Posts By SolarQuotes Founder Finn Peacock

Big Energy Has a Big Problem…But They Want YOU to Fix It

Big energy has a big “problem”.  What’s the problem?

Competition. Competition from whom?  From Australian citizens like you who’ve told the big power companies, “We’ll  generate our own power, using solar technology. Thank you very much.  Shut the door on your way out.”

Why is this “big a problem”? Well, it’s simple economics that whenever a supplier generates way more “product” than the market demands, that product’s price drops through the floor.   And simple economics is biting Big Energy in the arse.

Like a pit bull terrier.

But it’s their fault.  They stuck their arse out to be bitten.  [Read more…]

How to find the most efficient solar water heater

an evacuated tube solar hot water system

Is the evac tube system really more efficient than the flat plate system you have been quoted? Here’s how to find out…

When you are looking to buy a solar hot water system for for home, one of the most important things to check (apart from the price) is the efficiency of your Solar Hot Water System. The more efficient your system is, the better it will be at converting the sun’s heat to piping hot water, which means you will use your gas or electric boost less.

But with thousands of models of solar water heaters on the Aussie market, from flat plate or evacuated tube, to heat pumps it can be difficult to know how to find the most efficient solar water heater. Especially when each sales person says their technology / model is the most efficient! They can’t all be right…

[Read more…]

Solar Hot Water vs Solar Panels. Which should you buy?

Poor old Solar Hot Water.

The concept of heating water directly from the Aussie sun with a solar hot water system like this…

a solahart hot water heater

The humble solar hot water heater

…really seems to have gone from hero to zero over the past 3 years. [Read more…]

Are They Really Tier 1 Solar Panels? Six Questions You Must Ask.

tier 1 solar panel

Some solar companies are claiming that their Tier 3 panels are really Tier 1. How can you identify real Tier 1 Solar panels?

For many years now I’ve been banging on about “Tier 1 Solar Panels”. My recommendation has always been that you should spend a few hundred dollars more for Tier 1 panels, so that you can massively reduce the risk of having crappy solar panels installed on your roof. [Read more…]

Are those cheap solar panels grey imports?

solar panels in a box

If you’ve been offered really cheap solar panels, please check that they are not grey imports.

Recently, a number of people have asked me about parallel or ‘grey’ imports of solar panels.

Parallel imports are defined as products (in our case, solar panels) that are imported unofficially by someone other than the manufacturer or their official Australian distributors.

Interestingly, in this day and age with so much online and internet based trade, the lines on this issue have become a little blurred. Some manufacturers will supply you directly with their product, but the majority do not. Most panel manufacturers have carefully developed formal partnerships in place with Australian companies who distribute their panels and provide technical and warranty support for those panels.

Why is parallel importing a problem? [Read more…]

Fossil Fuel Subsidies are a Joke

I’m getting a lot of comments on Facebook at the moment along the lines of: “Solar needs to stand on its own two feet without subsidies of any kind”.

What these commenters (and our government) seem to miss is that fossil fuels in Australia – and around the world – are massively more subsidised than renewables.

This cartoon fresh from First Dog on the Moon, first posted on treealerts.org, sums up the situation nicely:

Solar Power For Your Home: The Absolute Basics

Back to absolute basics today on the SolarQuotes blog!

Here’s an infographic I got drawn up that explains the fundamental concepts you need to understand before buying solar for your home.

Yes, yes – I know for many of you dear readers this is completely obvious! But trust me, many folks out there starting on their solar journey do not realise that solar hot water panels don’t produce electricity.

Feel free to reproduce, republish and share to your heart’s content. The more knowledge out there the better for everybody!

an infographic describing solar power fundamentals

Solar Power For Your Home: The Basics

 

Solar Isolator Switch Recall. What you need to know.

solar isolator switches

The 3 isolator brands that have been recalled: PV Power, Avanco & NHP

We’ve recently had a number of phone calls from people who have heard about the national solar isolator switch recall recently announced by the ACCC, and are worried about their solar systems.

Here’s what you need to know about the Solar Isolator Switch Recall: [Read more…]

Energy costs are going down, but you wouldn’t know it if you’re still on the traditional grid.

confused man and pylons

Huh? Energy Prices Are Going Down?

How much of that quarterly cheque you cut to your local electricity supplier is actually paying for the energy you use?  According to a new scathing news story from ABC and confirmed with data from the Federal Treasury, under half.  Surprisingly, 51% of your monthly payment is, in fact, going to fund the unnecessary rebuilding of a now bloated Australian power grid.   [Read more…]

How to install solar panels on a metal roof – without leaks.

This post comes courtesy of Trevor Berrill. Trevor is Principal of  Solaris Sustainable Homes and is a 30 year veteran of  both renewable energy  and energy efficiency. It is a honour to have him contribute to this humble blog. Here Trevor describes how a good solar installer should install solar panels to a metal roof and how bad installers, in a hurry can do the wrong thing and leave you with a leaky roof!

Over to you Trevor.

Holier than thou? How to avoid leaks in the roof! [Read more…]

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