Can Solar and Mining be Best Of Frenemies?

August 26, 2013 2017-10-25T10:12:34 by 2 Comments
A happy compromise or supping with the devil?

A happy compromise or supping with the devil?

Whenever we hear of the future of the battle for the future of Australian energy, the picture we get in our press and from Canberra and the state capitals is one of conflict. One of subsidies for renewables such as solar power systems — whether utility scale solar or domestic PV — versus continued monetary support for fossil fuel-powered industries such as mining.

But is there a middle path readers? One that sees a future for sectors such as mining to use solar power systems to help offset rising energy costs? An absorbing article in Australian Mining this week appears to point in this direction. [Read more…]

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Think solar is expensive? Be glad you’re not American!

July 5, 2013 2017-04-25T10:41:43 by 1 Comment

Our American friends may get dirt cheap Nike runners, Levis jeans and iTunes downloads compared to us Aussies, but at least we can get some comfort from the fact that our solar systems are a helluva lot cheaper than theirs!

This infographic from those nice people at US site lineshapespace.com does a great job of spruiking the benefits of solar power, but also gives an insight into just how cheap Aussie solar is.

A big part of the price discrepancy is that the permit system for solar power is a bureaucratic nightmare in America. If you buy a 3kW solar system in the US you could pay $12,000 for it, of which $3,000 is permit paperwork! Compare that to about $5,000 in Australia of which about $0 is permit paperwork. In most states in Oz your installer simply fills in a 2 minute form online and gets ‘permission to connect’ within a day or so.

Here;’s the lovely infographic in all its glory – just be aware that the prices only apply to the US! [Read more…]

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South Australia Feed In Tariff Ends In September. What you need to know.

July 3, 2013 2024-01-30T19:59:44 by 59 Comments

If you’ve opened any South Australian newspapers recently you’ve probably seen adverts from solar power installers screaming about the “IMMINENT REDUCTION IN THE SOUTH AUSTRALIA FEED IN TARIFF!!!”.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I’m not one to bombard you with pushy sales spiel, or use impending rebate cuts to pressure anyone into buying solar.

But what I will do is calmly go through the facts about the looming SA Feed In tariff reduction, and crunch a few numbers, so you can decide if you want to get in on the SA solar action before the 30 September 2013 deadline that a lot of solar companies are getting all worked up about.

[Read more…]

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The Shocking Truth About Commercial Solar

June 5, 2013 2014-01-05T18:17:38 by 175 Comments
solar install

Why don’t more SMEs have solar on their roof?

OK, I admit it –  that was a headline designed to get your attention if you own or operate a small or medium sized business (I’m also a sucker for bad puns).

But it’s just that I feel the need to shout from the rooftops about the insane returns that SMEs can get from commercial solar right now due to the combination of:

  • plummeting solar panel prices,
  • rocketing commercial electricity tariffs
  • and the typical electricity use profile of most SMEs.

[Read more…]

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Grand Designs + Solar Panels = Epic Fail

March 27, 2013 2024-06-04T15:35:06 by 197 Comments
Grand Designs Logo with FAIL stamp

Note to Grand Designs: “Do your bloody homework!”

Today’s top solar tip:

Please don’t look to Kevin McCloud or Grand Designs for advice on solar power!

Now don’t get me wrong, I love Kevin McCloud, he seems like a top bloke. And Grand Designs is one of the few things I actually watch occasionally on the gogglebox.

But they really need to do their research when it comes to solar.

The UK episode on ABC1 last week showed that they don’t have a freaking clue about solar power. [Read more…]

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Like a Virgin: chance to install solar power at Sir Richard’s island home

February 25, 2013 2017-10-25T10:18:09 by Leave a Comment
Richard Branson and Finn

Richard Branson wants some solar quotes. (cue gratuitous celebrity stalker shot)

Note for our solar installer readers: Like to bid for the chance to deck out Sir Richard Branson’s pad in a solar power system? Be part of the Great Innovator’s strategy on solar energy? Great, but before we go further let’s make sure you know what you’re in for.

[Read more…]

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The 5 Golden Rules For Choosing A Solar Installer

February 4, 2013 2018-06-28T08:23:23 by 7 Comments

Over the last four years, I’ve written thousands of words and made hours of videos answering the question:

“Finn – there are hundreds of solar companies out there – they all claim that “they are the best and everyone else is second rate or worse”!

How do I choose a good, honest, solar installer that will charge a fair price and look after me and my panels if anything goes wrong down the track?”

At the end of the day – if you follow these 5 golden rules you can’t really go wrong: [Read more…]

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Solar Panel Direction: Which Way Should Your Solar Panels Face?

November 7, 2012 2014-01-06T08:24:23 by 20 Comments

Should you point your solar panels North so that you get the maximum power from them?

Not necessarily…let me explain:

And here’s the transcript if you prefer reading: [Read more…]

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How Much Will You Get Paid For Your Solar Electricity?

October 11, 2012 2017-07-28T18:36:20 by 7 Comments

Hint: It’s a bit more complicated than you might think!

By my reckoning 25% of people buying solar power systems want to save the planet as a priority. The other 75% want to save their bottom line and saving the planet is a nice side-effect.

I get a lot of emails saying: “Help! My bills are [insert large number here] dolars a quarter – what size solar system do I need?”

The answer to this question is quite longwinded – but if you want to understand whether a solar system is worthwhile for you financially – you need to understand this stuff! So I made a video to help explain. If you are considering buying a solar system I strongly recommend watching this:

[Note: Since I made this video the Victorian and QLD Feed In tariffs are no longer more generous than the rest of the country – they are both 8c per kWh at time of writing!]

[Read more…]

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Do you really want to go off the grid with your solar power system?

October 5, 2012 2017-04-28T15:29:03 by 31 Comments

Did you hear about the Queensland proposal a couple of weeks ago that proposed an 8c per kWh GROSS Feed In Tariff? That would mean Queenslanders would have to sell ALL their solar power to the retailers for 8c (yes – ALL of it – even the stuff that they used in their home). And then buy it back for about 30c.

Yup – that would be called institutionalised theft.

Stories like that make most people want to get off the grid altogether.

So I get quite a few quote requests these days for “Off Grid” solar power systems. However most people don’t fully realise what a big and expensive step it is to cut the wires to the grid.

So I made this video to explain what it really means to go off grid in 2012. I hope you enjoy it:

[Read more…]

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