Tesla showed off something last week that I genuinely thought I’d never see. [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.
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…]
The Question Nobody Asks Before Selling You A Battery
Last week I was in Officeworks waiting for some printing. Next to me, a woman was buying a laptop, and the Officeworks bloke helping her knew his stuff. Processors, RAM, screen brightness: all of it correct. Then he asked whether she’d considered a Mac, which opened a second long conversation about MacBooks, and by the end of it, she looked more confused than when she started.
He left her to think it over. I couldn’t help myself. [Read more…]
If Your Battery Dies, Your Bills Will Rocket. Here’s Who Should Pay.
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…]
Best Hot Water Heat Pump In Australia 2026: Installer’s Choice Awards
Heat pump hot water systems continue to grow in popularity as more Australians look for ways to get off gas.
To find out which heat pump installers trust most in 2026, we asked Australian installers a simple question:
“Which heat pump hot water system would you choose for your own home?”
The result wasn’t even close. [Read more…]
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