Update 25 June 2012: The Queensland Solar Bonus Feed-in Tariff scheme will be reduced from 44c/kWh to 8c/kWh. Applications to connect to the grid must be submitted by midnight 9 July 2012. […]
Solar Choice gets Australia’s first i-MiEV 100% Electric Vehicle
Solar Choice now has its own electric vehicle–the first of its kind ordered and purchased in Australia. The Mitsubishi i MiEV (“Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle”), will be parked […]
SMA Sunny Boy 2100TL inverters now available in Australia
SMA Sunny Boy 2100TL inverters, part of SMA’s transformerless inverter range, are now available in Australia. The vast majority of the solar installers in the Solar Choice installer […]
Solar Power Townsville: Join the Townsville Solar Community
Solar Choice is in the process of organising a Solar Community in Townsville, Queensland. Residents of the Townsville area are encouraged to take advantage of a special bulk discount rate […]
Solar Power in Mackay, Qld: Join the Mackay Solar Community
Solar Choice is currently organising a Solar Community in Mackay, Queensland. If you are a resident of the Mackay local government area, now is your chance to take advantage of […]
The Queensland Solar Bonus Feed-in Tariff Scheme: Things to know
The narrative about solar power incentives across the Australian states and territories for the past few months has been one of reductions and cut-offs. At this point in time, all the states […]
Western Australia Solar Feed-in Tariff: Can I increase my system size?
Western Australia suspended its 20c/kWh solar feed-in tariff (FiT) scheme at 8am 1 August 2011 with no state-sponsored scheme to replace it (although there is still a Solar Buyback scheme […]
SunPower Solar Panels in Australia
The world record for solar panel efficiency goes to SunPower‘s solar panels: 24% cell efficiency (sunlight –> usable electricity in laboratory conditions) and 19.6% conversion efficiency (sunlight –> […]
SA and Victoria Solar Feed-in Tariff Schemes enter next phase
30 Sept 2011 was the last day for paperwork to be in for both the 44c/kWh South Australia solar feed-in tariff and the 60c/kWh Victoria Premium solar feed-in […]
Off-grid solar power system in Sydney’s Western Suburbs
Nev and Linda Sweeney have been living on their 500-square-meter suburban plot in Sydney’s St Clair Suburb since the early 1980s, and have been trying to live sustainably using the […]
Changes to South Australia Solar Power Feed-in Tariff Legislation
Some of the information below may be out of date. For the most up-to-date information on the state of South Australia Solar Feed-in Tariff incentives, see the South Australia Solar […]
Electricity price comparisons: Choosing a retailer
You’re interesting in bringing your home into the 21st century by going solar. Great. This is not likely a decision that you’ll make lightly. Calculating what size solar system your […]
Victoria 60c Premium Solar Feed-in Tariff closed. New transitional rate: 25c
The Victoria State government’s Premium Solar Feed-in Tariff (PFIT) program closed on 30 September 2011. A rate of 25c for every kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity is still available for those […]
Silex Solar to outsource solar cell production, modules still to be assembled in Australia
Silex Solar, Australia’s sole solar cell and module manufacturer, has decided to move its solar cell production facilities offshore, citing a ‘tough’ solar market in Australia and its need to […]
IEA: Majority of world’s energy could come from solar by 2060
The majority of the world’s energy be supplied by solar power–both photovoltaics and concentrating solar power (CSP)–by the year 2060, according to a Cedric Phillbert senior energy analyst at the […]
Solar Choice at Sustainable House Day 2011
Sustainable House Day (SHD) has taken place every September since 2001. 2010 saw a record 272 homes open their doors to SHD volunteers and over 40,000 local community members with […]
Solar Choice Commercial Tenders Manager Iain McGregor Swims English Channel
Word has just come in that Commercial Solar Tenders Manager Iain McGregor successfully crossed the English Channel on 20 August 2011–propelled only by his own arms and legs. In the […]
Solar power reaching grid parity in parts of NSW
Even taking into account the overhead cost of purchasing a solar power system, the price of solar has for the first time dipped below below that of coal-fired generation in […]
Ford and SunPower: Solar Power and Electric Vehicles made affordable
Automobile manufacturer Ford and the US solar panel producer SunPower have teamed up in a strategic partnership to encourage both renewable energy and electric vehicles (EVs). The program, given the […]
Suntech Hiperforma 240W and Superpoly 290W Vd solar panels released in North America
Suntech Solar, the world’s largest producer of solar panels in the world, has recently released two new panels into the North American market: Hiperforma 245-watt panel using Suntech’s PlutoPower(TM) technology for residential, […]
Solyndra Solar Tubes: Installations growing in Australia
Solyndra solar tube technology has been widely praised as one of the most innovative approaches to solar electricity generation in the world. Solyndra modules utilise ordinarily lower-efficiency (compared to mono- […]
Solar Choice solar power brokering: An overview of our personalised service.
What kind of service can you expect after you fill out a request form for solar quotes from the installers in your area or place an inquiry with Solar Choice? First, you will […]
Solar Choice Commercial Tenders Manager Iain McGregor to swim English Channel
Solar Choice Commercial Tenders Manager Iain McGregor has been gearing up over the past six 6 months in preparation for a swim across the English Channel, to take place between […]
Victoria Solar feed-in tariff cap limit approaching quickly
Update on Victoria Solar Feed-in Tariff, 1 September 2011: Deadline to have systems installed for the 60c/kWh rate is 30 September 2011. (Sign up for a free solar power quote comparison to […]
Is Solar Power right for you in NSW?
If you believe everything you read in the press, you’d think that solar power in NSW was dead and buried. There is reduced upfront federal assistance (RECs, STCs) for homeowners to buy […]
Types of solar inverter efficiency
There are three numbers you will come across when considering purchasing a solar inverter based on its efficiency: peak efficiency, Euro (η) efficiency, and CEC efficiency. […]
NSW Solar Update: IPART terms of reference released for next feed-in tariff
The NSW government bureaucratic machinery has been set into motion to determine what will be “a fair price for solar power”–‘fair’ depending of course on whose interests you happen to […]
EnaSolar: Web-monitored solar inverters from NZ
EnaSolar manufactures a range of solar inverters for the residential solar market. Their inverters are some of the most innovative available on the market, with built-in, comprehensive solar system monitoring […]
WA Solar Feed in Tariff Closed: What’s next?
–Update 22 August 2011: WA’s solar feed-in tariff scheme is closed to new applicants as of 31 July 2011. Currently, residential Synergy customers are eligible for a 7c/kWh Solar Buyback scheme, […]
Solar Panels Stolen: Solar Panel Insurance?
Last week news news broke that solar panels and inverters with an estimated value of nearly $550k had been stolen from a Gold Coast business in what was described as […]
SilexSolar SLX Panels: Australian solar power
Update 30 May 2012: SilexSolar has ceased solar panel manufacturing. As SilexSolar parent company SilexSystems is remains operational, however, warranties on SilexSolar products will still be serviceable. Silex is Australia’s […]