Solar Quotes Blog

ARENA funds independent testing for battery storage

battery icons

Just when you thought the news in battery storage was over following Tesla’s launch of the Powerwall, comes this little news gem. Renewable energy consulting firm IT Power have been granted $450,000 from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) — remember them? — to conduct special independent tests to confirm the efficiency of eight different […]

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Tesla’s Powerwall solar battery: Revolutionary? A damp squib? Or somewhere in between?

Well the release of Tesla’s Powerwall solar battery this week really made waves didn’t it? At a glittering announcement, the company launched the much-lauded new generation in clean energy storage with the type of glitz and glamour unseen since Barack and Michelle first pulled on a boot. The battery, which as its name suggests may […]

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Will The Tesla PowerWall let you go off grid for $3500 ?

tesla powerwall

[Update: Since I wrote this post (on the day the Powerwall was announced) Tesla have added some technical details that open up the possibility of installing the Powerwall for a much lower price than this blog post estimates. But – and it’s a big but – the cheaper installation will not allow you to go […]

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Tesla to shake up solar battery storage

Solar energy’s Great Leap Forward in efficiency and viability is about to be joined by its natural twin, solar battery storage. This scenario, which was hinted at by electric car manufacturer Tesla during the week, will reverberate around the energy community and send shudders down the collective spines of fossil fuel providers and their defenders […]

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An Off Grid Solar System Can Pay For Itself But Can’t Beat On Grid Solar

Depth of Discharge graph for a lead acid battery

Home energy storage has gained a lot of attention recently, and many people think making homes independent from the grid by using batteries to store electricity from rooftop solar is an idea whose time has finally come. So will home energy storage soon be like rooftop solar in that it will pay for itself and […]

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Looking for a Tier 1 Solar Inverter? Sorry, no such beast!

sma inverter

Picking great inverters; Tier 1, 2 or 3? Savvy solar customers are quickly realising that there is a very real difference between the quality of products and services you can find in the solar industry. As a general rule, the old adage “you get what you pay for” generally holds true but the plethora of […]

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Has AGL rung the death knell for Oz fossil fuels?

opening of the Nyngan solar farm

Two major stories lead the debate over solar power in Australia this week, both throwing up intriguing developments for our renewable energy future. Both asking the question: are we seeing the last of the fossil fuel industry in our country?

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Will solar leasing in Australia offer certainty for homeowners?

solar panels and australian cash

Do the benefits of solar leasing in Australia outweigh the traps for young players? It’s a given that Australians, perhaps more than any other nationality, prefer ownership over leasing or renting. Etched into our history of suspicion of authorities and banks, this is expressed most clearly in “The Great Australian Dream” — to completely own […]

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RayGen combines solar technologies for bush solar revolution

raygen system

You get the best renewable energy stories tucked away in the rural press. Proof that solar power innovation in the bush is moving ahead by leaps and bounds. This despite the often backwards policy of our elected representatives. So it was this week when a bit of digging unearthed the unveiling of a $3.6 million […]

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Abbott accepts gift of Coal Seam Gas well at Kirribilli House

csg well at kirribilli house

1 April 2015: Tony Abbott announced today that he has accepted the ‘very kind’ gift of a free Coal Seam Gas Well to be installed on the front lawn of Kirribilli House. The offer from the ‘Concerned Oil, Diesel & Gas Executives Rejecting Solar” (CODGERS) to come and frack every last molecule of gas from […]

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