A leading Australian energy policy expert has called for the adoption of grid-scale battery storage on Australia’s National Electricity Market, as an “immediate” solution to bringing increasing amounts renewables onto […]
Category: Solar Choice News
Solar Choice’s news service about local, national and global developments about solar photovoltaics and related technology.
Exasperated with high electricity prices, Aussie homes & businesses go solar & mull batteries
A new survey has found that Australian households and small businesses are sick of high and unpredictable electricity prices and have lost faith in the ability of the key market […]
NSW’s Ausgrid to streamline process & reduce costs of going solar
Installing rooftop solar and battery storage is set to become cheaper and easier for some NSW households, after network operator Ausgrid announced plans to fast-track the application process for residential energy […]
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 […]
In world first, solar-powered plane completes trip around the globe
The ground-breaking around the world flight of solar powered electric airplane Solar Impulse has been completed, with the aircraft touching down in Abu Dhabi after flying more than 42,000km in […]
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 […]
Commercial Solar PV Price Index: July 2016
The average price for a commercial solar PV system dropped noticeably between June and July 2016, according to figures from Solar Choice’s installer network database. While prices for each month […]
Investment in large-scale renewables on the rise, but Aus still unlikely to meet 2020 target
Large-scale renewable energy investment in Australia has hit its highest levels since 2013, although it remains well short of the level needed to meet the reduced renewable energy target in […]
‘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 […]
Gas – not renewables – to blame for SA electricity price spikes
Conservative politicians have increased their calls for a review of renewable energy policies and the construction of new wind farms, while the conservative media continued to screech its opposition to […]
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 […]
Aussie rooftop solar to reach 5GW by end of month
Australia’s total rooftop solar capacity is expected to break through the 5GW mark in July, reaching a remarkable milestone in a sector that was virtually non-existent in 2009. New data […]
ACT’s move to renewables brings price to stability amid turbulent electricity market
If current wholesale electricity prices continue as they are across Australia, the ACT will not just have zero emissions electricity by 2020 – it may also be getting most of […]
Residential Solar PV Price Index – July 2016
Average residential solar system prices dipped down to $1.63/W this month – on par with the low seen in April this year and close to the all-time low of $1.59/W […]
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. […]
Could the Renewable Energy Target once again be under threat with new government?
Australia’s biggest utilities and coal generators could push for another review of the federal renewable energy target, if the newly re-elected Coalition government is presented with a “workable” majority of […]
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 […]
Australia makes top 10 in list of Solar Super States
Australia has been listed among the world’s top 10 solar states, per capita, in the latest annual ranking of Swiss not-for-profit group SolarSuperState. The list, illustrated in the table below, […]
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 […]
Now approaching the solar minimum: What it means for rooftop PV
Our sun has ‘lost its spots’, according to a headline in the science/technology section of the Sydney Morning Herald last week. Rather counter-intuitively, a decline in the number of dark spots […]
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 […]
Australia’s solar homes saving $1b/year: Solar Citizens report
Australians have invested more than $8 billion of their own money on residential rooftop solar, and are saving around $1 billion a year from their electricity bills, a new report […]
ARENA funding round results highlight falling large-scale solar costs
The final round of bidding for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s large scale solar funding program shows the costs of the technology are still falling, the Agency says, and will […]
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 […]
Greens proposal would see solar on nation’s public housing stock
A new Greens policy would fund the installation of solar across Australia’s community and public housing stock, giving hundreds of thousands of Australians living in low-income housing access to the […]
Australian homeowners have invested $8b in solar: Solar Citizens report
Solar Citizens, the peak body that represents solar households around Australia has just released a report which details the incredible boom in Australian rooftop solar in recent years. And we’ve […]
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 […]
