Solar Quotes Blog

Over 20,000 solar workers expected by 2018 despite Abbott’s efforts

panels going on straw house

Jobs in the Australian solar industry is a topic that doesn’t excite the pro-fossil fuel press and shriekback radio all that much. Instead the headlines and radio waves over renewables are dominated by imagined consequences of the carbon tax and the repetition of outright lies about the consequences of the Renewable Energy Target (RET). Witness […]

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Solar Hot Water vs Solar Panels. Which should you buy?

a solahart hot water heater

Poor old Solar Hot Water. The concept of heating water directly from the Aussie sun with a solar hot water system like this… …really seems to have gone from hero to zero over the past 3 years.

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Public support for Australia as a renewable energy superpower

solar panels in front of cooling towers

It’s been mentioned more than a few times that Australia could be the next renewable energy superpower. With our wide open spaces, almost unlimited sun and centres of research excellence we could show the world the way in solar power and other forms of renewable energy.

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Fossil fuel lobby on thin ice in RET argument

Thin ice sign and a power station

As the renewable energy target review commission prepares to bring down its findings, a battle royale rages over how to interpret the economic modelling. Stacked with climate change deniers and fossil fuel-connected industry types, the review committee has been well and truly nobbled. It’s decision is pretty much sealed. For as Basic Governance 101 tells […]

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Are They Really Tier 1 Solar Panels? Six Questions You Must Ask.

tier 1 solar panel

For many years now I’ve been banging on about “Tier 1 Solar Panels”. My recommendation has always been that you should spend a few hundred dollars more for Tier 1 panels, so that you can massively reduce the risk of having crappy solar panels installed on your roof.

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Carbon tax goes: now for the historical perspective

axe over a power station

Unless you’ve been living under a rock this past week, you’ll have heard that Australia has achieved the dubious distinction of being the first country in history to repeal a carbon tax. With the unholy support of so-called independents, the repeal sailed through the Senate. This to the jubilation of the polluters, energy companies and […]

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The renewable energy debate we had to have

solar debate

For me, the words that best summed up a remarkable week for renewable energy came from SolarQuotes Facebook reader Anthony Fogarty. A veteran of the solar industry, Anthony made the point that the current debate raging in the Australian Senate has seen clean energy being discussed in the mainstream like never before. The unexpected (if […]

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Australia’s future vs Abbott lies on renewable energy

abbott

There are three schools of thought to explain the Abbott lies on renewable energy. One is that our PM is under the influence of the fossil fuel energy companies and is happy to repeat their propaganda; two is that is he has been ill-advised by dodgy minders and three (to put it politely) he may […]

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Are those cheap solar panels grey imports?

solar panels in a box

Recently, a number of people have asked me about parallel or ‘grey’ imports of solar panels. Parallel imports are defined as products (in our case, solar panels) that are imported unofficially by someone other than the manufacturer or their official Australian distributors. Interestingly, in this day and age with so much online and internet based […]

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Clive Palmer: renewable energy hero? Or a publicity-seeking miner/politician?

clive palmers head on a green heroes body

So Big Clive Palmer is suddenly a renewable energy hero? And wants to be revered as the saviour of the clean energy sector? According to some press coverage, the Queensland fossil fuel mining superstar has single handedly changed the climate change debate in our country. Not for me. Let’s be very careful before we anoint […]

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