Posts By Ronald Brakels, Author & Fact-Checker At SolarQuotes

What Does The Liberal Win Mean For Clean Energy in SA?

March 19, 2018 2018-03-20T19:58:49 by 23 Comments
marshall and weatherill - renewable energy in SA

Labor’s Jay Weatherill is out. The Liberal’s Steven Marshall is in. What does this mean for the future of renewable energy in South Australia?

The South Australian Liberals have won the election.  The results seemed clear on Saturday night and are looking very definite now on Monday morning.  They have a small but clear majority allowing them to govern in their own right.  Now that the power is theirs, will solar and wind continue to expand in South Australia or will Premier Marshall peel off his face to reveal he is Mecha-Abbott underneath and set about destroying the renewable energy industry in South Australia? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Policy

Tony Abbott And Craig Kelly Want Frydenberg To Fiddle With His Small-scale Knob

March 15, 2018 2021-02-24T12:54:56 by 18 Comments

Tony Abbott And Craig Kelly Want Frydenberg To Adjust The Small-scale Technology Percentage

Tony Abbott recently made a comment about the STCs that reduce the cost of rooftop solar to households and are commonly called the “solar rebate“1.  Guess what he wants to do with them?  Do you need a hint?  Tell you what, I’ll make it easy for you and put it in the form of a multiple choice question. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Policy

The SA Election: Energy Policies Compared

March 13, 2018 2021-02-24T12:52:30 by 9 Comments

Election 2018 South Australia - Energy Policies

On Saturday the 17th of March South Australians will head to school, church, the RSL, or where ever their local polling booth happens to be to cast their ballot in the state government election.  I’ve already received the piece of colored  paper I’m supposed to bring with me so I can vote.  It’s very different from the good old days in Queensland when the only paper you needed to make your vote count was brown and in the form of a bag full of cash. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Policy

Feed-In Tariffs Hurt The Economics Of Batteries

March 8, 2018 2018-03-09T07:57:01 by 100 Comments

Installing a home battery system right now will not save you money. Maybe in a year or two it will, but I have a very short time horizon so that’s almost like never to me.

As of March 2018 I know of no battery system on the market that will save money for a household that has anything approaching normal electricity consumption. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Battery Storage

South Australia’s Electricity Has Always Been Expensive

March 5, 2018 2021-02-11T10:59:41 by 21 Comments

South Australian electricity prices

In South Australia we pay a lot for electricity.

If you feel the need to respond to that statement by saying, “Well, whoop-de-doo!  We pay a lot for electricity in Newcastle,” I will understand.  All Australians pay too much for household electricity.  This is true whether you look at historical prices or at countries you’d expect us to be similar to such as the United States or Canada. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Electricity Prices

Sydney Now Has The Most Affordable Electricity. Adelaide The Most Expensive

February 27, 2018 2020-05-21T14:21:10 by 4 Comments

Electricity prices in Australia

In May last year I investigated what the total cost of electricity was for a typical household in Australia’s states and territories.  I found that rather than South Australia having the most expensive electricity, as the Coalition claimed, once the effects of fixed charges and controlled loads for hot water were taken into account, it was the second cheapest state for household electricity.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Electricity Prices

Ronald’s Hints, Tips, And Tricks For Commercial Solar

February 23, 2018 2018-04-23T14:53:43 by 3 Comments

commercial solar tips

Here at SolarQuotes we’ve put together a resource on commercial solar power called:

“Solar For Your Business ‘101’:  A Beginner’s Guide“

If you have a business but no solar panels, it’s made for you.  Or if you work at a business without solar and want some cred for suggesting a money saving idea you may want to run your eyeballs over it for that reason.  It’s full of solid advice and I highly recommend it.  The only way I could recommend it more is if I wrote it myself.  And I didn’t do that because I actually had no involvement with it at all. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Commercial Solar, Solar Installation Tagged With:

Installing Solar Panels On A Flat Roof — All The Angles Covered

February 20, 2018 2024-01-02T16:57:38 by 28 Comments
flat roof solar panels

Beautifully installed frameless solar panels on an almost flat (3º N) roof. Photo credit: Gippsland Solar

If you are checking out this article because you are planning to put solar panels on a flat roof, then odds are you’re looking to install a commercial solar system.  While there are homes with flat roofs, they’re not nearly as common as flat business roofs.  But whether it’s for a home or a business the basic principles of installing on a flat roof are the same.  It’s just that commercial systems tend to be a lot larger. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Commercial Solar, Solar Panels

Small Business Commercial Solar With A 3 Year Payback – A Real World Case Study

February 16, 2018 2018-04-23T14:54:28 by 5 Comments
Small scale commercial solar

Can commercial solar power for small business really slash overheads and pay for itself in 3 years? A real-world example.

A few days ago I wrote an article on commercial solar for small businesses but I was worried it may have been a little abstract.  I mentioned this to Finn, my boss1, and he said people might:

  • not believe that they can get a 3 year payback on a small business solar system – it seems too good to be true
  • appreciate something a little more hands on

.. and suggested I do a case study. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Commercial Solar, Solar Panels

Commercial Solar For Small Businesses Can Pay Back In Under 3 Years

February 13, 2018 2018-04-23T14:55:04 by 1 Comment
commercial solar power system

Don’t let soaring power bills kill your business – commercial solar can slash your bills.

Business is a kind of miracle where humans put aside their natural desire to screech and fling stuff at each other to work together to achieve common goals.  And the most common goal among businesses that are still in business is making money.  Unfortunately, focusing on this has led to some undesirable consequences such melting the icecaps.

If our civilization wants to continue as an ongoing concern then we need to make money in a way that doesn’t damage the environment.  Fortunately, I know something that can help business both make money and protect the environment and that something is commercial rooftop solar power. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Commercial Solar, Solar Panels
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