After numerous questions about the relationship between solar panel power and inverter power, I decided to put together this blog post. Now logically, if you have (say) 3,000 Watts of solar […]
Category: Installation advice
Solar Choice blog articles about what to consider when installing your solar power system.
Commercial Solar PV Price Index for January 2017
Average commercial solar system prices continue at about $1.25/W for the fourth month in a row, starting off the new year with no eventful news. Commercial solar system prices (10kW-100kW) […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – January 2017
Average solar system prices for the new year continue to hover around $1.62/W, as they have for the past six months or so. Smaller systems (1.5kW – 2kW) continue to […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – December 2016
Average solar PV system prices for December sit at roughly $1.62 per watt ($1.62/W). Average system prices in Australia have hovered around this price point since about July of 2016, […]
Commercial Solar PV Price Index for December 2016
Average commercial solar system prices saw virtually no change betwen November and December, according to data from the Solar Choice database. Prices have hovered around the $1.25 mark since September. […]
Is a solar lease or solar PPA right for you?
See this recent article on Solar PPAs.. ‘Solar leasing’ deals have been the main facilitator of residential solar panel uptake in the United States, with the majority of systems being installed […]
Solar power for homes: Still worth it in Australia?
Lots of things have changed in recent years with regard to solar power for homes. The business case for going solar – the investment-worthiness of solar panels – has quickly […]
1kW solar PV systems: Pricing, output, returns
Should you install a 1 kilowatt (kW) solar system for your home? These days, 1kW solar system installations are relatively rare, as larger systems frequently offer better value for money […]
Blockchain network disruption soon to arrive – with Australian company at forefront
An Australian start-up has been named as a global leader in the development of “blockchain” technology in a report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The BNEF report named Perth-based company […]
Integrated solar roof tiles cheaper to install than regular roof, says Musk
Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk has suggested his newly launched integrated solar roof tiles could actually cost less to install than a regular roof – making the renewable electricity […]
Commercial Solar PV Price Index: November 2016
The average price of a commercial solar PV system dropped very slightly between October and November 2016 (from about $1.26 per watt to about $1.25/W) according to figures from the […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – November 2016
Average solar PV system prices for Australia’s capital cities changed little between October and November of 2016, according to data from Solar Choice’s installer network database. Currently, the average price […]
Tesla founder plans to lead global push to 100 percent renewable energy
On Friday, in Los Angeles, Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk unveiled the latest elements of his plan to lead a global push to 100 per cent renewable energy: a […]
Commercial Solar PV Price Index: October 2016
Average commercial solar system prices for all sizes that we track (10kW, 30kW, 50kW and 100kW) held stable at the $1.28/W low seen in September, according to data from Solar Choice’s […]
NSW Solar Bonus Scheme feed-in tariffs end this year: What are your options?
On December 31 2016, recipients of NSW Solar Bonus Scheme will cease to receive bill credits for their exported solar energy. The Solar Bonus Scheme (which closed to new applications in […]
JinkoSolar introduces modules with ‘next generation’ power optimisation
Panel manufacturer JinkoSolar claims to have solved the issue of partial shading of solar panels with its new line of JinkoMX modules, which use an advanced power optimisation technology called […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – October 2016
Average solar system prices for Australia’s capital cities rose slightly (to $1.63/W) between September and October. Price increases were seen primarily among smaller systems (1.5kW – 5kW) in a handful […]
Home battery storage keeps the lights on in SA blackout
One of the promises of home battery storage was realised during South Australia’s historic blackout yesterday: Homes with batteries were able to keep the lights on even as surrounding building […]
South Australia’s 16c/kWh solar feed-in tariff ends 30 September 2016
South Australia‘s 16c per kilowatt-hour (kWh) solar feed-in tariff will be the first state-backed incentive of its kind to cease payments. The 16c/kWh rate – referred to as the ‘Transitional […]
Commercial Solar PV Price Index: September 2016
The average price of a commercial solar installation fell to an all-time low of $1.26 per watt ($/W) between August and September, according to data from Solar Choice’s installer network […]
How many times per day should you cycle your batteries?
There are a lot of different ways to potentially get value out of a home battery storage system. Something that not many storage system shoppers realises is that it is possible to charge/discharge […]
One reason why solar is more expensive in the USA than Australia: Larger installer profits
According to the data, average margin for a rooftop solar installation in the United States market is 40 per cent. In Australia, some installers are struggling to get into double figures. […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – September 2016
Average residential solar system prices for September 2016 have matched the all-time low seen in December of last year, when prices dipped just below $1.60 per watt ($1.60/W). In other […]
Finally, a win-win solar solution for renters & landlords from Aussie startup Matter
Aussie technology company Matter has developed a platform to make it possible for renters and landlords alike to benefit from rooftop solar. They’ve done this by removing one of the […]
Commercial Solar PV Price Index: August 2016
The average price of a commercial solar systems fell marginally between July and August to $1.28/W, according to figures from Solar Choice’s installer network database. Commercial solar system prices (10kW-100kW) […]
WA government moves to make solar PPAs more accessible
See this explanatory article on Solar PPAs The Western Australian government has announced changes to state energy market regulations that will boost the uptake of rooftop solar and make the […]
Four years of tracking residential solar system prices: What’s changed?
August 2016 marked four years since Solar Choice published our first Solar PV Price Index. What are some of the noteworthy trends we’ve seen over this period? What is the Solar […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – August 2016
This month marks a full four years of our publishing of the Solar PV Price Index. When we first started keeping track of average system prices back in 2012, it […]
5 arguments for solar-without-storage: Why would you wait to install batteries?
Solar battery storage is a hot topic in Australia these days thanks to a combination of global technology and market developments, as well as the peculiar story rooftop solar in […]
Thinking about going off-grid? Keep these points in mind
With the dawn of the age of (nearly) affordable battery storage, more and more Australian homes are considering the possibility of disconnecting from the electricity grid; or the first time, off-grid […]
Ergon publishes 10-point ‘reality check’ list for would-be off-gridders
Queensland utility Ergon energy has decided to address the issue of grid electricity defection by publishing a 10-step guide for consumers considering the idea. Ergon, which doubles as the main […]
