Lots of Australian homes are expected to install battery storage in the coming years. Many of these homes will install brand new solar-plus-storage systems, but quite a few will be […]
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.
Beam Energy introduces a free ‘smart meter’ for solar & battery system size optimisation
When buying solar or batteries, most people would like to have an idea about how much money they would save with different capacity sizes before they go through with the purchase. […]
Empowered energy customers support the grid
With the right technology, homeowners and businesses with solar and battery storage systems have the potential to play a vital role in stabilising a grid with high renewable generation, according […]
What is a “Tier 1” solar panel? Tier 2 or 3?
When purchasing a solar system, the quality of the components to be used is frequently a key consideration. However, differentiating one brand from another may not be so simple, especially […]
Levelised cost of storage: A better way to compare battery value
When it comes to choosing batteries for home or commercial battery storage, it can be difficult to sift through the multitude of options to find the IDEAL battery for your […]
Could distributed battery systems ‘blackstart’ the grid?
Solar Choice recently received a comment from a visitor to our site asking about whether distributed battery storage systems – using Reposit Power‘s battery management technology – could be used […]
Avoiding the boom and bust for a sustainable energy storage market
By studying the successes and challenges experienced by overseas projects and markets, and using them to inform better policy and decision-making, Australia’s energy market transformation could be the best-practice example […]
Microinverters: Are they right for your solar system?
As the name suggests, microinverters are small inverters for use in solar PV systems, usually installed at a ratio of one per solar panel. By contrast, most solar PV systems in […]
Alternative monitoring solution for Enecsys owners who are left in the dark
With the end of microinverter manufacturer Enecsys in early 2015, so ended the company’s online monitoring platform, leaving Enecsys system owners without any way to monitor their system’s output data. Two years […]
How much can you really save with ‘selective export’ of solar & battery energy?
Now that solar feed-in tariff rates are so low across the country, there’s little reason for a solar system owner to send their energy back into the grid, as they […]
‘No more energy bills’ with solar? Buyer beware
Rooftop solar panels are a fantastic investment in Australia, but be realistic in your expectations “Eliminate your energy bills!” is a phrase – sometimes used in solar sales pitches – that […]
Is home solar battery storage a good match and your energy consumption habits?
Each household uses different amounts of electricity in different patterns throughout the day. Some consumption patterns are more conducive to battery storage as an investment, and knowing your consumption habits […]
New smart meter from carbonTRACK to benefit households, bolster grid resilience
Australian home energy management system developer carbonTRACK has announced the launch of an ‘intelligent smart meter’ that promises to benefit households, electricity retailers and grid operators alike. For end users, the […]
Aquion Energy files for chapter 11 bankruptcy
US ‘saltwater’ battery manufacturer Aquion Energy has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to a press release issued by the company overnight. Chapter 11 bankruptcy, sometimes referred to as ‘reorganisation’ […]
WINAICO solar panels in Australia
WINAICO Solar is a high-end solar PV panel manufacturer that puts an emphasis on the quality and reliability of its products. The WINAICO module range includes models for residential, commercial, […]
Electricity demand tariffs in Australia – How to handle them
If you hear the words ‘Demand Tariffs’ and start scratching your head, don’t worry – you’re not alone. In this article, we’ll examine what demand tariffs are and how to deal […]
Believe the Hype: Australia’s Battery Market set to skyrocket
For quite some time I’d dismissed the hype about the attractiveness of installing grid-connected batteries in Australia. Yes, everyone loves the idea of energy independence, and would love to give […]
Batteries with benefits: How Reposit Power customers are maximising battery value
Reposit Power is an Australian battery technology company whose name has become synonymous with battery storage value maximisation. The company’s software does two important things for homes with battery storage […]
The heat wave sent spot market prices soaring: What does it mean for solar?
Wholesale electricity prices on Australia’s eastern seaboard went through the roof this past weekend as homes as businesses pumped their air conditioners in an attempt to stave off the brutal […]
Tesla’s Powerwall 2 in Australia: Advice for shoppers
Tesla leapfrogged its competitors last year with the announcement of its new generation of battery storage product: Powerwall 2. Tesla’s Powerwall 2 is a more powerful and sophisticated version of […]
CATCH Power – A solar diverter made for the Aussie market
CATCH Power is an Australian company who say they have crafted a solar diverter perfectly tailored to Australian market conditions. By March this year, the company will offer four different versions of […]
Solar battery storage in Melbourne, Vic: Compare prices & installers
As prices fall, a growing number of Melbourne households are becoming interested in installing battery storage for solar energy. It is now possible to compare battery storage installers and prices in […]
Zhongli Talesun’s solar panels in Australia
Zhongli Talesun is one of the largest solar panel manufacturers in the world, with a 28 year history in the solar industry. The company offers solar modules for a range […]
Should you oversize Solar Panels to your Inverter? Pros and Cons explained
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 […]
A comparison of home energy management systems in Australia
Solar PV systems are already commonplace and affordable in Australia, and battery storage is getting there quickly as well. Increasingly, Australia’s solar homes are looking for ways to maximise the […]
Solar battery storage in Canberra, ACT
Battery storage for residential solar energy is becoming increasingly popular in Australia – including in Canberra, ACT. If you’re a Canberra resident looking to install a battery storage system for […]
Let’s talk about ‘energy throughput’: Should it replace battery ‘cycle life’?
Australians households are fairly solar-savvy lot. With a solar panel for every human being in the country, Australia is a world leader in solar uptake, and there’s tons of information online […]
Power vs energy in home battery storage systems
Different battery storage products have different specifications and capabilities, making them better or less well-suited for various applications. In this article we’ll talk about ‘power batteries’ vs ‘energy batteries’ – […]
Battery storage take-up in Australia to snowball forward
A NSW-based community solar and battery storage bulk buy program has been so successful that the promoters believe the battery storage sector may be in the early stages of mass-market […]
Why depth of discharge matters in solar battery storage system selection
Depth of discharge (DoD) is one of the key figures to keep in mind when selecting batteries for a solar energy system. What is depth of discharge and how should […]
How Trump could be great for battery storage
Deutsche Bank has described the global battery market as being at an inflection point, with global consumption expected to treble from 70Gwh in 2015 to 210GWh by 2018, and then […]
