A proposed rule change that could accelerate the deployment of battery storage in Australia has been put into the slow lane, with a draft determination delayed by seven months. The […]
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.
Array Technologies brings streamlined approach to large-scale solar tracking
Array Technologies, Inc (ATI) is a US-based manufacturer of single-axis tracking devices for large-scale solar farms. The company says that its latest generation of trackers – the DuraTrack HZ v3 […]
Battery storage already ‘profitable’ in the right circumstances: McKinsey
New research from US-based consultancy McKinsey & Company has found that battery storage is already a “profitable” investment for some customers, across a range of “certain applications”. According to the […]
GreenSync’s tech will seamlessly manage demand, batteries for community in Vic pilot project
The plans of United Energy and Melbourne smart energy start-up GreenSync to leverage community solar, battery storage and demand management technologies to address problems of network constraint on Victoria’s Mornington […]
Victorian utility to deploy distributed batteries to defer network upgrade costs
Victorian utility United Energy will partner with Melbourne start-up GreenSync to deliver a community-based demand response and energy storage project on the Mornington Peninsula, to defer the need for costly […]
Three-year trial will pit 8x lithium battery products against one another
A three-year battery storage trial that will test eight leading technologies under Australian conditions was officially launched in the ACT on Wednesday, at the Canberra Institute of Technology’s Bruce Campus. […]
Sonnen’s Eco in Australia: An all-in-one, modular, German-made battery storage system for homes
Sonnen is a German home battery storage system developer that has one of the most robust & attractive products on the Australian market. The Sonnen Eco is an expandable, all-in-one […]
Installing a battery bank for a grid-connected home? Smaller is probably better
If you are in a grid-connected home and want to get batteries for your rooftop solar system, you’re probably wondering how much capacity to have installed. Although the ultimate answer […]
Solar battery storage in South Australia
Roughly one in three homes in South Australia is equipped with a solar PV system. While the main motivating factors for going solar to date have been generous government incentives (especially […]
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 […]
What is battery ‘end of life’?
‘End of life’ is one of the key specifications that you should keep in mind as you compare battery storage options for your home. How is battery end of life […]
Solar becoming competitive with wind as ACT moves towards renewables target
Submissions to the ACT’s latest “next generation” renewable energy tender indicate solar power is now competitive with wind energy, possibly suggesting a future shift in Australia’s roll-out of renewable energy […]
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 […]
How interest in home battery storage has grown in Australia (proof in charts)
There are only so many ways to start writing an article with some variation of ‘interest in battery storage in Australia is growing rapidly’ without repeating yourself, but that’s exactly what […]
‘Genie is out of the bottle’ for large-scale solar & storage projects
Australia could host some of the world’s biggest solar and battery storage projects, after local infrastructure investor Lyon Group revealed plans to develop a pipeline of more than 300MW of […]
LG Chem introduces stackable, modular lithium battery
South Korean battery maker LG Chem has released its new generation systems in Australia, promising they will offer more choice, and be cheaper, smaller, lighter, and with improved aesthetics. LG […]
Can you go off-grid with solar and energy storage?
These days, almost everyone considering solar and battery storage is wondering if it’s possible to disconnect from the grid altogether; ‘going off-grid’ seems to be all the rage. Just how feasible […]
Melbourne ‘mini-suburb’ has a Tesla Powerwall in every home (units now on sale!)
Plans for what could be the world’s first “Tesla town” – a mini-suburb on the outskirts of the Melbourne CBD whose new-build homes will include rooftop solar and Tesla battery […]
WA pilot projects to investigate solar & batteries as solution for remote & rural customers
A $4 million Western Australian pilot project by utility Western Power has installed six stand-alone solar and battery storage power systems to test different ways that electricity can be delivered […]
ACT government receives 17 ‘extremely competitive’ bids in battery storage program
Round two of the ACT government’s battery storage tender has attracted a total of 17 bids from local and national businesses proposing to install more than 8MW of energy storage. […]
SunMate: Save more money by using the sun when you’re not home
The AWS SunMate is a device that takes your excess solar energy and pumps it into your hot water tank, potentially saving you more money than solar panels alone. The […]
WA’s Horizon Power to lead the way on renewable microgrids
For Western Australian network operator Horizon Power, which averages one customer every 53 square kilometres and already operates 37 microgrids, the shift from centralised fossil fuel power generation to distributed […]
How much can a hot water diverter shorten payback for your solar PV system?
Solar PV systems are still an excellent investment in Australia, even as feed-in tariffs have fallen across the country. Installing a hot water diverter – a device that automatically sends […]
Battery chemistry types for home energy storage
Home battery storage is the next frontier for home energy, but Australians consumers are still in the process of learning about their options. What are the main battery chemistry types […]
Aquion introduces newest battery line: A 24 volt ‘drop in replacement’ for lead-acid batteries
Pennsylvania-based ‘saltwater battery’ manufacturer Aquion Energy has introduced a new product line for off-grid, autonomous operation with solar panels. The Aspen 24S comes in the same casing as the company’s […]
Proposal could help boost financial prospects of battery storage on the grid
A proposal to change a relatively obscure energy market rule is being called for by large energy users, battery storage developers and some small energy retailers, in a bid to […]
Ampetus’ Energy Pod presents cost-effective battery storage option
Melbourne’s Ampetus Energy has introduced a plug-and-play battery storage system that could prove to be popular with homes that wish to affordably increase their energy independence. The unit, called the […]
Up to 1 million Aussie homes with battery storage by 2020: Morgan Stanley
US investment bank Morgan Stanley has predicted battery storage technology will be installed at rate four times quicker than Australia’s incumbent energy industry expects, in a new report. The report, Asia […]
Amount of Aussie energy from rooftop solar to quadruple by 2035: AEMO
The Australian Energy Market Operator has outlined some of the major impacts that rooftop solar and battery storage will have on the national gird, in its first major assessment of […]
How AllGrid energy is reducing energy costs for remote communities and beyond
AllGrid Energy made a big splash last year after it announced a home battery storage product – the WattGrid – which the company claimed would rival Tesla’s much vaunted Powerwall. The […]
