first thing to be sacrificed in the name of cost-savings. New Zealand’s SPLASH […]
Solar-plus-storage will account for nearly half of Aussie electricity demand by 2040
A major new report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance has predicted that rooftop solar and battery storage will account for more than half of Australia’s electricity needs by 2040, as […]
Queensland’s Ergon decreases solar system size thresholds for network assessments
Queensland regional utility Ergon Energy has imposed a 3.5kW threshold on rooftop solar systems, making it more difficult and potentially more costly for households and businesses to install rooftop solar. The […]
Australian Energy Regulator rejects proposed fee on SA solar homes
A proposal by South Australia’s monopoly network operator to add a $100 a year tariff for households with rooftop solar has been rejected by the Australian Energy Regulator. As reported in […]
Over 18% of WA homes now have solar
A total of more than 180,000 West Australian households have installed rooftop solar, new data has shown, taking total residential penetration to 18 per cent of the state’s population: an […]
Could the Coalition turn RET towards large-scale solar?
In seeking to justify its push against wind energy, the creation of a “wind commissioner” and its dealing with the Senate cross-bench, the Coalition is trying to turn the renewable energy target […]
Rooftop solar to beat coal, demolish midday demand in SA by 2025
Rooftop solar PV capacity in Australia is expected to overtake that of coal fired generation within the next decade, according to new forecasts by the Australian Energy Market Operator, published on […]
Solar PV system prices in Darwin, NT
According to the APVI‘s solar map, only about 6% of homes in Darwin have solar panels – despite the fact that the city is home to some of the highest solar irradiation rates […]
RET deal details remain unsettled with questions about wood waste and wind
Last-minute wrangling over the inclusion of native wood waste in the Renewable Energy Target is threatening to delay passage of the amended legislation through federal Parliament’s Upper House, as the […]
Hot water storage helps maximise PV electricity use
Storing solar energy in the form of hot water is an effective and low-cost way of maximising the use of generated excess PV electricity. Australia’s net-metering arrangements and despicably low […]
Australia’s conservative districts also have the most solar: Solar Citizens
Australia’s rooftop solar market is still powering along nicely, adding another 11,865 systems in the month of May and bringing the nation’s total number of solar homes to more than […]
Solar Choice’s 2GW Bulli Creek Solar Farm: The lay of the land
At 2 gigawatts of capacity, once completed Solar Choice’s Bulli Creek Solar Farm will be the largest project of its kind in Australia – and among the largest in the world. For […]
Home solar battery and energy storage in NSW: Options & benefits
Battery storage is the next frontier in home solar power for New South Wales. In fact, a perfect combination of factors means that NSW – and Australia more generally – is […]
Testing complete, NSW’s Nyngan Soar Farm soon to be fully operational
Australia’s largest solar farm, the 102MW Nyngan Solar Plant in western New South Wales, is set to become fully operational in a matter of weeks after achieving the milestone of […]
UNSW adds fast chargers, Tesla Model S and BMW i3 to EV arsenal
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) has recently installed two additional electric vehicle (EV) fast chargers at the Kensington campus. The charging station, which sits behind the Tyree Energy […]
Commercial Solar PV Price Index: June 2015
Average indicative prices for commercial solar energy systems changed little between May and June 2015, continuing to hover around $1.44/W. Commercial solar energy system prices (10kW-100kW): Averages All prices in the […]
Aussie rooftop solar installations continue apace despite RET debacle
Australian households and businesses continue their rapid take-up of rooftop solar, even as new Renewable Energy Target legislation prepares to pass through the Senate, and despite the Abbott government’s latest […]
South Australia’s two remaining coal plants will close, Alinta confirms
The likelihood of South Australia shifting to 100 per cent renewable energy received a huge boost this week, with the decision to close the state’s two remaining coal-fired plants. Alinta […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index: June 2015
Average residential solar PV system prices remain largely unchanged between May and June 2015, hovering around $1.86/W nationally. What appears as price rises in Melbourne were actually due mainly to a […]
IRENA report highlights the 164 nations with renewable energy targets
On the same day Tony Abbott described Australia’s RET as “not the right way forward,” a new report has described renewable energy targets as a “defining feature” of the global energy landscape, […]
Wind & solar save the day in SA as fire disables Northern coal plant
Renewable energy managed to carry the bulk South Australia’s electricity load over the long weekend, after a fire at the Northern coal power station – the state’s only baseload generator […]
Coalition reportedly investigating ways to promote large-scale solar ahead of wind
Solar energy could be favoured under the revised Australian renewable energy target, with Coalition ministers reportedly looking at ways to accelerate the development of large-scale solar projects, ahead of wind […]
SolarSafe: Warranty protection and safety audits for existing solar PV systems
SolarSafe is a Queensland-based company founded with the goal of rectifying some of the downsides of the cracking growth of residential solar systems in Australia. The company fills an important niche […]
RV Solar Supplies: Taking solar on the road with recreational solar
One of the biggest advantages of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is its scalability – it can be used in applications as small as a calculator or as large as a […]
Lismore Council’s Community Solar project opens to investors
Australia’s first local government- and community-owned solar project will begin seeking investor interest this week, just six months after it was approved for development. The Lismore Community Solar project, which […]
Three potential sites identified for ground-breaking SA energy storage project
Plans for Australia’s first large-scale, non-hydro energy storage project have progressed this week, with the identification of three potential sites in South Australia, and the submission of more than 40 […]
Aussie property developers could skip grid to design microgrid-powered communities
Australian property developers are exploring the option of not connecting newly built housing estates to the electricity grid, but instead offering solar and storage as part of a standard package, industry […]
Solar power system prices in Newcastle, NSW
Around 11% of the homes in Newcastle, NSW have a solar power system installed. This is strong evidence that many Newcastle residents continue to find that solar PV systems are well worth the […]
Australian Energy Storage Conference & Exhibition 2015 roundup
The excitement and optimism were palpable at the Australian Energy Storage Conference and Exhibition held this week in Sydney at the Australian Technology Park. The exhibition portion had on display […]
World’s largest off-grid residential solar-plus-storage system installed in Hawaii
The world’s largest private residential solar-plus-storage, off-grid power system was installed last week in Hawaii. The system includes a 170kW solar array and 1MWh of Aqueous Hybrid Ion batteries from […]
Solar feed-in tariff for regional Queensland reduced further under latest QCA review
Queensland’s regional solar households are set to be paid even less for the energy they export to the grid, after the the state’s pricing regulator announced a further cut to […]
