I’m thinking of writing a screenplay. The movie’s name is “3-Phase Solar Wars : The Phantom Imports”. Here’s the opening scene: “Quite soon in the future, in a suburb not very far away…. It is a period of civil war. Solar owners, striking from over a million rooftops, have won their first victory against the evil Electricity Empire. […]
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The Queensland election and solar energy
January traditionally sees Australians go on holidays, enjoy food and drink (and a bit of sport) and generally relax and get away from it all for a few weeks. The last thing on their minds is politics and worse, being dragged to the polling place when they should be having their well-deserved break. However there’s […]
[Continue reading…]The importance of China for our solar sector in 2015
When we look at the year ahead for renewable energy, and try to divine the development of the Australian solar market, one of the first conclusions is the importance of neighbouring countries. I’m talking here of the continued role China plays in solar energy in Australia. It’s not an exaggeration to say that cheap, quality […]
[Continue reading…]SA Power Networks’ Shonky Voltages Causing Headaches For Adelaide Solar Owners
I’m getting reports that lots of solar owners in Adelaide have seen their inverters shut down over Christmas. No, the inverters are not taking a break to eat mince pies and open their presents – they are shutting down because the grid voltage seems to be regularly going higher than 257V. Many inverters are designed […]
[Continue reading…]Unsubsidised solar cheaper than fossil fuels in Chile
One of the key questions that remains in what has been a forgettable year for Australian renewable energy policy development is: when will unsubsidised solar reach cost parity with fossil fuels? Will it be in 2015 or 2016 that this occurs? Or should we look further into the future? The question is of course crucial […]
[Continue reading…]Why connecting your solar system to the grid is harder in NSW
Australians love their rooftop solar and believe it or not, despite our relatively small population we have collectively installed more household solar systems than almost any other country in the world. For consumers, it’s a no brainer but the electricity companies seem to be making things more difficult as time goes by. Is this justified […]
[Continue reading…]Calls for Housing NSW to allow solar installations
With domestic renewable energy systems rapidly increasing in popularity for Australian households, you’d think solar installations for Housing NSW properties would follow suit. With financial savings, clean energy and less pressure on the environment, its a no-brainer really. However this is not so, says activist James Ray who has found that the department has ruled […]
[Continue reading…]Solarmax Inverter Bankruptcy: What it means for Solarmax owners.
Bad news for fans of Solarmax inverters as its parent company, Sputnik Engineering, has just filed for insolvency. Solarmax are a 20 year old Swiss inverter manufacturer who made fantastic quality inverters at a great price. It seems, with hindsight, that the price was a little too great! If you were considering buying a Solarmax, […]
[Continue reading…]ARENA: the government renewable energy agency that refuses to go away
Remember ARENA? The plucky Australian Renewable Energy Agency that has helped many renewable energy ventures and research with seed funding and other support? The ongoing benefits of ARENA include not only financial support but also because their involvement has helped pave the way for research and development in partnership with the private sector. Wait. Ongoing? […]
[Continue reading…]SA leads the way with 25 percent of households using solar: ABS
The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show one in five households use some form of solar energy. The figures back anecdotal and other statistical evidence of a massive growth surge for solar that has occurred since the ABS first began publishing statistics on solar energy, back in 2011. Then the figures were […]
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