Breaking the infamous ‘133% / 75% Solar Oversize Rule’ won’t get you in trouble if you add a battery. Or will it?
It depends on who you ask… [Read more…]
The Problem Of Solar Voltage Rise/Drop And How To Fix It
Top to bottom, 70mm² 25mm² 16mm² 10mm² (3 phase) 6mm² sheathed, 2.5mm² sheathed, 4mm² Solar DC, 3 x 2.5mm² flexible plus a dangerously cracked and brittle 16mm² main service from a 1960s house.
Some weeks ago, I explained why the voltage in a long cable will drop over its length, and how this affects solar installations that are a long way from the switchboard. [Read more…]
8 Tesla Powerwall Alternatives To Consider (And One You Shouldn’t)
I remember the Tesla Powerwall 2 hitting the Australian market like it was just 7 years ago. It was the shining white pioneer that lit the way, the stroke of marketing mastery, the name now appropriated by an entire industry to describe a brick full of batteries. [Read more…]
Help! My Vintage Solar Inverter Has Finally Failed
If you are reading this because you have a failed ‘vintage’ inverter, you probably bought your solar power system ten or more years ago. In which case… [Read more…]
Spectacular Solar Installations: Road Trip Discoveries
Having recently completed a road trip through SA, VIC and NSW, I have come to two conclusions…
- there are still some workers out there installing less than first-rate solar power systems,
- you never take as many photos as you should.
In any case, I have a few pictures which should make more than a passing interest, even if it’s only the solar nerds who appreciate the finer details. [Read more…]
Thinking About A Home Battery? Better Think About Where.
The Australian Standard for home battery installations is quite strict about where solar batteries can and can’t go. [Read more…]
Bird Proofing Solar Panels: Lessons Learnt From Bitter Experience
Image Credit: “a rat with wings smashing a solar panel, in the style of Banksy” DALL-E & Finn Peacock
Protecting Your Solar From Sky Rats and Other Feral Disasters
I recall the days installing solar panels on a petrol station roof and the distinct feeling we were being watched. [Read more…]
One Point Two Five; It’s Like Orwell’s 1984, But For Solar
Image Credit: Glen Morris. Typeface & Design Credit: Beelzebub & his helpers from Standards Australia.
The recently updated Australian Standard for solar installations, AS5033:2021, contains the following clause that has caused a few headaches for solar installers and designers: [Read more…]
The One Question You MUST Ask Any Solar Installer (+ 6 Other Solar Buying Mistakes)
You may have read Finn’s original ‘7-mistakes’ article, followed by ex WA-installer Kim’s take and SA Installer Chris’s version. Now here are the biggest mistakes I’ve seen people make buying solar during my years on and off the roofs of South Australia: [Read more…]
My Shed Is 75+ Metres Away, Can I Put Solar Panels On It?
Image: StarryAI “Big Shed With Solar Panels”
Top tips for installing solar on your man-cave. Or lady-lair.
So there’s a shed at your place that seems ideal for solar panels, but it’s well down the back of the block. Can you install solar panels on it, and if so, how much? [Read more…]
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