Average solar system prices rose for most system sizes in Sydney and Tasmania between July and August, while dropping or staying flat for all other cities and system sizes. The […]
Category: Solar Panel & Renewable Energy Policies
Solar Choice articles about solar pv, solar power policy and renewable energy policy. Solar Choice is Australia’s solar power installation brokering and solar quote comparison service. Contact Solar Choice for a free comparison of solar power quotes.
Solar energy storage in Victoria
Interest in battery storage for solar power is growing rapidly in Australia – which has been described as ‘ground zero for energy storage’. What is the attractiveness of energy storage for […]
Queensland to host first solar-powered service station in Australia
The Queensland government wants the Sunshine state to host Australia’s first solar powered electric vehicle service station, as part of a potential 1,600km network of solar powered EV fast-charging stations […]
ACT enviro minister Corbell pushes for emissions considerations in state & federal policy-making
ACT energy and environment minister Simon Corbell has notched up a significant win at this week’s COAG meeting, securing an agreement from state and federal energy ministers to take carbon […]
Labor Party to commit to 50% federal Renewable Energy Target by 2030
The Australian Labor Party will announce a commitment to supporting a Renewable Energy Target of 50% by the year 2030, according to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald and a press […]
Queensland’s Ergon announces tenders for 200MW of large-scale solar
Queensland network operator Ergon Energy is set to tender for up to 200MW of large-scale solar capacity, as well as to accelerate its push into battery storage and electric vehicles […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index: July 2015
The average solar PV system price nationally continues to sit at about $1.85 per watt for the third month in a row, with prices for specific system sizes also remaining […]
SA government match funding for Adelaide City Council solar-plus-storage incentives
The South Australian government has pledged to match Adelaide City Council funding to provide incentives for businesses and households to install energy storage and energy efficiency solutions, as well as […]
ACT large-scale solar-plus-storage program receives 30 applications
The ACT government’s next generation solar program has been been swamped by 30 submissions representing 967MW of potential solar plus storage capacity in response to its call for expressions of […]
Solar system prices in Brisbane, Queensland
Approximately one quarter of households in Brisbane proper have a solar power system, according to the APVI’s solar map; the suburbs surrounding Brisbane have even higher solar penetrations. The number of systems […]
Three in ten SE Qld homes installing solar: Energex
Households in south-east Queensland are installing solar at a rate of three in 10, according to the latest data from network operator Energex, which now has a total of nearly […]
Solar energy battery storage in Queensland
Rooftop solar has proved itself to be immensely popular in Queensland, where roughly 27% of all homes have had a system installed, according to the APVI. But more and more Queensland homes […]
As retailers & regulators seek to protect revenues, next major battleground for solar emerges
Australia’s solar industry looks to have a major battle on its hands, as pricing regulators and utilities take action to protect revenues and make rooftop solar less appealing for consumers. […]
VIC solar feed-in tariff faces further reduction
Victorian solar households face another cut to their solar feed-in tariff, after the Essential Services Commission recommended the rate for rooftop solar generation fed back into the grid be cut […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
RET deal’s passage will unlock billions in solar & wind investment
More than $10 billion in solar and wind investment would be unlocked if legislation to amend Australia’s renewable energy target achieved quick passage through parliament, the Clean Energy Council has […]
Commercial solar PV on Western Power’s network: Grid connection procedures & requirements
The procedures and requirements for connecting a commercial solar PV system to WA‘s Western Power network are some of the most stringent in Australia, especially when it comes to solar […]
Perth suburb sets sights on solar-powered future
Western Australia’s Wanneroo Council has called for expressions of interest to develop and operate a grid-connected solar farm on local government-owned land in the northern Perth suburb of Neerabup. The […]
Renewable Energy Target deal struck: 33,000GWh with no 2-yearly reviews
The Abbott government and federal Labor have finally struck a bipartisan agreement on Australia’s renewable energy target, with both parties agreeing to slash it from 41,000GWh to 33,000GWh by 2020. […]
Queensland to aim for 50% renewables, 1 million solar homes by 2030
Queensland’s Labor government has restated its commitment to generating 50 per cent of its electricity needs from renewable energy by 2030, and to ensure one million homes in state had […]
Big solar could make up 40% of new 2020 large-scale renewables target: BNEF
Big solar could take up as much as 40 per cent of Australia’s 2020 Renewable Energy Target, even with a much reduced target of 33,000GWh, according to Bloomberg New Energy […]
RET deal back on hold as Labor walks out over continuation of 2-yearly reviews
Even as an agreement appears to be close at hand, talks have again broken down between Labor and the Coalition about the future of Australia’s Renewable Energy Target (RET). Labor […]
