A reshuffle of the board of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency has seen the addition of six of the nation’s most prominent clean energy and climate professionals, although their role […]
Category: Solar Choice News
Solar Choice’s news service about local, national and global developments about solar photovoltaics and related technology.
Commercial Solar PV Price Index: April 2016
The average price of a fully installed commercial-scale solar system changed little between March and April 2016 – holding steady at about $1.33 per watt. While there were slight increases in […]
Kurrawang Aboriginal Christian Community switches on 36KW of solar power
The Kurrawang Aboriginal Christian Community, located outside Kalgoorlie in remote Western Australia, has gone solar with a 36kW (DC) rooftop solar system. The community had already received quotes for 30kW systems from […]
ElectrIQ residential battery units bring smarts to the table
Palo Alto startup ElectrIQ Power is set to release a modular, all-in-one 10kWh battery storage energy management system in Q4 2016. They are looking for strategic partners in Australia. The […]
Could Labor deploy ‘reverse auctions’ for renewables on the national scale?
The Australian Labor Party could use “reverse auctions” to help meet a 50 per cent renewable energy target by 2030 if it wins power in the federal election later this […]
The end of bill shock? Opower on how they can help your electricity retailer help you help yourself
Opower is a specialist technology provider for utilities promising to usher in a new era of electricity retailer-customer relationships. Their ‘customer engagement platform’ allows retail electricity customers to have an unprecedented […]
SA Greens propose renewables target of 100% by 2030
South Australia should source 100 per cent of its electricity needs from clean energy by 2030, according to a plan mapped out by the Australian Greens that would will create […]
With 59MW added in March, Australia’s total rooftop solar capacity now at just under 4.8GW
Another 59MW of rooftop solar was added by Australian homes and businesses in the month of March, with first quarter installations now matching those for the 2012 and 2013 calendar […]
Solar for everyone: The trends bringing solar jobs to low-income communities in the US
Until today, residential solar has mostly been purchased by high-income households. The fact that the purchasers must be a homeowner and in many cases requires a large initial investment, solar […]
Victoria could handily meet 30% renewables target by 2020: Report
A new report has found that Victoria could achieve a renewable energy target of 30 per cent by 2020, simply by maintaining medium growth of rooftop solar power and building […]
Over 5,000 ACT homes to get discounted battery storage under latest incentive round
More than 5,000 homes and businesses in the Australian Capital Territory will get discounted battery storage under the ACT’s latest round of capacity auctions for large-scale renewables. Around $25 million […]
Toshiba, winning solar/battery hybrid project contract in SA, sets sights on more opportunities
Japanese electronics giant Toshiba says it is eyeing more opportunities for large-scale battery storage in Australia after winning a contract to provide the battery system for the Coober Pedy renewable […]
Honey, I shrunk the inverter! Winners of Google competition push limits of inverter size
The CE+T Power ‘Red Electrical Devils’, winners of the Google ‘Little Box Challenge’, have created a 2kW inverter the same size as a takeaway coffee cup. The winners of the […]
Residential solar PV price index – April 2016
Average solar PV system prices dropped slightly between March and April of 2016, following a downward trend that started in February. Based on data from Solar Choice’s installer network database, […]
Smart window blinds for the smart solar home?
One thing that Australia’s rooftop solar revolution has managed to foster is a higher degree of awareness among home owners about how and when they use electricity throughout the day. The […]
Redflow’s ZCell: An Aussie-made ‘flow battery’ for homes
Australian energy storage company Redflow has launched its 10kWh household battery storage offering the “ZCell”, pitting it against Tesla and other high profile international brand names in what is expected to […]
NSW to fast-track development of large-scale solar farms
The NSW Legislative Council has unanimously supported a motion aimed at fast-tracking the development of large-scale solar and wind energy projects in the state. The motion, introduced by the Greens […]
Germany’s Sonnen contemplates setting up battery manufacturing plant in Australia
German battery storage maker Sonnen has flagged establishing manufacturing operations in Australia if the local market proves as strong as predicted. Sonnenbatterie – the biggest selling battery storage product in […]
Solar Choice’s Gannawarra Solar Farm approaches ‘construction ready’ milestone
The first 50 megawatt segment of Solar Choice’s largest Victorian project – the Gannawarra Solar Farm – is slated to be ‘construction ready’ in the next two months. The farm, […]
Fronius offering $2,000 rebate for homes to upgrade to 3-phase connection
Inverter manufacturer Fronius are offering an interesting rebate for homes who opt to install one of the company’s two energy storage packages. Until 30 June 2016, the company will cover […]
Commercial Solar PV Price Index: March 2016
The average price of a commercial solar system has increased slightly between February and March, according to figures from Solar Choice’s installer network database. The average price of an installed commercial […]
Year-to-date Australian solar uptake lags behind previous years
A total of 100MW of rooftop solar was installed around Australia in the first two months of 2016, according to the latest data supplied by Green Energy Markets. With more […]
Solar & wind farm ‘co-location’ holds promise for Australian renewable potential
A least 1GW of large-scale solar could be added to existing Australian wind farms, boosting renewable energy generation and smoothing its delivery to the grid, according to a new report […]
Battery prices will drop 50% by 2020: Enphase
US inverter maker Enphase has predicted that battery storage costs and prices will halve by 2020, as it prepares to launch its first product onto the Australian market. Enphase on […]
How the South Australian government is supporting renewables & energy storage
South Australia is one of the most progressive states in the country when it comes to renewable energy. Roughly 30% of the homes in the state already have solar PV […]
What if the QLD government offered battery incentives in the form of a (voluntary) feed-in tariff buyout?
There are tens of thousands of Queensland households benefitting from the state’s Solar Bonus Feed-in Tariff Scheme, which offers a generous rate of 44c per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to those who […]
SA government to award $250k for innovative green ideas
The South Australian government will award a total of $250,000 in prize money as seed funding for the best ideas tackling clean energy, green transport, waste and liveability. The funding […]
New NSW legislation aims to preemptively smooth transition as Solar Bonus Scheme ends
New South Wales has gazetted new legislation that it hopes will address some of the issues facing nearly 150,000 solar households when their premium feed-in tariff ends at the end […]
Sharing the sun in the ACT: How SolarShare is facilitating community solar power
Not everyone can own a solar PV system – particularly if they don’t have a roof to put one on. Canberra-based SolarShare is one of the first companies in Australia […]
Going mostly renewable on WA grid more cost-effective than ‘business as usual’: SIREN
A high penetration renewable energy system would be cheaper than one based around existing fossil fuel generation, according to new modelling from a group of engineers, energy analysts and IT […]
The thousand-member volunteer army keeping Australia’s solar strong
Do you own a solar system? Are you seriously thinking about getting one for your home or business? Are you a member of Australia’s solar industry? If you can answer […]
