The council of the former “coal city” of Newcastle, NSW, is seeking expressions of interest for a 5MW solar farm to be built on a closed landfill site as part. […]
Category: Solar Choice News
Solar Choice’s news service about local, national and global developments about solar photovoltaics and related technology.
Home battery backup keeps bubs’ milk cold during Vic blackout
A Melbourne couple who last year installed battery storage at their home in the Dandenongs to maximise solar self-consumption was kept in power last week when savage winds swept the […]
Solar, wind & battery storage power plant in QLD gets ARENA funding
A project combining solar PV, wind energy and battery storage, and which could be one of the biggest power stations in Queensland, has received financial backing from the Australian Renewable […]
JinkoSolar introduces modules with ‘next generation’ power optimisation
Panel manufacturer JinkoSolar claims to have solved the issue of partial shading of solar panels with its new line of JinkoMX modules, which use an advanced power optimisation technology called […]
Q&A with Redflow’s Simon Hackett – Future of Solar Batteries
Redflow’s ZCell is one of the most is one of the most in-demand battery storage products on the Australian market; it also stands out for being one of the only […]
Should you get battery storage? Advice from three experts
Should you get battery storage for your home? And if you do, what should you get? Opinions differ, but there is plenty of good advice out there. Here are three […]
Queensland’s three ‘credible’ paths to 50% renewables by 2030
Queensland has three “credible” pathways to achieve its target of 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030, a state government appointed panel has found, and each of them will create jobs, […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – October 2016
Average solar system prices for Australia’s capital cities rose slightly (to $1.63/W) between September and October. Price increases were seen primarily among smaller systems (1.5kW – 5kW) in a handful […]
Mount Majura Solar Farm powers up in ACT
The 2.3MW Mount Majura Solar Farm has now officially opened and is exporting clean energy to the ACT grid. Solar Choice, as co-developer with Solar Fields, invested over four years […]
Urth Energy announces solar feed-in tariff based on wholesale spot market price
Electricity retailer Urth Energy has announced a retail electricity plan that allows solar system owners to sell their surplus solar energy at wholesale rates on the National Electricity Market (NEM). […]
Australian solar has best month since July 2015
Australia’s national solar PV market has hit its highest level since July 2015, led by growth in the commercial market and particularly in South Australia that totalled 66MW new capacity […]
New breakthrough on perovskite solar cells could speed up commercialisation
US researchers claim to have achieved a breakthrough in the development of perovskite solar PV cells that could help fast-track commercialisation of the technology. The team from the US National […]
Wattwatchers wins Australian Technology Competition
Wattwatchers, a Sydney-based “internet of things” energy management start-up has been selected by judges as one of two winners of this year’s Australian Technology Competition. The developer of the web-based […]
Demand tariffs could save Aussie consumers over 10% per year on electricity: Report
The introduction of demand-based network tariffs could save Australian consumers more than 10 per cent a year on their electricity bills and achieve broader economic benefits of $1.8 billion, a […]
Home battery storage keeps the lights on in SA blackout
One of the promises of home battery storage was realised during South Australia’s historic blackout yesterday: Homes with batteries were able to keep the lights on even as surrounding building […]
JinkoSolar head predicts new era of growth for Aussie solar
Leading global solar module maker JinkoSolar says the Australian solar market is set for renewed growth in coming years as households add and expand systems to take advantage of battery […]
Could solar towers (with storage) replace Victoria’s ageing coal plants?
Analysts are scrambling to identify the possible impacts of the closure of Australia’s most polluting power station, and the withdrawal of more than 1500MW of coal-fired capacity from the Victorian […]
South Australia’s 16c/kWh solar feed-in tariff ends 30 September 2016
South Australia‘s 16c per kilowatt-hour (kWh) solar feed-in tariff will be the first state-backed incentive of its kind to cease payments. The 16c/kWh rate – referred to as the ‘Transitional […]
Community groups dismayed as market rules lag behind modernising grid
Consumer groups have cried foul over the latest ruling by the main policy maker in Australia’s energy markets, describing it as yet another roadblock to a transition to a clean […]
Commercial Solar PV Price Index: September 2016
The average price of a commercial solar installation fell to an all-time low of $1.26 per watt ($/W) between August and September, according to data from Solar Choice’s installer network […]
NSW to become battery storage hotspot after Solar Bonus expires, IPART survey confirms
A NSW survey on rooftop solar households in the state has confirmed what the battery storage industry has been predicting for months now – that the market for residential energy […]
Localised energy trading could save over $1b in network costs: ISF study
Regulatory changes to reward local energy generators for their contributions to the grid could unlock savings of more than $1 billion in avoided network costs, a major Australian study has […]
One reason why solar is more expensive in the USA than Australia: Larger installer profits
According to the data, average margin for a rooftop solar installation in the United States market is 40 per cent. In Australia, some installers are struggling to get into double figures. […]
Solar Choice launches battery storage product lifespan comparison tool
Solar Choice published a new tool that aims to make Australia’s nascent battery storage market a bit easier to navigate. With dozens of products now available throughout the country but […]
Reflow’s ZCell residential battery installations to start next month
The first batch of residential battery storage systems from Australian company Redflow is due to be delivered to customers next month, after a shipment of the ZCell units arrived in […]
Global manufacturing glut could mean 20% drop in solar panel prices – within a year: BNEF
A glut in the global solar manufacturing market could deliver module prices as low as $US0.30/Watt in 2017 – a 20 per cent drop within a year, according to a […]
Vic regulator recommends tariff changes to reflect ‘true value’ of solar
Victoria’s pricing regulator has published its final report on the Energy Value of Distributed Generation, recommending changes to tariff structures to reflect the true value of rooftop solar and other […]
Aquion ‘saltwater’ battery-powered nanogrid deployed for Chicago university
An innovative solar and salt-water battery storage powered AC/DC nanogrid has been installed at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, US. The nanogrid, which will power the IIT’s ‘s […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – September 2016
Average residential solar system prices for September 2016 have matched the all-time low seen in December of last year, when prices dipped just below $1.60 per watt ($1.60/W). In other […]
Diamond Energy helps ‘The Block’ to go green with solar & storage
The Block’s ninety year old soap factory is now a leading light in the renewable renovation revolution, and Diamond Energy is proud to be part of it. The Logie-winning channel […]
100% renewables cheaper than grid connection for Kangaroo island: ISF
South Australia’s Kangaroo Island would likely find it cheaper to go 100 per cent renewable, with its own resources, rather than stay connected to the main grid, according to a detailed […]
