I asked fellow installers what they wanted from a solar inverter, and they answered decisively:
More current, please. [Read more…]
Installing Solar On A Tiled Roof? Why You Need Spare Roof Tiles
As a qualified builder and roofer, I should disclose that I really don’t like tile roofs.
They’re heavy, they’re porous and get heavier as they soak up water, they leak heat and dirt, they’re hard to install on, and sadly, as many people find out, water leaks lead to recriminations. [Read more…]
Why Australian Solar Installers Love Austrian Fronius Inverters
Fronius for the win!
Not everyone in Australia is engaged with SolarQuotes and the gongs we hand out. But for Fronius to win our top spot for the third year in a row with nigh on half of all votes cast is something that can’t be ignored. [Read more…]
Hey, Solar Panel Manufacturers! What Installers Really Want.
I don’t know about homo erectus but homo sapiens is being asked to lift a panel that’s 2.4 metres tall. These images aren’t much out of scale!
After what seems like days of research and consultation with hundreds of members of the Australian solar industry (more than I can sensibly count on my fingers anyway), I’ve come up with a wish-list of what installers want when it comes to the solar panels they are bolting to roofs: [Read more…]
Kevin And The Case Of The Missing Kilowatt Hours
Be careful when engaging non-battery-savvy electricians to work on your battery-powered home…
There was so much red ink, it looked like a murder scene.
Not long ago, in a suburb not too far away from SolarQuotes HQ, a solar/battery system owner made contact. He was engaged in an age-old battle, arguing with his electricity retailer about what seemed to be excessive charges on his power bill. [Read more…]
Installing Solar Panels with Raked Ceilings: Challenges and Solutions
Spot the screws poking through…
They say that happiness is directly proportional to ceiling height.
Having grown up in a substantial c.1875 stone house, with ceilings closer to 4 metres than the standard suburban 2.4 metres, I can attest to the extra space offering some comfort – even if it’s just lower temperatures during hot summers. [Read more…]
Lead-Acid Vs Lithium-Ion Batteries. Is Lead Dead?
We live in an age where your camper trailer can power an induction cooktop, a mine can go off-grid, and giant grid-scale batteries are being announced almost weekly. [Read more…]
Dumb Solar Shutdown Device: Queensland Goes It Alone On GSD
Queensland is taking the lead in going backwards on solar power, with Energy Queensland mandating a new device, a few new acronyms, a new layer of complexity for installers and a new expense for owners of some new solar power systems. [Read more…]
South Australia Proves You Can Go Off-Grid With A Million People
In November 2022, South Australia experienced a ferocious storm that decoupled us from the rest of the electricity grid and felled many local power lines. Functioning as an island, we couldn’t export to the bigger national network, so without that safety valve, SA Power Networks (SAPN) was obliged to pull out all the stops to maintain stability. [Read more…]
I Just Bought The Cheapest Electric Car In Australia
Trawling the internet the other day, I saw an article proclaiming Australia’s cheapest electric vehicle is a 10-year-old Mitsubishi i-MiEV. The headline struck me in particular – because I bought it. [Read more…]
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