Plenty of people get solar to do their bit for the environment. Although renewables are far better for nature than fossil fuels, a new book details the little-known impact that solar panels have on insects, birds and bats. Here’s how to make sure your panels aren’t part of the problem.
About Max Opray
Journalist Max Opray joined SolarQuotes in 2025 as editor, bringing with him over a decade of experience covering green energy. Across his career Max has won multiple awards for his feature stories for The Guardian and The Saturday Paper, fact-checked energy claims for Australian Associated Press, launched the climate solutions newsletter Climactic, and covered the circular economy for sustainability thinktank Metabolic. Max also reported on table tennis at the 2016 Rio Olympics — and is patiently waiting for any tenuous excuse to include his ping pong expertise in a SolarQuotes story.
Make Sure Your Solar Isn’t An Insect Magnet
The Best Solar Panels To Pair With A New Battery
The federal battery rebate has triggered a huge surge of interest in solar panels, which are required to qualify for the government incentive. Some people are getting solar for the first time, while others are upgrading their existing systems. Here’s the best solar to pair with a home battery.
Electricity Price Rises Revealed: Here’s How To Avoid Being Hit
Electricity bills are set to surge by up to 9.7% for some Australians from July, according to the latest reference price details released by the Australian Energy Regulator, although most households will see smaller increases.
Get Ready For The Rebate With A Battery-Ready Solar Inverter
Saving up for a home battery to take advantage of the new federal government rebate? Whether you’re adding a battery to an existing solar panel setup, or getting solar now with plans to add a battery later, you’ll need to consider the inverter, which converts solar output into usable electricity. Here’s the best battery-ready options available.
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The Best Batteries To Buy With Labor’s Rebate (And What You’ll Save)
Labor’s election win means its $2.3bn Cheaper Home Batteries Program campaign promise is set to become reality. But which are the best brands to get under this new battery rebate, and how big are the savings?
Federal Election: The Coalition’s Plan For Cuts
While Labor banked on battery incentives, on the eve of the election the Coalition announced plans for cuts to a range of home electrification programs. Here’s what was facing the axe.
EVs Leave Election Petrol Promises In The Dust With FBT Exemptions
The Coalition has made election promises to temporarily cut taxes and regulations on petrol-guzzling cars. But you could save a lot more through existing Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) exemptions for EVs, which even encompass charging gear and electricity consumed. Here’s how to zoom past both the tax collector and the petrol pump.
Double-Dipping Labor’s Battery Incentive: Big Savings, Big Problems
Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus spruiks Labor’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program.
Labor’s election promise of a federal battery incentive is eye-catching enough on its own, but especially lucrative is how it can potentially be combined with state-level schemes. We’ve run the numbers to calculate the savings from double-dipping, and they’re big — but so are the potential issues.
Sunshine On Tap: Turn Your Hot Water System Into A Battery
Don’t you hate it when you’re out and realise you’ve left the gas on at home? It’s a nightmare when we do it with a gas stove, yet millions of Australians are essentially doing this every day to keep their water piping hot. There’s a more efficient alternative: use a hot water heat pump as a thermal battery.
Got An Eye For Detail? SolarQuotes Needs A Lead Investigator
Every day, people come to SolarQuotes to ask for quotes for their home electrification needs: whether that’s solar panels, batteries, EV chargers or hot water heat pumps.
And just about every day, something goes a little bit wrong with those requests for quotes. That’s where our Lead Investigator & Customer Service Hero comes in.
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