Australia is one of the world’s leaders when it comes to rooftop solar power. Residential solar power has taken off in Australia in a way not seen in many other […]
Category: Installation advice
Solar Choice blog articles about what to consider when installing your solar power system.
Solar Choice releases pricing data for commercial-scale solar PV systems (10kW-100kW)
Click here to see latest commercial solar prices On the back of the success of its monthly Solar PV Price Index articles, which focus mainly on residential solar PV systems, […]
Sunny Australia’s solar uptake lags behind dreary UK’s
Queensland continues to remain the hot-spot for rooftop solar installations in Australia, accounting for much of the installs in the month of March, and showing an increase as falls were […]
Solar PV Price Index – May 2014
1.5kW and 2kW solar PV system prices continue to rise from April to May while 3kW-5kW remain steady and 10kW system prices have fallen. This month’s article includes for the […]
What would a solar system cost without the Renewable Energy Target?
“Is the Renewable Energy Target going to survive this review in reasonably good shape?” There are only so many times you can shake the Magic 8 Ball to try to […]
Researchers develop new antireflective coating that improves module efficiency by 4%
Researchers at UK’s Loughborough University have developed a new multi-layer anti-reflection (AR) coating for solar panels that simultaneously reduces reflection and improves module efficiency. The AR coating developed at the […]
Solar solution for apartment owners
Australia has one of the highest per capita and rooftop penetration rates of solar power in the world. Our position at the top of the rankings is largely because we […]
Solar’s rise to dominance closer than we think
The use of solar power is increasing at a prodigious rate around the world and Australia is no exception. In fact solar’s growth may be have already reached an unforeseen […]
Panasonic breaks silicon efficiency record after 15 years with a 25.6% efficient HIT cell
After a run of nearly 15 years, the record efficiency for silicon solar cells was finally broken last week. Panasonic Corporation announced last Thursday (10 April 2014) that it has […]
Australia’s RayGen secures funds to manufacture concentrating PV technology
Australian solar technology start-up RayGen has signed a $60 million equity and manufacturing deal to help accelerate a technology that it believes will generate $1 billion in sales by 2020. […]
Sun MonitOZ: Solar system performance app (Currently seeking beta-testers)
The popularity of rooftop solar power systems has soared globally in recent years, and Australia remains one of the global leaders for home solar uptake. This is due in part […]
Ecoppia offers automated, robotic, water-free cleaning solution for large PV farms
Ecoppia, an Israeli solar startup, has introduced the Ecoppia E4, a new robot-based automatic panel cleaning system that it claims is water-free, making it one of the first such systems […]
Solar PV system prices for April 2014
Average 1.5kW solar system prices appear to have plateaued between March and April after steadily rising over the course of the last 8 months or so, while prices for 2kW […]
Zero Export Device ZED 1 approved for grid-connect solar systems
Queensland-based GNT Engineering Pty Ltd has developed a device that will enable solar system owners & operators to limit the amount of solar power that their systems export to the […]
New Perovskite material from NTU turns solar cells into display panels
If new research from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) holds true, a new solar cell material could one day turn your mobile or tablet display into a solar cell, letting […]
Morgan Stanley: US solar PV and solar-with-storage installs to skyrocket
Investment bank Morgan Stanley says the addressable market for solar PV in the US is way bigger than anyone had previously imagined; and battery storage costs could fall way quicker […]
Solar power for businesses in Sydney & surrounds: Compare prices & components
More and more businesses are making an investment in solar power—in Australia and around the globe. This article takes a look at solar power for businesses in and around Sydney, […]
BIPV glass likely to see dramatic growth between now and 2019
A report by market analysts NanoMarkets predicts that the market for building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) glass will surge in the coming 5 years—growing from $823 million in 2014 to 2.7 billion […]
IHS: n-type silicon, other new technologies to come in 2014
A recent report published by IHS research suggests that next-generation PV technologies will enter the mainstream in 2014 now that the punishing downturn in PV manufacturing is behind us and […]
Prediction: Some utilities will adapt, many will perish
We have a lot to thank the electricity industry for, let’s be clear about that. Energy has transformed our life and brought wealth and health to billions of people. But […]
Texan start-up offers plug-in DIY solar kit for the US market
Nothing says self-reliance and (energy) independence quite like a do-it-yourself (DIY) solar system. And, as a US start-up, Plugged Solar, would like to convince you, nothing says easy DIY better […]
IMEC reaches record 8.4% cell efficiency for fullerene-free organic solar cells
Belgian research institute, Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC), has achieved a record-breaking 8.4% efficiency for its new organic solar cell made without fullerenes, marking yet another step towards making organic solar […]
Rooftop solar power system prices in Sydney, NSW: How much does a system cost?
Sydney, NSW is home to some of the lowest solar power system prices in Australia. This article takes a look at solar PV prices and how to get the most […]
GTAT announces new bus-bar-free interconnection technology
GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) has announced a new metallization and interconnection technology for solar modules (trademarked ‘Merlin’) that is expected to significantly slash module manufacturing and installation costs. Terming the […]
Researchers create colourful solar cells using hybrid organic-inorganic PV technology
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new, eye-catching transparent photovoltaic cell using a novel mixture of organic and inorganic materials, thereby bringing colourful photovoltaics one step closer […]
Khosla-backed Stion delivers 20% module efficiency with novel tandem technology
If the recent trail of new innovations is any clue, the race to find a new champion to boost the fortunes of thin film solar has never been more intense. […]
Solar PV Price Index–March 2014
Between February and March, average 1.5kW and 2kW solar PV system prices continued their steady rise in all cities included in the PV Price Index except for Adelaide, while pricing […]
New JA Solar panels mark entry of black silicon technology
JA Solar has recently launched two new high-efficiency PV modules at the recent PV Expo in Japan: the 285W PERCIUM module and the 270W RIECIUM module. The announcement marks the […]
New pomegranate-like material boosts lithium-ion battery performance
In an interesting case of biomimicry, scientists at Stanford University and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have designed a new electrode material for lithium-ion batteries using silicon nanoparticles clustered like […]
Germany to build world’s first modular, multi-technology battery storage system
Can’t decide on which battery technology to use for your next big energy storage project? Well, now you can use them all! A consortium consisting of researchers, an electric utility, […]
Gum-like electrolyte makes Li-ion batteries safer
An icky-sticky wad of chewing gum under your shoe is definitely annoying, but what makes gum sticky may soon keep your laptop or grid storage battery from exploding. Researchers at Washington […]
