There are now well over 1.5 million households in Australia with solar PV systems on their roofs, altogether comprising over 6 gigawatts (GW) of electricity generation capacity – about the […]
Tag: solar feed-in tariffs
Victorian regulator ups solar feed-in tariff to 11.3c/kWh: What it means for solar system owners
The Victorian government has just made a move unprecedented in recent Australian solar history – they have moved to mandate a higher minimum solar feed-in tariff rate than what was […]
Gross vs net solar electricity metering
In the past there was an important distinction between net and gross metering for residential solar systems in Australia. These days, however, almost all new systems are installed with a […]
CATCH Power – A solar diverter made for the Aussie market
CATCH Power is an Australian company who say they have crafted a solar diverter perfectly tailored to Australian market conditions. By March this year, the company will offer four different versions of […]
Solar battery storage in Melbourne, Vic: Compare prices & installers
As prices fall, a growing number of Melbourne households are becoming interested in installing battery storage for solar energy. It is now possible to compare battery storage installers and prices in […]
Solar battery storage in Canberra, ACT
Battery storage for residential solar energy is becoming increasingly popular in Australia – including in Canberra, ACT. If you’re a Canberra resident looking to install a battery storage system for […]
Will the federal incentive for rooftop solar end next year?
Judging by some of the advertisements we’ve come across, you might be forgiven for thinking that Australia’s federal rooftop solar incentives (under the Renewable Energy Target) were on their way […]
Solar and battery energy storage in Perth, WA
Approximately 25-30% of the homes in the Perth area have solar PV systems on their roofs according to the APVI – many of these households are interested in installing a […]
NSW Solar Bonus Scheme feed-in tariffs end this year: What are your options?
On December 31 2016, recipients of NSW Solar Bonus Scheme will cease to receive bill credits for their exported solar energy. The Solar Bonus Scheme (which closed to new applications in […]
What’s the best solar panel orientation for home battery charging?
We know that the tilt and orientation of your solar panels can make a difference when it comes to solar PV system energy yields, but what impact do these factors have […]
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). […]
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 […]
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 […]
How many times per day should you cycle your batteries?
There are a lot of different ways to potentially get value out of a home battery storage system. Something that not many storage system shoppers realises is that it is possible to charge/discharge […]
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. […]
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 […]
Enphase says orders for AC Battery up as NSW Solar Bonus Scheme closure approaches
Enphase Energy says orders for its first battery storage offering have jumped to more than 70,000 units, led by New South Wales households responding to the end of premium feed-in […]
Four years of tracking residential solar system prices: What’s changed?
August 2016 marked four years since Solar Choice published our first Solar PV Price Index. What are some of the noteworthy trends we’ve seen over this period? What is the Solar […]
South Australia’s minimum solar feed-in tariff could be nixed under ESCOSA proposal
Rooftop solar households in South Australia face losing the 6.8c/kWh feed-in tariff after the state pricing regulator revealed it was working on a draft proposal to remove the minimum retail […]
Which retailer is offering the best electricity plan for solar customers in Sydney (July 2016)
Getting a higher feed-in tariff from your electricity retailer looks great on paper, but it does not necessarily mean that you will save more money on your electricity bills. We’ve taken […]
NSW IPART suggests slightly higher solar feed-in tariff rates for 2016-17 (and we all laugh)
The Independent Regulatory & Pricing Tribunal (IPART) has issued its final determination with regard to solar feed-in rates for the 2016-2017 financial year, suggesting a slight increase over last year’s thanks […]
Energy storage in NSW after the Solar Bonus Feed-in Tariff Scheme
There are roughly 150,000 households in New South Wales who receive solar feed-in tariff payments under the state’s Solar Bonus Scheme. As the Sydney Morning Herald pointed out recently, before […]
Who needs batteries? How SolarImmersion puts your excess solar energy to work
Every day, thousands of Australia’s solar homes send excess solar power into the grid for little or no financial reward. SolarImmersion is a simple gadget that puts surplus solar energy […]
When do the solar feed-in tariffs end? A state-by-state look
Solar feed-in tariffs were once the most influential factor in a given state’s rooftop solar market, but all of the generous rates once available have been closed to new applicants. […]
More rooftop solar could bolster energy security for Tasmania: Report
A new report has emerged suggesting that the solar power generated on Tasmania’s rooftops is being seriously undervalued, a factor that is holding back growth in an industry that could […]
Seven habits of smart solar shoppers
Going solar is still a no-nonsense investment options for homes across Australia, with payback periods as short as 2-3 years in the right circumstances. This is due in great part […]
Impact Investment Group purchases 11MW Williamsdale solar farm in ACT
A privately owned funds management company has bought an 11MW solar project in the Australian Capital Territory as part of a major push into the Australian solar market. Impact Investment […]
Which retailer is offering the best electricity plan for solar customers in Brisbane?
Getting a higher feed-in tariff from your electricity retailer looks great on paper, but it does not necessarily mean that you will save more money on your electricity bills. We’ve taken […]
Introducing a (free) tool that allows solar homes to meaningfully compare retail electricity plans
Solar PV system owners – generally speaking – do not like their electricity retailers. Maybe it’s just the sense of independence they get from generating a portion of their own […]
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 […]
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 […]
