REC solar panels on my roof.
Australia increasingly loves cheap solar panels. This has led to rumours swirling around the solar industry that premium solar panel maker REC is considering giving up on the Aussie solar market and leaving it to the budget brands.
I used to worship efficiency. For years as a control systems engineer, I sweated over fractions of a percent, shaving seconds off processes and optimising production lines.
Now I look around and realise: efficiency is dead. Killed by cheap solar and ever-cheaper batteries.
A battery covered in stickers.
Last month, the Government hosted a Productivity Summit. Tristan Edis summed it up in one brutal line:
“If introducing a road user charge for electric vehicles is the best we can do out of the Productivity Summit, then God help this country.”
I was on a panel at Electrify Adelaide last week, sat next to Saul Griffith, who was promoting his brilliant new book Plug In. During audience questions, someone asked how important Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) would be in the years ahead.
Last week, my Powerwall 2 turned seven.
To celebrate, I stumped up $10 for a 1-month subscription to the excellent, third-party, NetZero Powerwall monitoring app and ran some diagnostics.
A couple of years ago, Ronald (SolarQuotes’ Fact Checker) asked me for advice on buying a commuter push bike. I told him:
“Whatever you do, don’t buy a bike from K-Mart!”.
Back in my engineering days, I designed control systems for everything from nuclear power plants to optical semiconductor fabs. High-stakes stuff, where things not working properly was frowned upon. One thing that became clear early on: the hardware install was just the beginning. The real work started when you powered things up and tried to make them behave.
Which brings me to today’s Phase Shift.
A fancy burger joint near the SolarQuotes office opened six months ago. It was small and stylish. And just closed down. I wasn’t surprised.
Right now, we’re riding high. A big battery rebate just dropped, and quote requests are flying in.
But I’ve been in solar long enough to know what this feels like. We’re at the top of the solar coaster.
Since the early days of rooftop solar, many Australian academics & commentators have warned of a grid death spiral.
Finn Peacock (RSS) (343)
Ronald Brakels (RSS) (506)
Michael Bloch (RSS) (3344)
Staff Writer (RSS) (261)
Richard Chirgwin (RSS) (159)
Trevor Glen (RSS) (1)
Anthony Bennett (RSS) (200)
Kim Wainwright (RSS) (78)
Pat Southwell (RSS) (18)
Neerav Bhatt (RSS) (7)
Max Opray (RSS) (33)
Toby Hagon (RSS) (1)
Baran Yildiz (RSS) (1)
Tim Johnston (RSS) (1)
Before You Go..Download the first chapter of The Good Solar Guide, authored by SolarQuotes founder Finn Peacock, FREE! We respect your privacy and you can opt out from the newsletter at any time. |
RSS - Posts
Currently Raging Debates: