Image: Tesla (possum added). Note: This Powerwall 3 install would not be compliant in Australia. Too close to the windows and requires a fire-rated backsheet because it backs on to a habitable room.

Last week, Tesla officially put the Powerwall 3 up for sale on its US website, and released some previously unknown details about the much anticipated home battery. [Read more…]

One battery and three of the best inverters made anywhere.

It wasn’t so long ago that 1kW was the average size of a solar power system. Keen customers bought 1.5kW. The first 2kW job I did was on a garage full of Mercs that overlooked a winery. Fast forward just a decade and a half and 6.6kW has become the basic measuring stick for quotes, with average system sizes surpassing 10kW.

As system sizes have grown, so has demand for 3 phase solar power.

[Read more…]

Time to buy a battery or even add a second to your QLD home?

Update 24 Apr 2024: The Battery Booster Program will end at 11:59 pm on 8 May 2024.

The QLD government has just kicked off the Battery Booster program, a straightforward Queensland battery rebate aimed at reducing the upfront cost of adding a battery to your solar power system. Here’s the no-frills breakdown. [Read more…]

If your brand-new Powerwall falters, brace yourself for nothing more than a refurbished replacement from Tesla. At least that’s the experience SolarQuotes reader Joe had when his Powerwall stopped working two months after being installed. [Read more…]

The world is flooded with stories about lithium battery fires (more frequently in consumer gadgets than in electric vehicles), putting a premium on battery safety research. [Read more…]

Many local councils actively promote the importance of having a bushfire survival plan to residents. Given the potential risks associated with home batteries, should homeowners also have a dedicated emergency response plan for their home battery systems? [Read more…]

Grey clouds. Even the monitoring has a distinctly British flavour.

Recently, I had the pleasure of walking the halls at the All Energy Solar Conference in Melbourne. For those in the industry, we affectionately call it “Solar Xmess” because it’s the one time of year when we can all get together and passionately debate the finer points over a beer. Some might argue that our drinking industry has a solar problem, but that’s a topic for another day. [Read more…]

Amber Electric, the upstart electricity retailer that allows consumers to play the wholesale electricity market, recently sent out an email to its Tesla Powerwall customers, and it’s a mix of good and bad news. [Read more…]

Meet Sean, a bloke from Brighton, South Australia who loves his gadgets as much as his missus loves their new spa. Despite 8kW of solar panels, Sean had an energy bill that’d make a grown man cry. So, what did he do? Buckled down, got smart, and supercharged his battery setup. Here’s the lowdown: [Read more…]