I was chilling in the batcave yesterday when I was startled by the jangling of an alarm bell.
“It’s the internet alarm, Batboy!” I cried. [Read more…]
DNVGL 2019 Battery Performance Scorecard: Cheaper, Better, Maybe Safer
DNV-GL tested a whole lot of batteries to see how they really performed. Here’s what they discovered.
When it comes to battery technology the rate of change is hectic. Chemistries are constantly being tweaked and changed to improve battery performance and lifespan. They’re also getting cheaper at the rapid rate of around around 10% per year. This is similar to solar cells and if it keeps up, in 7 years packs of battery cells will cost half what they do now. [Read more…]
Tesla Model S Review: The Best Car Ever! And Totally Not Worth It!
Hold on to your beards! Ronald’s spent the weekend in a brand new 2019 Tesla Model S. Here’s what happened…
Allow me to transport some information to your eyes that is simply electrifying. Finn, my boss, has bought a Tesla Model S electric sports car. It is AWESOME. I know this because he let me drive it for two days. This joy ride convinced me the Tesla Model S is the best car in the world. I’ll even go further and say that — with the information I currently have at hand — it is the best car in the universe. [Read more…]
Voltage Rise & Solar Shutdowns. Why It Happens & How To Fix It.
Your grid voltage should average 230V. But it probably doesn’t.
This time last week I was at the 2019 All Energy Conference and Exhibition in Melbourne. Or — if I have been lazy getting this article out — it was this time last week plus or minus one day. Mostly plus.
I attended a group presentation on grid over voltage. It’s a growing problem. When grid voltage rises too high, rooftop solar either reduces output or shuts down. This not only costs solar households money but costs the country lives, as clean solar energy going to waste means more fossil fuel is burned, resulting in more pollution and environmental damage. [Read more…]
The 2019 All-Energy Conference In Melbourne — A Quick Overview
Ronald went to the All-Energy Exhibition & Conference in Melbourne. Here’s what he stumbled across.
I just got back from the 2019 All Energy Conference and Exhibition in Melbourne.1 While there I also snuck across to the the Energy Efficiency Expo next door. Over the next couple of weeks I’ll write a few articles on what I learned, but for now I’ll just go over some highlights and show some pictures… [Read more…]
Bloody Hell! Fuel Economy Of Australian Cars Has Been Getting Worse Since 2015!
We urgently need to reduce emissions of CO2 and particulates. But car efficiency in Australia is getting worse. WTAF?
I’ve got some bad news about vehicle efficiency in Australia. It’s going backwards. And I don’t mean cars are now driving in reverse, sucking up smog and spitting out petrol. Despite the fact that we urgently need to slash our emissions, the average fuel efficiency of Australian vehicles has been getting worse. [Read more…]
$11.4 Million Tonsley Hydrogen Cracker is Crackers
Siemens may have “ingenuity for life” but calling their hydrogen electrolysis machine a Windgas HaBfurt doesn’t strike me as the most ingenious of names.
The South Australian Government has given development approval to Australian Gas Networks (AGN) for an $11.4 million dollar electrolyser project. It will produce hydrogen in Adelaide’s not at all scenic suburb of Tonsley. [Read more…]
7 Ways To Get Rid Of Unwanted Solar Panels
Upgrading or replacing your solar panels? Here’s 7 options for disposing of the old ones.
An unfortunate fact is solar panels eventually die. While good quality panels can survive over 30 years exposure to the elements, a crap one might fail after only two months because it was damaged when it left the factory. But whether your panels are the cream of the crop or scum off the top of a pot full of rot, they will die. It will just happen a lot sooner to the crap ones. [Read more…]
Victoria’s AusNet Forces New Solar Homes On Time-Of-Use Tariff For 12 Months
Power Of No Choice. AusNet are making the most of their monopoly.
Update 16th January 2020: Yesterday we were sent a screenshot of what a home owner in the Ausnet area were told by Ausnet customer support. It states that Ausnet never allows solar homes to have a standard tariff in their area. This is different from what they told me on the phone. Here is the letter they sent: [Read more…]
HT-SAAE Solar Panel Product Warranty Increased From 10 To 12 Years
HT-SAAE: not a bunch of random letters, but a Chinese government owned company that has manufactured panels for use in Australia, space and other weird places.
I have two pieces of good news about HT-SAAE solar panels I’m just dying to tell you. They are:
- No one’s going to get mad if you call them HT panels for short.
- The product warranty for panels sold in Australia has increased from 10 to 12 years.
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UPDATE: January 3, 2022. This blog post is a couple of years old. The product warranty on HT-SAAE solar panels has since been boosted again a couple of times, most recently to 25 years. The latest warranty document (as at January 3, 2022) can be found here.
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