The ACT government has again taken a lead on green policy in Australia and unveiled the nation’s most ambitious transition plan to electric vehicles, including a mandate for all newly […]
Category: Solar Choice News
Solar Choice’s news service about local, national and global developments about solar photovoltaics and related technology.
Residential Solar PV Price Index – April 2018
Average solar system prices again fell slightly between March and April, down to about $1.35 per watt, the lowest we’ve seen since the beginning of the year, but not as […]
Tour the Hornsdale Power Reserve (AKA Tesla’s ‘Big Battery’) at energy storage conference
South Australia is leading the way in renewable and energy storage with the state investing in major energy projects. The Australian Energy Storage Conference and Exhibition 2018 is giving attendees […]
Over 20,000 battery storage systems installed in Aus in 2017: SunWiz
After an extended period of research, SunWiz has released its much-anticipated Australian Battery Market Report for 2018. As Australia’s leading provider of solar market research, SunWiz’s position of a trusted independent […]
Powershop, Diamond & Energy Locals top 2018 Green Electricity Guide
Who is the greenest electricity retailer of them all – and how do you know? Fortunately, every year the Total Environment Centre commissions a report on the topic, the results […]
How baseload can be replaced with renewables & storage
Deconstructing baseload. It is the title of a chapter in a recent report from REN21, the global renewable energy agency, highlighting just how dramatic the energy transition will be as […]
Gannawarra Solar Farm to get one of two new Victorian ‘big batteries’
Following on the heels of South Australia, Victoria is set to become home to two ‘big batteries’ of its own. The grid-scale battery banks – one manufactured by Tesla and […]
Regulator to suggest reductions to NSW feed-in tariff
Solar households in New South Wales look set to be penalised for the lower electricity prices their rooftop PV has helped to deliver, with the state’s pricing regulator proposing a […]
Groundbreaking new energy storage solution: The rise of silicon thermal
Silicon thermal energy storage systems are more compact than batteries and have the lowest levelised cost compared to any other form of storage, according to Dr Kevin Moriarty, Executive Chairman […]
My house is net energy positive – for now (Solartopia #12)
I’ve now had two energy monitoring systems fully functioning for a few weeks, and it’s fascinating to see what my 4.4kWh solar system is capable of. It’s also interesting to […]
New SA government to scale back Tesla VPP plans, introduce battery incentive
The newly elected South Australia premier, the Liberal Steven Marshall, has made his first promise – his government intends to scale back the Tesla plan for the world’s biggest “virtual […]
Five myths about South Australia’s renewable energy
The South Australia election is just two days away, and the renewable energy myths are flying thick and strong. In so far as the election will be decided by energy […]
Powershop to pay battery owners under new Grid Impact plan. What’s the go?
Electricity retailer Powershop and battery control technology developer Reposit Power have come together to offer a first-of-kind product to battery storage system owners in Australia. Anyone with a (Reposit-equipped) battery […]
Germany’s VARTA enters Australia battery market
German battery storage maker VARTA has become the latest company to enter Australia’s burgeoning battery storage market, attracted by the huge penetration of rooftop solar and the growing shift towards […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – March 2018
Average solar system prices dipped slightly between February and March 2018 – coming in at about $1.38 per watt as opposed to $1.40/W last month – according to the most […]
Australian homes, business installed 6.5 solar panels per minute in 2017
New data from the Clean Energy Regulator has confirmed 2017 as a record breaking year for rooftop solar take, with Australian homes and businesses installing PV panels at a mind-bending […]
Victoria town’s breakthrough deal on network tariffs as it pursues 100% renewables
The regional Victorian town of Newstead has negotiated new network charges with electricity distributor, Powercor, to to help clear the way to building a small solar farm and sharing the […]
Victoria regulator finalises new time-varying tariffs for solar exports
Victoria’s solar feed-in tariff is set to shift to a time-varying model, after the details of the of the new scheme – an Australian first – were finalised by Victoria’s […]
Xenophon’s SA BEST unveils community electricity co-op plan
Nick Xenophon’s SA Best party has unveiled an energy policy plan to cut South Australia’s power prices by up to 20 per cent by setting up a community electricity co-op. […]
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 […]
Germany’s sonnen to manufacture solar batteries in Adelaide
Leading German battery storage company sonnen has announced plans to establish a battery manufacturing plant in Adelaide, creating more than 400 jobs. Sonnen, which launched its “sonnet-flat” residential battery storage […]
Commercial Solar PV Price Index for February 2018
Average commercial solar system prices continue to hover at around $1.17 per watt ($1.17/W) for systems between 10kW and 100kW that we track in our monthly index. Please note that […]
Australia’s grid-scale storage boom, mapped
A report published today by the Climate Council had some pretty impressive stats on home battery storage uptake in Australia – you can read about that on One Step Off […]
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 – […]
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 […]
Liddell, the coal plant that “predates colour TV”, trips again
The National Electricity Market’s “summer of trips” continued this week, with a unit at AGL Energy’s Liddell coal power plant in New South Wales dropping out on Tuesday afternoon, and […]
Victorian electricity prices on the rise in 2018
Whilst most Australian’s have been enjoying a break at the end of 2017 and in the first weeks of 2018, Victorian electricity retailers have been busy updating their pricing. It […]
Plunging costs make solar, wind and battery storage cheaper than coal
Wind and solar power costs appear to have crossed a new threshold, after a US energy tender suggested “firm and dispatchable” renewables were now cheaper than existing coal plants. The […]
