This month we’ve changed up the style of the graphs that we use for our ‘Are We There Yet?’ Meter, and altered them to focus only on the ‘low’ end […]
Category: Solar System Products
Solar Choice blog articles and reviews about components for solar power systems, including solar inverters, solar cells, solar modules, and solar batteries.
Battery storage: Are Australian households about to charge into market?
The combination of economics, a crucial state political battle, a move to local manufacturing, and soaring grid prices, could finally deliver Australia’s much forecast boom in residential battery storage. According […]
‘Reposit First’ monitoring system is here! (Solartopia #10)
I am very happy to announce that I’ve finally got the first of three energy management/monitoring systems for my home up and fully functioning. Reposit Power have sent one of […]
Home battery storage uptake tripled in 2017 in Australia
As rooftop solar continues to boom in Australia, a new report suggests household battery storage could soon follow suit, with uptake predicted to have tripled in 2017, and costs of […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – February 2018
Average solar system prices (on ‘primary’ offerings) have slipped slightly upwards since the beginning of the year, coming in at around $1.40/W – as opposed to about $1.30/W in December – […]
Backup power with home solar battery storage: What are your options?
NOTE: This article has been updated with a June 2019 article, click here to see! Home battery storage is becoming increasingly popular in Australia, and one of the most in-demand […]
South Australia unveils another big battery, this time with solar
South Australia is set to get another “big battery”, this time a 21MW/26MWh storage system next to a new 44MW solar farm to be constructed by Tilt Renewables. The project, […]
7 things to know about Tesla’s world’s biggest virtual power plant
The 250MW Tesla virtual power plant in South Australia unveiled on Sunday is not just the world’s biggest of its kind, it’s a huge leap towards the future grid, where […]
New solution turns forklifts into commercial solar batteries
RossiniEnergy has developed a device that transforms underused forklifts into energy storage systems for businesses. The solution, called Nuvolino, is already in commercial operation in Italy and France – and […]
Two improvements to our Home Solar & Battery Calculator
Following a major revamp of our Solar & Battery Storage Sizing & Payback Estimator midway through last year, we’ve just made a couple more significant improvements based on feedback from users. […]
Solar battery storage in Sydney: Know your options
Solar battery storage is becoming an increasingly attractive and viable option for homes in Sydney, NSW. This article examines the different situations in which someone living in Sydney may consider installing […]
Battery Storage Price Index – January 2018
After some significant additions to our battery pricing database (including some ‘recommended retail price’ (RRP) data from manufacturers), average ‘full’ battery system prices (i.e. including inverter) fell to about $1,580 […]
What are the best cities for home solar battery storage? (January 2018 update)
Having just published an article on the state of Australia’s battery storage market at the beginning of 2018 (recently updated), we decided we would endeavour to shed a bit more light […]
Second Tesla “big battery” to power Victorian farm
French renewables developer Neoen has once again selected US battery maker Tesla to partner with it on another ground-breaking Australian project – the construction of a wind farm and battery […]
2018: When battery storage will get a grip on the grid
A new forecast on battery storage growth in Australia has predicted an additional 800MWh of utility scale batteries installed or in construction by this time next year, and almost as […]
Battery Storage Price Index – December 2017
Welcome to the second edition of Solar Choice’s Battery Storage Price Index – the companion to our Solar PV Price Index, which covers solar system installation prices around Australia. The […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – December 2017
The average price per watt ($/W) for primary offerings was $1.30 this month – down slightly from November and a new low since we began tracking prices in 2012. The […]
ATA launches free home solar and battery sizing tool
Australian homes looking to install solar and battery storage systems can now access a free-to-use tool offering them key guidance on the system size, expected energy bill savings and payback […]
Solar-plus-storage: How much battery capacity do you need?
Lots of Solar Choice customers ask about battery storage for solar power, but not many have a clear idea of how much battery capacity they need. This article takes a look at […]
ARENA still has $700m to spend, to bring down cost of storage
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has tipped 2018 to be a big year for large-scale energy storage, as the Agency focuses its efforts and remaining funds on the integration of […]
Is public uncertainty holding back Australia’s home battery boom?
Australians love the idea of battery storage, in the much the same spirit with which they embraced rooftop solar – as another way to cut electricity bills, gain control over […]
Introducing Solar Choice’s Battery Storage Price Index (and a major overhaul of our Solar PV Price Index)
Since the beginning of 2017, there have been over half a million views of battery storage-related pages on the Solar Choice website and well over 3,000 customer enquiries about batteries. […]
Battery Storage Price Index – November 2017
We’re excited to announce that we have at long last published our first Battery Storage Price Index – a generalised view of what it costs to have a battery storage […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – November 2017
We’ve introduced some major improvements to this month’s Solar PV Price Index. Namely: We’ve added 7kW solar systems to all tables We’ve included in new tables & data for ‘premium’ […]
Whyalla steel city goes green with 1GW of solar and storage
UK billionaire Sanjeev Gupta has announced massive investments in solar and storage that will knock 40 per cent off electricity costs for his newly acquired Australian steel business. Gupta said […]
Upsolar solar panels in Australia
Upsolar is a leading international developer and producer of quality solar photovoltaic (PV) modules at competitive prices. The company was founded in 2006 in Hong Kong, and has offices in […]
How much money can you save on power bills with a Tesla Powerwall 2?
Previously we’ve looked at the question of payback periods for home battery systems such as Tesla’s Powerwall 2, LG Chem’s RESU and Alpha ESS’s Storion Eco. These articles focused primarily […]
Sonnen announces ‘suburban microgrid’ model for new-build Australian estates
A new Australian housing estate that will use solar and battery storage to create a kind of suburban microgrid is set to be announced by German home battery storage giant […]
Getting the upper hand on your electricity bills with energy monitoring & management
Do you have a clear picture of what’s actually using electricity in your home and how much that costs? If you’re like most Australians, you almost certainly don’t. Historically, this […]
New poll confirms that battery is popularity skyrocketing
A new poll has confirmed the increasing popularity of home battery storage in Australia, as households look to reduce their dependence on expensive grid-supplied electricity, and cut soaring power bills. […]
Our presentation to Ryde City Council (NSW) about solar & batteries
A couple of months ago I was invited by the local council of Ryde, NSW to give a presentation about the state of the market for solar & batteries in […]
