Solar Quotes Blog

Do Electrolytic Capacitors Cripple Microinverter Reliability?

Part 1 of an interview with Enphase VP of Quality & Reliability: Ciaran Fox In my experience solar installers either really love microinverters, or are incredibly wary of them. There seems to be very little middle ground. Those who love them talk about their ease of installation, increased power output, flexibility of panel layout, panel […]

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The changing face of Australian solar as confidence returns

changes ahead sign

There’s a new spring in the step of investors in big solar as confidence that has been lacking during the Abbott years has been boosted following the Turnbull takeover. The level of enthusiasm for solar power in Australia — and large-scale projects in particular — has been remarkable. The removal of the anti-renewables team of […]

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How solar energy is revolutionising microfarming

a solar powered micro farm

The advantages of solar energy in rural communities is well documented. Particularly those who are located in more remote parts of the land and countries where access to the grid is difficult, if not impossible. For isolated communities in developing countries face enormous problems, both financial and logistical, to access centralised energy. To remedy this, […]

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Australia to lead world in solar and battery storage: report

solar and batteries

How long before solar and battery storage becomes the cheapest way to access electricity in Australia? A decade? Twenty? Thirty years? Only three years according to a new report from the Climate Council, which also found that an expected half of all Australian households will soon have solar and battery storage. Should this eventuate, it […]

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The High Cost Of Very Cheap Solar

The best deal is very rarely the cheapest deal. This is something we all understand intuitively. So why do we get so easily get seduced by unbelievably cheap solar deals that appear so totally believable? Let me be totally up front with you. I did not set up SolarQuotes as a tool for people to find […]

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How To Find Solar Friendly Electricity Tariffs By Hacking Government Data

If you own a solar system but haven’t shopped around the electricity retailers in a while, your bills are probably higher than they need to be. The big gentailers, Origin, AGL and Energy Australia have made their disdain for solar very clear. They all lobbied to scrap government support for small scale solar during Tony […]

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Pane relief on its way with transparent solar cell technology

stacked uPVC windows

Completely transparent windows that generate solar power have been a goal for researchers for many decades. Previous attempts at transparent solar cell technology have achieved only partial success with the windows left with a decided tinted effect and the resulting office/room space. This is not the ideal working conditions for offices, unless of course you […]

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Harry Potter-style invisibility cloaks to improve solar cell efficiency?

In a development that will bring a smile to the faces of Harry Potter fans, researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) announced this week the success of using invisibility cloaks to improve solar cell efficiency. While the technology sounds very J. K. Rowling, the benefits of invisibility cloaks for solar cell efficiency — […]

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Have we turned the corner on clean energy policy?

windmill on a corner

Trying to determine the present government’s stance on renewables is confusing to say the least. Has the Turnbull/Bishop palace coup brought on a complete rethink of clean energy policy? Have we seen the end of the relentless “war on renewables” of the Abbott era? Or is it more of the same? It’s too early to […]

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Stanford team develops coating to boost solar cell efficiency

mono and poly crystalline solar cells

Contrary to popular thought, heat reduces solar cell efficiency. As the cells heat up from the direct glare of the sun, their efficiency in converting light into electricity drops markedly. Depending on the system used and the location, losses can reduce output up to 10 to 25 percent. This conundrum has vexed the industry for […]

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