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…]
How To Beat The Solar Panel Oversize Rule With Grid-Tied Solar And Batteries
Breaking the infamous ‘133% / 75% Solar Oversize Rule’ won’t get you in trouble if you add a battery. Or will it?
It depends on who you ask… [Read more…]
The Problem Of Solar Voltage Rise/Drop And How To Fix It
Top to bottom, 70mm² 25mm² 16mm² 10mm² (3 phase) 6mm² sheathed, 2.5mm² sheathed, 4mm² Solar DC, 3 x 2.5mm² flexible plus a dangerously cracked and brittle 16mm² main service from a 1960s house.
Some weeks ago, I explained why the voltage in a long cable will drop over its length, and how this affects solar installations that are a long way from the switchboard. [Read more…]
8 Tesla Powerwall Alternatives To Consider (And One You Shouldn’t)
I remember the Tesla Powerwall 2 hitting the Australian market like it was just 7 years ago. It was the shining white pioneer that lit the way, the stroke of marketing mastery, the name now appropriated by an entire industry to describe a brick full of batteries. [Read more…]
Help! My Vintage Solar Inverter Has Finally Failed
If you are reading this because you have a failed ‘vintage’ inverter, you probably bought your solar power system ten or more years ago. In which case… [Read more…]
Spectacular Solar Installations: Road Trip Discoveries
Having recently completed a road trip through SA, VIC and NSW, I have come to two conclusions…
- there are still some workers out there installing less than first-rate solar power systems,
- you never take as many photos as you should.
In any case, I have a few pictures which should make more than a passing interest, even if it’s only the solar nerds who appreciate the finer details. [Read more…]
Thinking About A Home Battery? Better Think About Where.
The Australian Standard for home battery installations is quite strict about where solar batteries can and can’t go. [Read more…]
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