This year’s Smart Energy Conference was abuzz with news on solar and batteries — more abuzz than a bucket of Queensland prawns on a hot tin roof. The hottest of hot topics was home batteries — not because dodgy ones were spouting flame — but because their installation rate is soaring. If growth continues, by the end of 2027, Australia could have as many home batteries as some optimists predicted for the year 2020. [Read more…]
A Deep Dive Into The Sungrow Battery Warranty — It Can’t Take The Heat
Could Bad Weather Kill Your Battery Warranty?
Home battery sales are growing, with around 47,000 Australian installations last year. One popular choice that won’t break the bank — but may still put a major dent in it — is from Sungrow. Their High Voltage SBR battery is competitively priced and, because it’s modular, provides from 9.6 to 25.6 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of storage. This article will be a deep dive into the details of its warranty. [Read more…]
Budget 2023. Direct Bill Reductions: Dumb. Low Cost Loans: Smart
Last night the Treasurer gave a half-hour Budget speech. I listened in because lately, there hasn’t been enough boredom in my life. There is a lot I could say about this year’s budget — but I won’t. I’ll stick to discussing energy. Mostly, the Government’s plan for providing cost-of-energy relief to low-income households and how they’re doing it wrong. [Read more…]
One Month: Time Between Tesla Lowering EV Prices & Raising Them
One month after lowering their EV prices in Australia, Tesla has bounced them up again and added $400 to all Model 3 and Model Y electric vehicles. [Read more…]
Federal Energy Rebates: Solar Households May Come Out Ahead
Electricity Price Hikes Incoming…
If you live in an eastern state — or that middle state called South Australia strapped to them by a couple of transmission lines — then in July, you’ll be hit with hefty electricity price increases. [Read more…]
Solar Analytics Ditches 3G Lifetime Subscriptions – Discover Your Rights and Next Steps
Solar Analytics Is Taking Away My Lifetime Subscription — What Can I Do?
Solar Analytics provides a solar monitoring service for households. It’s one of the better ones available and it’s not difficult to find people who say it is the best. It requires a subscription and, currently, you can pay for it by the month, the year, or five years. In the past, Solar Analytics sold lifetime subscriptions but they have decided people with older 3G monitoring hardware with lifetime subscriptions will lose them. This will occur before either these people or the solar systems being monitored are dead. [Read more…]
We Want More Women Working In Solar: Here’s The Plan.
The solar industry’s getting serious about gender balance. The Smart Energy Council’s Gender Action Plan (GAP) sets the stage for an estrogen-fueled transformation and was unveiled in a webinar last week.
I mean, come on, a measly one-third of the solar workforce are women, and the Smart Energy Council says they’re mostly in admin, with a smaller number in sales and very few up on roofs installing systems. [Read more…]
The Net Zero Australia Report & The $7-9 Trillion Panic
The Net Zero Australia Report came out on Friday, and I gotta tell ya, it’s a doozy! It’s so enormous the report’s summary report is 95 pages. It would take me a month of Sundays to get through the whole thing, but I have exactly one Sunday, so I’ll quickly say what it’s about and describe how you’re likely to see its results abused online and in the media. [Read more…]
CATL Condensed Battery Promises 1,000km Range EVs
Have CATL Won The Battle For High Specific Energy?
Last week the world’s largest battery manufacturer — CATL — launched a new high-specific-energy battery. If used in a typical EV today, it would improve its range by over 80% with no increase in battery pack weight. It may also have applications in shipping and aviation. CATL call it a condensed battery — or at least they do in their English media release. It may sound less stupid in Chinese. [Read more…]
$6,000 QLD EV Rebate: You May Be Better Off Without It
Crikey! $6,000 Off EVs In QLD!
Good news for banana benders wanting to own an EV. The Queensland Government has increased their state’s rebate for new electric vehicles from $3,000 to $6,000. But that’s not the only good news. Their announcement contains three juicy bursts of electric mobility goodness: [Read more…]
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