Some ideas are just too clever to die. Like Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) — the notion that your electric car can act as a home battery. Park it at home, plug it in, and when the sun goes down or prices spike, your car sells energy back to the grid. It’s green, it’s clever, and it feels like you’re gaming the system.
About Finn PeacockI'm a Chartered Electrical Engineer, Solar and Energy Efficiency nut, dad, and the founder of SolarQuotes.com.au. I started SolarQuotes in 2009 and the SolarQuotes blog in 2013 with the belief that it’s more important to be truthful and objective than popular. My last "real job" was working for the CSIRO in their renewable energy division. Since 2009, I’ve helped over 800,000 Aussies get quotes for solar from installers I trust. Read my full bio.
Phase Shift: V2G Is A Furphy
Phase Shift: I Could Write About Nuclear. But Then You’d Have to Read It.
March 29, 2025 2025-04-02T09:53:54 by
The Federal Election has been called, and people are now banging on my door demanding I provide them with some deep analysis on the ‘nuclear debate’. They want to know what I think about Peter Dutton’s grand plan to build nuclear power stations across Australia.
Here’s what I think: I’m not wasting your time or mine.
Phase Shift: Curtailment Is Cool
When I was a kid growing up in Yorkshire, wasting electricity was almost criminal. Coming from a place synonymous with frugality, I learned early that every kilowatt-hour was sacred. And fair enough: back in the 1970s, generating each kWh of electricity meant burning roughly a kilogram of coal mined by Arthur Scargill’s finest1.
Fast-forward to today and things couldn’t be more different. Solar and wind have free ‘fuel,’ and we often find ourselves with more electricity from wind and solar than we know what to do with.
Phase Shift: Forget Rooftop Solar — Renters Need Plug & Play Batteries
I rented most of my adult life. I left home at 18, bought my first home at 32, struggled with a mortgage for three years, then sold it to start SolarQuotes. It was another four years before I bought again — only after SolarQuotes started doing well enough.
Phase Shift: How Waiting For Battery Rebates Costs You More
The Australian federal election is creeping up, and if history is any guide, Labor and the Coalition will be battling it out with policy sweeteners. One of the likely big-ticket items? Battery rebates. It’s a safe bet that, in a bid to win votes, both sides will throw money at home batteries (just like WA Labor is in today’s state election).
That’s great, except for one thing.
The Best Hot Water Heat Pumps In Australia: According To Aussie Installers
For most Australians, hot water heat pumps are the most energy-efficient way to heat water.
According to installers we trust, what are the best brands in Australia in 2025?
Phase Shift: Why I Pulled The Plug On Solar Thermal Hot Water
Solar hot water panels going on my roof in 2013.
Two years ago, I ripped a perfectly functional solar thermal hot water system off my roof. It had been sitting there for a decade, dutifully heating about 70% of my water with the sun’s heat (the rest boosted by gas). [Read more…]
Phase Shift: The Tesla Dilemma – Can You Love The Batteries But Loathe The Man?
February 22, 2025 2025-02-23T09:35:06 by
Last weekend, I found myself at a gig in Adelaide watching “The Smythes” – a tribute band to The Smiths. As I stood there with my Coopers enjoying “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”, I thought of the blackout protection I enjoy thanks to my Powerwall 2.
The Best EV Chargers In Australia: According To Aussie Installers
According to installers we trust, what are the best EV charger brands in Australia in 2025?
It was tough competition for the top spot – with only a handful of votes separating first and third place. Find out the winners below.
Finn Peacock’s Phase Shift: The Aldification Of Solar
Back in 2007, $8,000 would get you 1 kW of solar panels on your roof. Today, Aldi is promising 6 kW of panels AND a 4.6 kWh (usable) battery installed for the same money. We’re watching something I call the ‘Aldification of Solar’ – the race by giant retailers to slap a discount tag on what used to be a specialist service.
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