SolarQuotes Blog

Government Expands Solar Rebates For Commercial Rooftops

August 6, 2026 2026-08-05T15:06:24 by Leave a Comment

Commercial solar panels

The federal government has announced a major expansion of Australia’s Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES), opening the door for much larger commercial rooftop solar systems to receive the same type of upfront incentive that helped drive Australia’s household solar boom.

Under the proposal, the SRES threshold would increase tenfold from 100 kilowatts to 1 megawatt, allowing many medium-sized businesses, farms and community organisations to access an upfront discount on the cost of installing rooftop solar. [Continue reading…]

Fuel Excise Cut Ends, As Age Of The EV Begins

August 5, 2026 2026-08-05T09:28:09 by 20 Comments

Close view of petrol pumps.

The fuel excise cut introduced to soften the impact of rising petrol prices finished at midnight on 2 August. From this point, petrol and diesel are taxed at the full rate again, so prices at the pump are climbing higher once again. It comes as new data out this week shows that electric and hybrid vehicles made up nearly half of all cars Australians bought last quarter.

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GroWatt Manager Teabags The Clean Energy Council

August 4, 2026 2026-08-03T17:38:53 by 19 Comments
A man getting hauled into a paddy wagon.

There’s never a dull moment in the solarcoaster, but a GroWatt manager took things up a notch last week by getting themselves arrested after a dalliance with the Clean Energy Council (CEC).

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From My Wardrobe To A Million Quotes: What’s Changed (And What Hasn’t)

August 3, 2026 2026-08-02T17:51:28 by 10 Comments
Solar panels on multiple roofs

This week SolarQuotes ticked over one million quote requests. Somewhere in a database is customer number one1, and somewhere in the queue right now is customer number one million.

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Can You Charge An EV In Three Hours Of Free Power?

July 31, 2026 2026-07-30T16:41:49 by 13 Comments
Two EVs charging in a driveway with an EV charger on the garage.

Solar Sharer plans featuring free daytime electricity can be great value for EV owners – but there’s a catch. To make the most of the offer, you need a dedicated home charger set to run during the free hours. If you use a regular wall socket and try to guess the timing, you’ll barely cover […]

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What 20,000 Homes Reveal About Solar Batteries

July 30, 2026 2026-07-29T11:16:33 by 14 Comments
AEMO imports exports report 2026

If you’ve ever wondered what difference a home battery actually makes to the way your home interacts with the grid, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has some new real-world data. Buried in the latest Quarterly Energy Dynamics report is a comparison of 20,000 Australian homes that examines how households with rooftop solar and those […]

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Australia Needs More Electricians. Can Big Sister Help?

July 29, 2026 2026-07-28T13:30:57 by 11 Comments
Big sister program

Australia needs more electricians, and one organisation believes helping more women complete their apprenticeships is part of the answer. Big Sister is working with apprentices, employers and training providers to improve the number of women entering electrical trades and, just as importantly, staying long enough to become qualified. The work comes as demand grows for […]

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Most Battery Owners Passed On VPPs. Offer Them Something Better.

July 27, 2026 2026-07-26T23:57:45 by 30 Comments

Only 24% of Australian battery owners have joined a Virtual Power Plant (VPP). That’s from the ACCC’s latest electricity market report, and the reaction has been fairly uniform: this is a problem, and the fix is to make VPPs more appealing. Better consumer protections. Simpler products. Minimum technical standards. Probably more VPP rebates.  But there’s […]

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Best Home Battery In Australia 2026: Installer’s Choice Awards

July 27, 2026 2026-07-27T15:05:46 by 31 Comments
2026 Installer Choice Awards - best home battery

Continuing the 2026 Installer’s Choice Awards, we asked Australia’s solar installers a simple question: “Which home battery would you choose for your own home?” These are the people designing, installing and servicing battery systems every day, so they have a front-row seat to what works well in the real world. And Australian Consumer Law holds […]

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Solar Sharer Plans Compared: Three Free Hours, At A Cost

July 24, 2026 2026-07-23T15:48:20 by 22 Comments

From the start of this month, most energy retailers are required to offer plans offering three free hours of daytime electricity. We’ve put three Solar Sharer offers under the microscope to see the devil in the detail – just how much extra customers will be paying in daily supply charges and peak rates.

[Continue reading…]
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