A couple of weeks ago, I took a look at a customer’s need to integrate his solar PV controller with his smart home system, and concluded that this industry needs to settle on standard protocols so systems can get smarter. [Read more…]

You’ve probably heard of mono and poly panels. Now there’s a third type: ‘cast-mono’. But what the hell is it?

Silicon is the Queen of solar power.  Some people say Coal is King, but I say our Queen can kick your King’s arse. [Read more…]

Tenants who ‘invest’ in AGL’s Offsite Solar are emotionally handcuffed to their tariffs for 7 years

If you are lucky enough to own an unshaded roof over your head, solar power is a no brainer.

Millions of homeowners have realised this and, for those who have done it right, they are living a life free of energy bill worries for the foreseeable future.

But what about the 30% of Australians who rent? They are seemingly stuck having to pay electricity retailers for overpriced, dirty grid electricity. [Read more…]

Another company who can help get solar on tenant’s roofs is the Gigawatt Project. Ronald looks over the details…

The Gigawatt Project is a Queensland company that helps put solar panels on the roofs of rental properties.  They give tenants some of the savings from rooftop solar power while giving landlords a good enough return to make installing it worthwhile.  In Queensland the Gigawatt Project can:

• Install a solar power system.
• Monitor tenant electricity use.
• Bill tenants for solar electricity they use at a rate less than the cost of grid electricity.  The bill is paid to the landlord.

[Read more…]

Virtual Powerline technology is due to disrupt the poles and wires business. Image Credit: BiTchain

The cornerstone of the new South Australian Liberal government’s energy policy, a new $740 million electricity interconnector with NSW, may be rendered obsolete before construction has even begun thanks to a new blockchain based ‘virtual powerline’ being built between the two states.  The technology was developed by the US company BiTchain and has already avoided the building of billions of dollars worth of transmission capacity between the United States and Canada. [Read more…]

Glass is a vital part of almost every solar panel installed on Australian roofs.  The sheets of glass used to protect solar cells are long lasting, non-reactive, very tough, and — above all else — it’s transparent.  As a result glass functions far better than wood, cheese, iron, or mucus.  [Read more…]

Is solar blockchain going to revolutionise the way we buy energy? Or is it a load of overhyped bollocks?

Blockchain is a revolutionary new technology with the revolutionary ability to revolutionize our lives.

[Read more…]

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…]