WA is about to become the first state to legalise plug-in solar and batteries. The draft standard, modelled on Germany’s rules, is open for comment until 9 December. [Read more…]
About Finn PeacockI'm a Chartered Electrical Engineer, Solar and Energy Efficiency nut, dad, and the founder of SolarQuotes.com.au. I started SolarQuotes in 2009 and the SolarQuotes blog in 2013 with the belief that it’s more important to be truthful and objective than popular. My last "real job" was working for the CSIRO in their renewable energy division. Since 2009, I’ve helped over 800,000 Aussies get quotes for solar from installers I trust. Read my full bio.
All Energy 2026: Best in Show
I walked the floor last week at Australia’s biggest solar trade show, All Energy, to judge the best in each product category for our annual show roundup video (watch it above!).
The video gives a minute to each product – gotta cater to the short attention spans of YouTube – but this post will go into more detail on why I chose each one. [Read more…]
Back The Hell Up
Last week two flaws in PHP went public. PHP is the programming language behind SolarQuotes and a big slice of the web, and these bugs had been sitting in its code for about 14 years. AI models found them. Within 45 minutes of the announcement, Cloudflare was seeing tens of thousands of attempts to exploit them. By that evening it was millions. [Read more…]
Tesla Pulls Off Its Most Unlikely Stunt Yet
Tesla showed off something last week that I genuinely thought I’d never see. [Read more…]
Should You Buy The Cheapest Battery? Only If You’re This Bloke.
I met him at Everything Electric. Retired electrical engineer. Plenty of time on his hands, and one clear mission.
“I want the cheapest battery I can get,” he said. “I’ve done my homework.” [Read more…]
The Art of the Phoenix
There’s a business model in the solar industry I’d love to see burn to the ground. Trouble is, fire is how it survives. [Read more…]
Tesla’s Selling Electricity Now. Naturally, I Read The Fine Print
Tesla is about to become an Australian electricity retailer – as first reported by Danny at ZeCar.
Its local entity, Tesla Energy Ventures Australia, has a plan called Tesla Electric Dynamic that is currently in testing, and I spent the evening pulling it apart.
The Last Dumb Box In An Electrified Home
Look at what’s been bolted onto the typical Aussie home in the last decade. A solar inverter reporting panel output to your phone. A battery that trades with the grid while you sleep. A heat pump hot water system that heats from surplus solar, an EV charger with its own app.
Then open the switchboard. It’s the same thing your parents had, with better breakers and less asbestos. [Read more…]
See You At Everything Electric Sydney This Weekend
The giant Everything Electric show returns to Sydney Showground this weekend, Friday 18 to Sunday 20 September, six months later than planned. [Read more…]
Australia Has Installed Half a Million Batteries. Who’s Checking They’re Safe?
Peter Hannam quoted me in RenewEconomy on Friday, saying I expect there are hundreds of thousands of solar and battery systems out there that aren’t optimally installed or configured, some of them carrying real potential for dangerous outcomes. [Read more…]
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