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

SolarEdge HD Wave Review:  The World’s Smallest And Most Efficient String Inverter

July 20, 2017 2024-01-25T13:20:13 by 45 Comments
ronald and a hdwave

Today Ronald examines the SolarEdge HD Wave inverter. It’s small. But not that small.

It’s An Itsy Bitsy, Teeny Weeny, SolarEdge, HD Wave String Inverter…

SolarEdge, an Israeli company, has produced the HD Wave — the world’s smallest string inverter.  By size, this little cracker takes more DC than any inverter out there.  Not only that, but it grabs DC, uses its funky HD wave technology on it, and spurts out the AC our homes use with greater efficiency than any thing else on the market.  And it’s now available in Australia, starting from a couple of weeks ago. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Inverters Tagged With:

Solar Panel Clamping Zones: Are Your Panels Mounted Correctly?

July 18, 2017 2020-12-30T14:41:12 by 35 Comments
clamping zones

That clamp is not in the zone! After reading this post you will know what that means. (Photo credit: Matt Hines – definitely not one of his installs)

There is one main way solar panels are attached to roofs in Australia and I’m hoping you won’t be surprised to learn it’s not glue.  If you’ve got panels, they are almost certainly fastened to your roof with clamps and held tight in the loving embrace of metal brackets. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Installation Tagged With:

Chinese Company ‘Tesla New Energy’ Steals Tesla’s Name And Logo

July 13, 2017 2017-07-13T14:59:38 by 3 Comments
screenshot

The ‘Tesla New Energy’ website yesterday.

Many people are aware Tesla is planning to produce solar tiles, but not so many know the company is also has plans to sell conventional solar panels.  According to one report, Tesla is going to follow the novel approach of producing them inside a buffalo in New York.  Production is scheduled to begin within two months and the panels will only be available from Tesla.

The panels are not featured on Tesla’s Australian site and I currently have no information on when or if they will be available here.  But if you do enough searching on the internet or, more likely, receive some spam from them as I did, you may think you can order some of these panels from the Tesla New Energy factory in China. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Panels Tagged With:

Solar For Renters? Landlords & Tenants Share The Benefits with ‘Matter’

July 11, 2017 2017-10-19T10:25:18 by 21 Comments
rental property without solar

Have you ever noticed that rental properties almost never have solar?

Australia has the lowest cost rooftop solar in the world, plenty of sunshine, and because we are heading towards having the most expensive pre-tax grid electricity in the world, solar is a must have for almost anyone who owns a roof.

But over the past 11 years Australian home ownership has fallen from 70% to around 66% and since it costs over a million bucks to buy a butterbox in Sydney, this figure isn’t likely to improve any time soon.  This means one-third of the Australian population is locked out of owning rooftop solar. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Innovations

Channel 9’s Battery BS

July 7, 2017 2018-05-09T08:13:42 by 29 Comments
9 news and batteries

Channel 9 recently aired a segment with some very wild claims about battery payback.

“Hey everybody!  Is your cornflake bill getting you down?  Tired of spending a fortune on flaked corn?  Want to slash your monthly cornflake bill down to zero?  Well now you can, with the new Ron-Man Cornflake Storage Device.  This compact unit is capable of fitting inside a single car garage and holds a 10 year supply of cornflakes.  We guarantee you will never have to pay for another cornflake again for 10 whole years.  That’s right!  Free cornflakes for a decade!  All you need to do is pay $12,000 up front for the unit and a $1 a day cornflake management fee.  Who would have guessed free cornflakes could cost so little?” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Battery Storage

Clean Energy Council Accredited Installers, Approved Retailers, And Members: What’s The Difference?

July 4, 2017 2024-10-03T10:29:12 by 13 Comments
3 types of CEC affiliate

The CEC has 3 levels of affiliation, members, installers and approved retailer. What is the difference?

The Australian Clean Energy Council, or CEC, is Australia’s peak body for solar and other renewable energy. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Policy Tagged With:

P-Type And N-Type Solar Cells’ Excellent Electron Adventure

June 29, 2017 2024-10-03T08:51:50 by 8 Comments
p-type and n-type

Do you know the difference between a P-Type and N-Type solar cell, duuuuuude?

When it comes to material for making solar cells, silicon is the most bodacious of all the elements.  Its market share is an excellent circa 97%1.  If you want solar PV, there is next to no choice other than silicon.  However, there is more than one type of silicon cell, which is fortunate for people who enjoy faffing about when deciding what to buy. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Panels Tagged With: ,

China’s Plan For Solar World Domination: The ‘Top Runner’ Program

June 27, 2017 2024-06-04T15:23:22 by 6 Comments
Chinese dude holding a solar cell

China’s Solar Top Runner Program – What The Hell Is It?

China is the world leader when it comes to manufacturing and installing solar panels.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Panels Tagged With: ,

SimpliPhi Battery Review: Highly Reliable Storage From The USA

June 20, 2017 2024-08-20T09:43:52 by 22 Comments

It is currently popular for all the cool kids to be down on the chances of the United States remaining a driving force in world history.  People are saying it has lost its way and only faces turmoil now Batman has passed away and Seinfeld has refused to hug Kesha.

But I have faith in the land that gave us Jim Henson and Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream.  I think America still has plenty to offer the world.  Sure, maybe nothing as good as Muppets and Chunky Monkey, but still some pretty neat stuff. For example, SimpliPhi batteries. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Battery Storage Tagged With:

Phono Introduces MWT Panels:  A Dotty Idea For Improving Efficiency

June 14, 2017 2017-06-23T15:42:52 by Leave a Comment
robin and a phono MWT solar panel

Phono Solar have only gone and drilled holes in their new solar panels…

If you want a solar cell to produce electricity then it’s important to let the sunshine in.  Specifically, into the solar cell.  Not letting the sunshine in is a bad idea.  Despite how very important this is, most solar cell manufacturers place a fine metal wire grid on top of their cells that blocks around 5% to 6% of sunlight falling on them, for no other reason than they don’t work without it.  It appears the metal grid is necessary to make electrical contacts required for current to flow. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Panels Tagged With: , ,
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