Search Results for: nsw

NSW Feed In Tariff Surprise: It’s Gross (in a good way!)

November 10, 2009 2017-05-03T14:03:48 by Finn Peacock 3 Comments

Yesterday the NSW Government surprised renewable energy fans by switching the new feed in tariff from a net to a gross tariff.

This means that owners of solar systems in NSW will now get 60c per kwh for all the electricity they generate.

Previously you were only going to get paid for the power exported to the grid (i.e not the power you used in your house)

This makes a huge difference to the economics of buying a solar power system in NSW.

Plugging the numbers into my solar calculator shows that a good quality 1.5kW system will pay for itself in just over 4 years.

In fact you’ll be getting around $120 per month of income from the outset. And the benefits will only go up as electricity prices rise.

Even if you take out a $7000 loan at 7% interest the system would be cash flow positive from the outset. See for yourself here.

That’s a better return, and much lower risk than most other investments these days.

Have a play with our solar calculators to see if it makes financial sense for you. Just put ‘Feed In Tariff %’ as 100% and ‘Feed In Tariff Price’ as 60c and the calculator will work out the payback and monthly savings.

Filed Under: Solar Policy Tagged With: Feed In Tariffs, nsw, Solar Rebates

Data Centres Told BYO Power And Don’t Send Households The Bill

September 4, 2026 2026-09-03T10:09:05 by Kim Wainwright 20 Comments

Australia’s data centre boom is going to need an extraordinary amount of electricity. Without the right rules, households and small businesses could end up sharing the bill.

Governments are now moving towards requiring data centres to provide additional energy supply and to pay for the network upgrades they require, rather than passing those costs on to everyone else.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Electricity Prices

Solar Backup: Super Series Vs Perfect Parallel Connections

September 3, 2026 2026-09-03T14:25:11 by Anthony Bennett 3 Comments

Parallel supply to the house on the left – Series connection on the right

Everyone buying solar wants lower bills, but adding expensive batteries should be more about a reliable supply than straight-up bean-counting.

The solar industry has, for a long time, glossed over a pretty basic point in battery-backed systems, so strap in while we explain the difference between series and parallel-connected supplies, and why it matters.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Installation

How Many Chances Should You Give Your Solar Installer?

September 2, 2026 2026-09-02T09:50:36 by Kim Wainwright 12 Comments

Most of us want to believe the best in people.

If your solar installer says they’re waiting on stock, you’ll probably accept it. If they ask for a few more weeks, you’ll give them a few more weeks.

But when does patience stop being reasonable?

That’s the question NSW homeowner Mark Barnes eventually found himself asking after seven months of delays, a missed installation date and, after cancelling his battery order, still waiting for the return of his $6,500 deposit. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Installation

If Your Battery Dies, Your Bills Will Rocket. Here’s Who Should Pay.

September 1, 2026 2026-08-31T14:29:58 by Finn Peacock 5 Comments

A fortnight ago, 7.30 aired an investigation into Solar Power Nation, a retailer the ABC reports is under investigation by authorities in Queensland, NSW and South Australia after hundreds of complaints.

One customer, Amin Khorram, paid $13,000 for a battery system. Only one of the two inverters was installed, so he got 5 kW of the promised 10 kW and couldn’t charge or discharge his batteries fast enough to get all the savings he expected. He chased the company for eight months. The missing inverter finally appeared last month, as his QCAT hearing date approached. Funny, that. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Battery Storage

Kilowatts vs Kilowatt-Hours: The Mix-Up That Never Dies

August 24, 2026 2026-08-24T08:47:50 by Finn Peacock 23 Comments

I first wrote about this back in 2012. Fourteen years later, I’m still writing about it. That should tell you something about how sticky this confusion is. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Battery Storage

Why Adding A Battery Module Isn’t As Simple As Lego

August 20, 2026 2026-08-20T06:27:53 by Kim Wainwright 10 Comments

Looking at a modular home battery, adding another module appears about as difficult as stacking another Lego brick. Lift the new battery into place, stack it on top of the others, plug it in and away you go.

How hard can it be? It’s probably why the question pops up every now and then in online owner forums. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Battery Storage

Australia’s Battery Boom Hits 500,000. What’s Changed?

August 18, 2026 2026-08-17T10:32:17 by Kim Wainwright 27 Comments

Australia has now installed more than 500,000 batteries under the federal government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program.

It’s an impressive number for a scheme that’s a little over a year old, and one Energy Minister Chris Bowen was understandably keen to celebrate.

“Every battery installed means another household getting more value from their rooftop solar, and another job for the local installers and small businesses delivering this rollout across the country,” Bowen said.

But half a million batteries later, it’s worth looking beyond the milestone. The program hasn’t just put a lot of batteries on walls. It has changed Australia’s home energy market remarkably quickly.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Battery Storage

Solar Power Nation Clean Bowled By Hundreds Of Complaints

August 14, 2026 2026-08-13T19:25:28 by Jacob Boyd 11 Comments

A major solar retailer operating under four different names – and promoted by retired cricketer Michael Clarke – faces multiple investigations after copping hundreds of complaints, ranging from allegations of dodgy worksmanship to unrefunded deposit payments for installs that never happened.