Ten years ago, a “couple of sparkies” from the Riverina headed north and set up an electrical services business in Mackay, Queensland, catering to the mining industry.

Today, Jason Sharam (managing director) and Peter Shaw (CEO) run an electrical services business with a very noticeable difference: they now have what is probably close to unique – an off-grid solar-powered manufacturing facility with “100% renewable” as its goal. [Read more…]

The LAVO hydrogen battery is a feat of engineering -but who will buy it?

If all you’ve ever wanted out of life is to own an Australian made, hydrogen-powered, fuel cell, energy storage system then I have some really good news for you.  In October, Australian company LAVO launched a hydrogen energy storage system for homes and businesses.  While it’s mainly a fuel cell, they refer to it as a hydrogen battery, so if you want to call it a battery knock yourself out. [Read more…]

Despite promising to reduce energy storage costs, Tesla keeps increasing the price of its Powerwall home battery.

On September the 23rd I woke up at 5:00 am to listen to Elon Musk’s Battery Day announcement where the world was told Tesla would cut the cost of batteries in half by 2025.  We were told they would:

• Lower the cost of battery cells.
• Lower the cost of battery factories.
• Reduce the cost of raw materials required.

[Read more…]

Will solar sales soon go to the dogs without batteries? Image: Adelaide Solar Safe

Australia has seen a decade of explosive growth in renewables, but there’s another big change coming. According to Green Energy Trading chair Ric Brazzale, we’re very close to the peak of new rooftop solar PV. [Read more…]

It’s 5:30 am and I’m sitting in SolarQuotes office waiting for Elon Musk’s big battery day announcement.  This is pretty early for me, so it had better be good.  I don’t normally come into the office until 5:45 am.  

I have no idea what Elon’s going to say except it’ll be about batteries.  [Read more…]

A battery shed near Alice Springs. Photo: Lloyd Peacock

The Northern Territory has the nation’s most generous solar battery subsidy: $6,000 off a battery system.  It’s already the biggest battery subsidy in Australia by a long way, and if the Country Liberals win the NT election this month they will double it to an insane $12,000.  And by insane, mean they’d be nuts to make it that high. [Read more…]

Batteries are, as we all know, recyclable – but some recycle better than others. Lead-acid batteries? The process is easy, familiar and cheap enough to leave a decent margin, so Australia has some local recycling plants.

But the future isn’t lead acid, is it? [Read more…]

Image: Tesla

Long ago, when the internet was made of nothing but stone knives and bearskins, it sounded like this, and looked rubbish: [Read more…]

Energy Australia will give you a ‘free’ solar power system + Tesla Powerwall. All you have to do is buy your energy from them for 7 years. Is that a good deal?

TLDR: You’ll save more money if you go to the effort of buying your own, bigger solar power system rather than surrendering your roof’s profits to Energy Australia. [Read more…]

The new NSW solar & battery calculator is so misleading it’s not funny.

The NSW Government’s Solar Battery Calculator is up and running. 

This would only be a good thing if it was up and running out the door, never to be seen again.

It had one job to do — inform NSW families if a home battery makes financial sense for them — and it fails miserably.  Worse, it fails in exactly the wrong direction. [Read more…]