Posts By Anthony Bennett On SolarQuotes

What The Hell Is GivEnergy?

givenergy monitoring portal

Grey clouds. Even the monitoring has a distinctly British flavour.

Recently, I had the pleasure of walking the halls at the All Energy Solar Conference in Melbourne. For those in the industry, we affectionately call it “Solar Xmess” because it’s the one time of year when we can all get together and passionately debate the finer points over a beer. Some might argue that our drinking industry has a solar problem, but that’s a topic for another day. [Read more…]

VIC New Builds: Gas Boosted Solar Hot Water Requirement GONE

Word is on the street that new builds in Victoria no longer have to use a gas-boosted solar hot water service. [Read more…]

MC4 Plugs, The Hardest Working Things In Solar.

While they look different, the new model MC4 evo plug on the left is legal to mate with the old MC4 on the right.

If you’re not involved in the solar industry but wonder how millions of solar panels worldwide are connected to deliver clean energy, you might have too much spare time on your hands. Nonetheless, I’m glad you’re interested because, as I’m about to explain, this topic can be quite electrifying – particularly when an electrical fire or short circuit causes a catastrophic inverter failure. [Read more…]

Why You Can’t Have Enphase Sunlight Backup

screen-grab from Enphase website spruiking sunlight backup

You may have seen inverter companies promoting “battery-less backup” – a feature that lets you power lights and appliances with your solar panels during grid outages and without the need for batteries.
[Read more…]

Improving Australian House Construction: The Case for Service Ducts

Spot the difference.

The sound of Dad’s drill bit, as long as my arm, boring through the thick stone walls of our 1875 home, was a childhood constant. The sound of regular home improvements. [Read more…]

“THEY’RE STEALING MY ELECTRICITY!” The Truth About Feed-in Tariffs

man reading bill and shaking fist

For some time, I’ve been both amused and increasingly disappointed by how people perceive solar feed-in tariffs. [Read more…]

George And His Terrible Solar Install

Photos of a poor solar installation.

There are dents in the roof and solar panels right behind the air conditioner.

Some weeks ago, I was cruising the wilds of social media and found a solar thread causing a stir. The victim of a shoddy solar installation was seeking help, and of course, a few comedians were making light of the misfortune. [Read more…]

The Pleasures And Sorrows Of Enphase

Enphase - pros and cons

Thanks for the image, Matt Hines

Certain products earn a loyal following for a reason, and Enphase, the world’s biggest microinverter maker, is no exception.

[Read more…]

REC Alpha Pure-RX: 470W Of High-Voltage, Low-Current Goodness

REC Alpha Pure RX solar panel

Prominent Singapore-headquartered PV module manufacturer REC has dropped the specifications of its latest line of residential solar panels, the REC Alpha Pure-RX Series. The “pure” part of this name refers to the panels being lead-free. [Read more…]

New Tasmanian Metering Rules Could Add $1,000s To Solar Installs

New electricity metering rules in Tasmania

Attention, Tasmanians looking to invest in solar energy: the Tasmanian Metering Code of Practice has undergone changes and is now strictly enforced, which could hit your wallet hard. [Read more…]

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