Thousands of Texans caught in a deadly, polar vortex blizzard have been charged thousands of dollars for electricity over just a few days. They were exposed to wholesale electricity prices that hit their maximum price of over $11 Australian per kilowatt-hour. [Read more…]
Battery Test Centre 8th & 9th Reports: Many Home Batteries Still Unreliable
Ronald analyses the latest battery test results just as you like it. This twice-told tale shows the course of true battery love may not run smooth.
Do you enjoy reading about home batteries? I know I do. This is why I’m addicted to reports from the Canberra Battery Test Centre. They’re like Shakespeare! That is, they’re mostly tragedy but there’s also some comedy as well. [Read more…]
Scrap Your Old Solar System & High Feed-in Tariff For A Bigger & Better Return
If you have a small, old system, replacing it with a bigger, more efficient modern system is worth serious consideration. Even if it means losing that premium feed-in-tariff you’ve enjoyed for all these years.
Do you have a faithful, old, 1.5 kilowatt solar system installed?
Has it sat on your roof churning photons into electrical energy for 10 years or more?
Has it earned you a heap of money because it gets an old, premium feed-in tariff far higher than anything available now? [Read more…]
Yet Another Tesla Powerwall Price Hike: Aussies Now Pay $1,500 More Than In US.
If you’re an Australian hoping to buy a Tesla Powerwall battery system, I have bad news. It’s so bad that before I reveal it, you may want to sit down and prepare to offer words of comfort to your wallet. [Read more…]
Renewables Need More Long Distance Transmission. Low Interest Rates Can Make That Happen.
Long-distance transmission sends electrical energy from where it’s generated to where it’s used. If we had more of it, electricity prices would be lower, and the integration of solar and wind farms would be easier. Thanks to record low-interest rates, more of it is exactly what we’re going to get. [Read more…]
PM Commits To Zero Emissions By 2050 With Zero Practical Steps To Achieve It
Yesterday at the National Press Club, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the following:
“Our goal is to reach net-zero emissions as soon as possible, and preferably by 2050.”
My response was, “Thank god for that.” Twenty-nine years to get our emissions down to zero is a lot more time than we should be spending, but it looked as though our PM had come a long way from the days he pranced around Parliament, lovingly cradling a lump of coal.
SA’s Wholesale Electricity Prices Now Lowest In Nation Thanks To Renewables
South Australia’s gone from embarrassingly expensive to the cheapest wholesale electricity in just 10 years.
Over the past 12 months wholesale electricity prices have tumbled across Australia. For the nation overall, they’re the lowest they’ve been for nine years. But one state did particularly well and a large part of its success was because it now generates over 60% of its electricity from wind and solar. [Read more…]
Evee: A Website For Renting Other People’s Teslas In Australia
Evee is a website that rents out Teslas but does not own any Tesla electric cars…
Recently I rented a Tesla Model 3 through an online service called Evee. I had a really great time just driving around, sightseeing, and engaging in criminal activity. [Read more…]
Tesla Model 3 Review: Great Car, Ridiculous Claimed Range
My boss, Finn, gave me a nice little Christmas present this year. A Tesla Model 3 electric car…
Bigger Inverters Are Much Better Value – So When Buying Solar, Go Big!
Big inverters are much cheaper per Watt. Another reason to go big with your solar power system.
When people ask me how much solar they should put on their roofs, I usually reply along the lines of…
“As much as you bloody well can.”
I’m not saying you should borrow money from the mafia or a dodgy finance company to do this. Still, I recommend putting on as many solar panels as is reasonable given the constraints of budget, roof space, and how much they’ll let you install in your area. [Read more…]
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