Average residential solar system prices took a dip across the board between August and September, with almost no instances in which they increased. The trend was likely spurred by the recent […]
Category: Installation advice
Solar Choice blog articles about what to consider when installing your solar power system.
RET review recommendations would kill commercial solar market if implemented
Australia’s commercial-scale solar market would quickly evaporate if the federal government adopted the policy changes recommended in the RET Review report, industry insiders have warned. Solar PV installers and analysts […]
UNSW’s ‘stacked’ silicon-perovskite technology promises to double solar cell efficiency
An innovative solar project being developed by researchers at the University of New South Wales is aiming to more than double the efficiency of solar cells. The project, headed up […]
Solar panels & energy storage: What to consider
Energy storage is an option whose appeal is growing globally–and Australia is no exception. But energy storage is seldom considered as an option in isolate: the vast majority of those […]
Record efficiency for UCLA ‘plastic’ tandem solar cell
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have set a new record for organic polymer solar cells, with a device efficiency of 11.5%. The record-breaking ‘plastic’ solar cell […]
Phinergy extends electric car range with metal-air battery technology
Phinergy, an Israeli battery technology start-up, and aluminium producer, Alcoa, have recently revealed a prototype electric car with a 1,100-mile driving range that is powered by Phinergy aluminium-based metal-air battery […]
Commercial PV Price Index – August 2014
August 2014 marks the 4th month that Solar Choice has published pricing data for commercial solar PV systems (10kW, 30kW, 50kW, 100kW). As of yet there has been little fluctuation […]
Solar PV Price Index – August 2014
Average solar system prices continued with little fluctuation between July and August. Although some regional variability was still observable, numbers held remarkably steady in all cities and across all system […]
CEFC earmarks $120 million for solar leasing in Australia
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), after surviving another government attempt to legislate its dismantling, has announced $120 million worth of financing for solar leasing deals and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in […]
Understanding physics of plastic solar cells key for cheap, flexible PV
Recent work published by researchers from the University of Montreal, Imperial College London and the University of Cyprus have shed light on the physics of how ‘plastic’ polymeric semiconductor solar […]
ConnectDER: A new device to open Pandora’s Box for grid connection
Virginia start-up ‘Infinite Invention’ have created a device which potentially allows for the modulation of exported solar PV electricity to suit surrounding grid conditions. The device also provides a quick […]
Perovskites: The next PV revolution?
Perovskites have taken the PV research world by storm in recent years thanks to unprecedented growth in efficiency in the material. Perovskite solar cell efficiencies have gone from a barely […]
Commercial PV Price Index – July 2014
Solar Choice’s Commercial PV Price Index is published monthly to act as a bellwether for commercial-scale solar PV system pricing trends across Australia. Systems of 10kW, 30kW, 50kW and 100kW in […]
15-20% of Australian solar customers interested in energy storage
Installation rates of battery storage systems in Australian homes could reach around 1,000 a year by the end of 2014, according to new estimates, as solar households look for ways […]
‘Two-for-one’ deal on electrons to boost solar cell efficiency
Research conducted by the University of California (UC) – Riverside proposes an innovative method for pushing commercial solar cell efficiencies past 30%. The process, known as ‘singlet fission’, allows for […]
Solar PV Price Index – July 2014
Although higher average system prices in Melbourne and Hobart between this and last month resulted in an apparent increase across all system sizes included in our calculations (except for 1.5kW), […]
New technique to unlock Li-ion’s replacement: the lithium-sulphur battery
Pushing the boundary of lithium-based battery technologies is a new lithium-sulphur battery technology being jointly developed by researchers in the US and Korea. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), […]
Elephants and baboons go solar as Solar Choice manages project tender for Melbourne Zoo
Two of the Melbourne Zoo’s most iconic animals have some of the greenest digs on the campus, thanks to the brokering efforts of Solar Choice Commercial. Managing a tender of […]
‘Talesun Smart’ PV modules provide integrated real-time performance monitoring
Zhongli Talesun Solar has released a new range of PV modules with real-time module-level performance monitoring at SNEC 2014, International Photovoltaic Power Generation Conference and Exhibition. This is another welcome […]
Tofu-based solution could solve toxicity, cost issues in solar panel production
Liverpool University says it has found a way to use chemicals found in tofu to make solar panels cheaper and safer, in what it is claiming as a major breakthrough. […]
‘SmartWire’ cell interconnection technology to be manufactured in Poland
Meyer Burger’s innovative ‘SmartWire Connection Technology’ is set for manufacture in Poland, through a partnership with Freevolt and Hanplast, the largest European supplier for IKEA. The technology, acquired through Day4 […]
Shady Deals at MIT a Benefit to Solar PV
A team of students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has won US$225,000 for developing an integrated chip that can recover up to twice as much wasted energy from […]
New chemical breakthrough with stabilised lithium could enable safer, cheaper Lithium-ion batteries
While many contend that lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries may be replaced with other, more promising battery technologies in the long run, incremental improvements continue to keep Li-ion relevant with promises of […]
How to get the most out of your solar PV system part 1: System sizing & power usage
Anyone who has done some investigation into having solar panels installed in Australia should by now understand that the whole endeavour only makes economic sense if the home in question […]
Commercial PV Price Index – June 2014
Solar Choice’s Commercial PV Price Index is published monthly to provide a glimpse into national pricing trends among solar systems 10kW-100kW in capacity in Australia’s major cities, and as a complement […]
Spain’s Onyx Solar now offering high-end BIPV solutions on the Australian market
Spain-based building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) product manufacturer and project developer Onyx Solar has recently begun distributing its products in the Australian market. The company, whose offerings range from BIPV glass to […]
Solar PV Price Index – June 2014
On the whole, system prices fell slightly between May and June. 1.5kW system prices look more or less steady across the board, while average pricing for 4kW, 5kW and 10kW […]
Solar Choice Commercial brokers 100kW solar installation for Ainsworth Gaming Technology
International Ainsworth Game Technology recently switched on a 100kW solar array for the company’s office in Sydney through Solar Choice. Ainsworth first approached Solar Choice in November 2013 after receiving a quote […]
Speed of BIPV’s growth will depend on technological advances, types of materials: NanoMarkets
In the growing market for zero net energy buildings, Building integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) products are increasingly sought by designers and clients to provide energy production whilst fulfilling a required function. […]
Ambri’s liquid metal battery edges closer to commercialisation
Promising grid-scale battery technology startup Ambri has recently completed its third round of funding, bringing its unique liquid metal battery closer to full-scale commercialisation. Ambri raised a total of USD […]
Glass sphere concentrator offers creative solution to improving solar PV efficiency
Greater sunlight-to-energy conversion efficiency is something that solar photovoltaic technology manufacturers and researchers alike strive for, and cost-effective efficiency improvements are something of a Holy Grail in the PV industry. […]
